A Food Lover's Dream

Gourmet Food at a 7-Eleven?

When is the last time, or even the first time, you went to a 7-Eleven for gourmet food? 

There are now over 56,000 7-Eleven C-stores throughout the world, making it the largest convenience store chain around. But did you know that a 7-Eleven here in California is much different that those say in Asia?

The c-stores there are all about full-service convenience rather than just a place to get a Slurpee and a bag of chips. They are more about social locations, where friends meet up, sit down and have a meal, drop off their dry cleaning, surf the web and much as we love Starbucks here - to drink coffee with friends.

Not only are these 7-Elevens cool places to hang out but they are loaded with innovations that we only wish we had - like a mashed potato and gravy vending machine, or sandwiches made with sticky rice patties rather than bread, or even sausages stuffed with bacon. But my favorite? Winnie the Pooh-approved honey cream cheese lattes.

I had been invited to China to tour their food factories and meet with farmers and producers, and experienced some of the most delicious and strange foods ever - but I never got to try some of the more unusual offerings from Lay’s potato chips. You might recall we did a product review when Pringles introduced their Candy Cane chip last year (it did not get a very good review) now we have to wonder what some of these more exotic flavors from Lay’s taste like:  cucumber, braised pork, cheesy lobster, sour fish soup and Pepsi & Chicken Wing va