7-ELEVEN’s Worldwide: A Taiwan Version

by Jamie Rhein on

Oh, how Justin’s post on 7-ELEVENs to help promote the Simpson’s movie brought back memories. Taiwan is a 7-ELEVEN lover’s dream-come-true. They are on every other street corner it seems–with 44,498 of them, it’s no wonder. Taiwan is not that big. One of the 7-ELEVENs was the first place we went shopping right after we arrived in the country to live there. It was after midnight and we had just flown in. The person who picked us up at the airport took us to one in our new neighborhood to shop for groceries so we would have something to for the next few days. In my blurry-eyed jet lagged fatigue, I picked out the differences between the American version and Taiwan’s food offerings. Some were the same; several were different. For example, you can buy peanut butter if you want a fix, but products are much more Asian in scope.

First, there’s the smell of tea eggs cooking in a crock pot. Then there are the beverages and instant noodle variations. Taiwan has more boxed drink flavors than any place I know. Most are variations of flavored teas like durian and melon, with some soymilk brands thrown in. Of course there are Coke products for the western palate. British food items like McVities Digestives are also popular, plus Asian snack foods. Once I lived in Taiwan for awhile, I learned that 7-ELEVENs were the best place to buy wine. If you were heading to a party, this was the perfect stop for a last minute purchase. No super-size bag of chips though. For that, you have to be in the U.S.

The website also has a list of how many 7-ELEVENS are in each country worldwide. Japan has the most–8,478. Guam, with 9, has the least. These are the 2001 statistics. Notice the crockpot at the right edge of the photo? Those are tea eggs. This is the inside of a 7-ELEVEN.

UK Pub Finder. Is this Really Necessary?!?!

by Neil Woodburn on

Interested in finding a pub in the United Kingdom or Ireland? Head on over to PubFinder.com where all you need to do is type in a postal code and up pops every pub within two drunken miles of your location. Or, you can search by county or city. Pubfinder claims to have 18,873 pubs in its data base, all of which will happily pour you a pint.

Actually, it all seems a little silly to me. With 18,873 pubs in the area, all one needs to do is walk out the door and a pub will fall out of the sky and hit you on the head. Pubs are like sand at the beach in England and Ireland. They’re everywhere! But in case you think you might be missing one or two, then PubFinder is just for you.

Eat Good with the Trucker’s Dining Guide

by Justin Glow on

A recent Metafilter thread asked, “Which profession dines out the most?” Long-haul truckers, they say. So who better to give restaurant reviews?

When I first saw this dining guide written by and for truckers, I let my stereotypes get the best of me. I figured it would be nothing but reviews of the salad bar at Western Sizzlin’ and Grand Slams from Denny’s, but I was wrong. “I had the espresso encrusted filet with balsamic cream sauce,” reads one review of an upscale eatery local to me.

The guide lacks a much-needed search feature, but the restaurants are broken down by state and city, so it’s not too tough to find what you’re looking for.

10-4? Good.

Salzburg’s Easter Festival. Get Cultured

by Jamie Rhein on

If you’ve ever been to Salzburg, Austria, perhaps the mountains come to mind. After all, this is where Julie Andrews as Maria ran up over the hill with her arms flung wide. The tradition of music in this city continues to flourish since the time before Amadeus Mozart first licked his fingers across a keyboard when playing and composing for the royal courts.

These days, music is still a huge force in this gorgeous city. One time of the year to catch the best of the best in the Baroque tradition is for the Salzburg Easter Festival (Osterfestspiele Salzburg) that starts this Saturday. It always starts on the Saturday before Palm Sunday so you can keep this in mind for next year or the year after that or the year after that. The schedule is actually set through 2010 so you can plan ahead. Starting this year is the production of Wagner’s opera “Ring der Nibelungen.” The festival also has music performances by the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra.

This festival is not a street fair, drop-in variety exactly, but seems to be a who’s who in the world of high brow culture. If you want to feel like you’re among them, this is the place. If you do head to Salzburg any time soon, try a Mozart ball chocolate. They are marzipan on the inside and chocolate on the outside. You’ll know what I’m talking about. Mozart is stamped on the paper covering and they’re sold everywhere. Since Salzburg has several festivals throughout the year, there is something for everybody.

When Patrons get Pooped On

by Jamie Rhein on

With waterfront property at Long Beach, California, one might think the restaurant Schooner or Later had it made in the shade. It’s the shade that actually was causing problems. Blue herons loved the palm trees that used to shade Schooner or Later’s patio. As birds are known to do, they relieve themselves and that was the problem. Folks eating out on the patio were getting pooped on. There was a article about this back in September on MSN. The story wasn’t just about the restaurant, but about the blue heron population that is finding a hard place to live since development has encroached on so much of its habitat. Therefore, the palm trees that line the beach are perfect if you happen to be a heron.

Today, the story was a Day to Day segment. For awhile, the owner of the restaurant had been trying to get permission to move the four trees that shaded his patio. He didn’t get permission, but someone cut back the trees anyway. Even though it was the landlord who cut the trees, the owner’s pleased. I’m sure the people getting pooped on are pleased as well. According to some, however, this is an example of nature conservancy and tourism being at cross purposes. The blue heron used to be considered endangered and there is worry blue herons may become endangered again if their nesting places keep disappearing. If you want to see a heron habitat that’s protected, head to Morro Bay State Park that includes the Heron Rookery Natural Preserve.