7-Eleven — Blog — Healy Chen

Bangkok, part 8

If you’re a fan of Korean and Japanese cuisine, but you find yourself in Bangkok, Thailand: you’re in luck! For whatever reason, there’s a ton of Korean and Japanese restaurants there. So if your home country is in closer proximity to Thailand than either Korea and Japan, I reckon going to Bangkok for you is a good enough substitute - food wise. It’s probably cheaper, too (in the non wagyu category).

One of my evenings in Bangkok I was in the Thonglor district. A hip and trendy area for you night life party enthusiasts. As I was walking on the main thoroughfare towards the bar where my friend is having his post-wedding party, I noticed an endless parade of Japanese restaurants. There was at least one on every block. I adore sushi (raw fish on a thing of rice) as much as the next person, but this many Japanese restaurants in such a tiny area seems highly excessive for a place that isn’t Japan.

Good news for people like me, though. I’m not all that enamored with Thai food, so having other Asian options so readily available is a plus. Every morning in Bangkok I ate two 7-Eleven onigiris to start my day. You may think that’s crazy: going all the way to Thailand just to eat convenience store snacks, but I don’t think so. The 7-Elevens in the States do not sell onigiri (never mind the seedy and dangerous reputation). So whenever I am in Asia, I can’t get enough of those things.

Word on the street is that will be changing: American 7-Eleven is trying become more like the super awesome version they have in Japan. There’s a 7-Eleven less than a mile from where I live, so we shall see.

Convenient stores in Asia are awesome

Why can't America have convenient stores like they've got in Asia?

The 24-hour convenient store like 7-Eleven is ubiquitous in Asia, and for good reason: they are fantastic. The stores offer a selection of actual real food (and junk food too, of course) and any sort of daily household items one would need. Most have a dedicated sitting area for people to eat their meal, and some even have bathrooms should the particular 7-Eleven not be one close to home. One can literally live only frequenting a convenient store, no supermarkets, with no adverse health effects.

Contrast that to the convenient stores we've got here in the States: when's the last time you felt safe going to a 7-Eleven? All they stock is junk food, and the best hot food they can offer you is a bloody hot-dog. Where's the amazing selection of ramen? 20 flavors of tea? Fresh breakfast and dinner food? Can I make it to my parked car without getting robbed?

When I book AirBnb on Asia trips, I make sure to stay at a place that's close to a convenient store, which isn't difficult because they are everywhere. Just this past Taipei trip there was a 7-Eleven right around the corner, and I would visit it every morning to stock up on tea drinks for the day. Late night cravings would be satisfied with a a quick ramen run.

Laugh all you want, but one of the big draws Asia has for me are their 24-hour convenient stores. I miss them very much when I fly back home.