Oh Thank Heaven...

According to the Handy Guide for Foreigners in Taiwan, this country has the highest concentration of convenience stores in the world.  The major cities have a convenience store on every corner.  Any good-sized town will have several.  The closest to us is just up the road, a five minute scooter ride away.

You might see a Family Mart or an OK Store here and there, but 7-Eleven dominates the market.  7-Eleven is my oasis for American snack food.  Regardless of what time I enter the store, I always get a friendly “good morning!!” from the clerk.  I head straight to the drink section for a Coke, then to the candy aisle for a package of plain M&M's.  Both are 100% authentic and taste just as God intended.  (BTW they're test marketing new coconut M&M's here and yes, they pass the test!!)

Finally, bypassing the tea eggs and rice balls, I grab a can of Pringle's.  I once swore I'd never eat Pringle's again after living off them for days while covering a hurricane, but now I enjoy them again in moderation. 

Convenience store robberies are a growing problem here.  (Another reminder of home!)  A TV news story last week featured surveillance video of a young bandit chasing a clerk around the store with a knife.  Turns out he needed money, not to feed his drug habit, but to pay for time at an internet cafe. 

When I think of 7-Eleven, I recall an old commercial from the '70's.  My Taiwanese friends think it's just hilarious when I tell them about it...  “Oh thank heaven for 7-Eleven.”  Frankly, I don't see what's so funny.