7-11 is the New Ruler of Taiwan

What from the outside looks like any other 7-11 (or 7-11-like convenience store) holds something different, an insight into Asian culture, their customs and habits. It is, in the end a convenience store, so please don't misunderstand me, you will not get lost or not be able to buy things here, but as usual, it is the subtle differences what makes, each of their1-million locations, something remarkable.

First of all, of course, It is all in Chinese (what were you expecting), so all the adverts outside will seem pretty odd. (Did you know that Baseball is Taiwan's National Sport?)

The outside

But let's assume you closed your eyes at the entrance and did not see all the adds and adverts in Chinese. The moment you enter the place, the first you will notice is the (probably) un-familiar smell of Oden. Originally a Japanese dish, it has spread across Asia, and particularly in Taiwan (You will start noticing the Japanese influence in the country since day 1). It consist of a yummy soy sauce and dashi broth and a number of goodies (ranging from fish cakes, tofu, eggs and sausages, to vegetable and noodles) that can be put in the broth making a very nutritious soup. You just take a bowl, fill it up with goodness and head up to the cahier who will count how many items you took and charge you. Btw, you can take as much broth as you want, they only charge you for the items. How about that for a difference.

The ōden

The frozen section is pretty awesome too, you can get dumplings, nuggets, fish, noodles, pasta or anything you might be craving on a very late night (within reason of course, its Asia). They will heat it up for you and throw in some chopsticks for instant hunger pacifying.

The Frozen Goods

The section that caught my attention from the very first time is the beverage section. The have their beers, ciders and cocktail like bottles, not that big of a selection but it does the job. There is virtually no sodas or carbonated drinks, with the exception of some Coca Cola products (Duh!). You will find a huge selection of bottled teas (which is pretty awesome), Yakult-like products (A Japanese fermented milk drink) and a weird selection of Juices that includes, I shit you not, Asparagus Juice. The moment I saw that I stopped watching and left, really.

The Drinks

  

You will find a lot more things around like tofu and soy milk (Duh!), noodles, sausage and eggs, even some not so crappy bread (Taiwanese Style I have to clarify).

Foods

It is not surprising that in a country that is so obsessed with food, where you can buy extremely good food in every corner, where having a kitchen is considered a luxury, and even if you do have a kitchen most of the people will not use it as the dinning options are endless, you can find so many options in a convenience store. What is surprising is that there is people that actually prefer eating at a 7-11 than in a street stand. To be honest, I ate here during my first couple of days while I was adjusting to the place and gathering 'cojones' to go and try to make myself understood in the street stands. And I occasionally make use of it when I'm coming late night after drinking and there is nothing else open.

Now, I've talked about all the food you can find here (Surprise, surprise, this dude likes food!), but of course you can get other things like toiletries, basic kitchen and cleaning goods and the latest issue of whatever bullshit magazine you read these days. And of course in here you can do a shit load of other things which include but are not limited to:

1. Pay your bills
2. Get tickets to concerts
3. Get cinema tickets
4. Get bust tickets
5. Get train tickets
6. Basically all kinds of tickets
7. Order a Cab
8. Send money
9. Charge your public transport pass (which is completely useless if you live outside Taipei)
10. Get a SIM card
11. Recharge your phone
12. Receive packages
13. Withdraw money
14. Sell your soul to the highest bidder
15. Buy virginities
16. Send or Receive Drugs
17. Talk to god or anyone in heaven
18. Get facemasks
19. Hit on girls
20. Drink beer
21. And of course Get a Big Bite Hot Dog (what, did you think  they didn’t have them here?)

Such an odd place.