Mathew Biadun | Column Writer
It’s truly shocking just how quickly time passes. It seems like it was only last week that I left, jetlagged and sleep-addled, from the plane that brought me here. Just last week it seemed that I had a hundred days left. But now? Now, just a week remains in my time in Thailand.
As the time to leave approached, I began to think as to what the last entry in this column should be. A guide for those studying abroad? A guide on Thailand specifically? A summary of all my experiences? Each of these options seemed fine, but…nothing more. It was boring! Guides can be found everywhere, and each article serves sufficiently as a good summary of my experiences. Instead, I wanted to go with something a little more fun, and a little more unique.
I’ve mentioned before the invasive species here known as 7/11. The convenience store on every street here in Bangkok, utterly dominating the local economy and selling everything from chips to chicken feed. It is a preeminent institution. During my time here, I probably went there once or twice a day, due to the sheer variety of cheap items. With all these travels, I’ve tried out a lot of things, and wanted to list my favorites below.
The top ten best items in 7/11 ranging from food to drinks. Now that’s a list you won’t find anywhere else!
10. Honey Lemon Ice Tea
This is a popular flavor here, not just for ice tea but also for soda and candy. Honey and lemon might be a flavor in the United States as well, but I’ve never come across it, and it certainly isn’t as popular as it is here. Honey and lemon makes for a really good combination, mixing the sour lemons with the sweetness of honey. Straight out of the fridge, it makes for a very refreshing drink for the many hot summer days found in Thailand.
9. Doritos Spicy BBQ
Doritos might seem like a weird flavor to include. But if I have to say one bad thing about Thai cuisine, it's the chip flavors. They are awful. The most common flavors are things like prawn, seaweed, crab, even corn. Corn! Not corn chips, but corn-flavored chips. In contrast, American snack food is far preferable. Most American snack food is a fairly expensive import in comparison (Lays are twice as expensive as Thai chips, for example). But Doritos are about the same price. ‘Spicy BBQ’ is also a very good flavor, sort of like a combination of normal red Doritos and the black ‘BBQ’ bags. A nice snack to eat while enjoying Thai Netflix.
8. Apple Candy Drink
These bottles have caramel apples on them, but are called ‘apple candy’, so that’s what I’ll call them. These are a genius idea to be honest. Take ordinary apple juice, but add a little bit of sweetener, and it becomes a really nice flavor of ice tea. This quickly became my favorite, being a little less sweet than honey-lemon, with a subtle flavor that was nice to sip at.
7. Chocolate Croissant/Bun
7/11 sells a variety of pastries, and these are definitely my favorite. My preferred version is a chocolate bun, being a soft roll of bread with a chocolate drizzle over it. But I couldn’t find a picture, so instead I chose the chocolate croissant. Just like its name implies, it's an ordinary croissant with chocolate over it. These are particularly good because they come straight out of the fridge, meaning the chocolate is slightly frozen and crunchy. For a pastry they are weirdly refreshing in this way, although the chocolate does get a bit sticky once it melts on your fingers.
6. Chocolate Chip Bread
It’s honestly shocking just how good these are. They look fairly simple, coming in these plastic bags. They are put in what looks like an air fryer, heated up until they’re nice and toasty and the chocolate chips are just slightly melting. I don’t know how, but they have the same texture and consistency of a fresh chocolate chip cookie, and are even a little crunchy. They are amazing! This same brand of bread has a ‘butter pan’ too, which is good, although a few bites are so buttery that it’s a bit gross.
5. Lorenz Salt & Vinegar
A small surprise to me was the prevalence of European snack-brands in 7/11s here, particularly British and French brands. In America, these brands are far far less common, with American brands obviously dominating the market. But ‘Lorenz’, a French snack food brand, makes a great line of chips called ‘Crunchip’. Their salt and vinegar flavor was very rare and rarely stocked; I could only find them near the start and finish of my time here. But when I could, they were an excellent study snack.
4. Thai Tea
I’m slightly cheating for this one. 7/11s do sell these. But thai teas in 7/11 are probably the worst version of thai teas. Getting them at local slushie shops or drink stands are far better. Thai tea is a hard flavor to explain. They are orange, but not orange flavored. Instead it tastes slightly like a mix of cinnamon, vanilla and brown sugar, with an almost earthy undertone. This will probably be the drink I miss the most, just because I’ve never seen it in the United States. Hopefully I can make some by hand!
3. Mango Juice
Originally, I thought UFC stood for the old United Fruit Company. I was originally shocked it still existed. It sort of does, having evolved into what is now Chiquita, but that’s not what this UFC is. UFC is a Thai drink company, and in particular, their mango juice is superb. It’s fresh and high-quality, with thick juice that holds a lot of flavor. Honestly, I could drink a whole cartoon at once.
I will not confirm if I have.
2. Coconut Water
It’s weird. Before I came to Thailand, I never really liked coconut water. And honestly? I still don’t. I just like this one, very specific brand. Maybe it’s the sugar or added ingredients they gave in. But it’s just…incredible! This one just became an addiction, its flavor was just really really good. If only all coconut water tasted like this one!
1. Toasties
Ah, the toasty. Truly a blessing from the 7/11 deities. Are you hungry? Snackish? Starved? No matter your specific taste or level of hunger, a toasty will always satisfy. There are all sorts of fillings, ranging from the normal ‘Ham & Cheese’ and ‘Sausage & Egg’ to flavors like chocolate, strawberry or Hawaiian. Frankly, these sustained me, being my most dependable breakfast and meal out of everything. The perfect purchase!
With this contribution, my Warrior Abroad column is finished! It’s been a wonderful experience getting to travel across so many countries, meeting so many people and having a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Getting to write about it once a week has been a pleasure too. If anyone has any questions about studying abroad, please don’t be afraid to reach out. My email is Mathewbiadun05@gmail.com, for anyone who has questions. Eastern’s study abroad department is similarly always available, whether it be for a quick appointment to ask in-person, or by emailing them.
Besides that, I’ll be seeing all of you again soon! Merry Christmas!
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