WHY 7-ELEVEn?
My interest in 7-Eleven began after I realized how many 7-Eleven stores there are in Thailand. I was born and raised in a small town called Pai in the north of Thailand. It was an inconvenient little town where we had to drive 3 hours down the windy mountain to find decent hospitals, schools, and jobs. When I contracted Bacterial Meningitis at the age of one, the long drive to the Chiangmai hospital felt like an eternity for my mom. Nevertheless it was a beautiful place where local people, artists, and cool people from all over the world came together. The culture there was rich and vibrant, and I feel lucky to call it home.
As I grew older, the 7-Elevens began to take over. There were about 5 stores before I moved to the US. That is a big deal for a little town with under 3,500 people. I felt like the corporation definitely changed the identity and culture of my small town. Nowadays, Thailand has the second largest number of 7-Eleven stores (11,983 stores) following Japan.
I have fond memories of 7-Elevens. There is usually one 7-Eleven store at each gas station in Thailand. So my family would stop by the store to grab snacks whenever we’re going on a road trip. I grew up eating 7-eleven hot dogs and Slurpee, but the signature products in Thai 7-Elevens are steam baos and shumai. You can choose from a variety of bao - like ones with ground pork and egg yolk filling (my personal favorite), BBQ pork, curry, or custard cream. These baos are absolutely delicious and so filling - just the perfect snack for a 5 hour car ride to the beach. Despite the invasive nature of the corporation, it definitely made my life much more convenient.
