Things I am going to Love about China: 11 of 100

7-Eleven

I have never lived in a city with a 7-Eleven. Slurpee. Big Gulp. These things mean nothing to me. I was raised on the Icee “The coldest drink in town”. You know, the polar bear in the red sweater. I have always heard the phrase “7-Eleven”, sure. But it wasn’t until a recent trip to Thailand that I was amazed to find that the store everywhere. There is not one 7-Eleven in Wisconsin but in Asia… they are EVERYWHERE!

Here are some statistics- There are more 7-Elevens in Asia than there are in the States… strike that- There are more 7-Evelens in Japan, alone, than there are in the States. In Hong Kong there are over six-hundred of the quick-stop stores, more than in the entire Midwest!

Even my Canadian fiancée knows more about the store than I do! I feel like someone who woke up to discover that they’ve never had a Big Mac or a Dilly Bar, so I ask myself “what am I missing?”

The following is a result of my research:

As with all big things, 7-Eleven started out small. Once upon of a time in Texas, some guy named Joe sold ice. Joe thought to himself “Hey. I have ice, why not sell some milk and eggs… the ice could keep it cool”. In one genius move, Joe had serendipitously given birth to the miracle that is “the convenient store”.

Originally Joe called his stores Tote’em but the name changed in 1946 when he decided his stores would run from 7am – 11pm (I know, you probably guessed that). These hours were unheard of at the time. Before long the company adopted the Slurpee (also serendipitously invented) and eventually, the thirty-two ounce soda, The Big Gulp.

Now the function of a convenience store has alluded me until very recently. When I grew up there were grocery stores and there were gas stations and there wasn’t much in between. Now my Canadian fiancée has a different take on this. In Canada there are gas stations, there are grocery stores, and there is something in between, the convenience store. When Cathy walks into a gas station in the states her jaw drops and she her face says “Daddy, we’re in Disney Land”. She has never seen such a variety of chips, candy or soda even in the biggest grocery stores of Canada. It is a fact that Canada does not yet have blue M&Ms.

So there you have it, for the first time in my life I am moving to a land where I can walk into a shop and say “Give me a Slurpee! And I’ll take some Moon Pies too. I am in the land of 7-elevens. The land of opportunity. I am in China”