5 ms·
Ugh, I hate articles like this. I'm glad the comments here are pretty grounded. For some reason foreigners feel the need to gush over 7-11 sandwiches -- it's th
by distantaidenn 5y ago
Ugh, I hate articles like this. I'm glad the comments here are pretty grounded. For some reason foreigners feel the need to gush over 7-11 sandwiches -- it's the strangest thing. I wonder if these people just aren't that traveled or come from small towns.
First off, the sandwiches just aren't that good. They're mostly bread. The wrapping and cut may make you think the sandwich is overflowing with fillings, but you soon realize it's just all arranged in the front to make it look nice for packaging. The back end of the sandwich is pretty much empty. This made some rounds on Japanese twitter a couple years ago: https://twitter.com/kou17/status/1315447135865769985 https://twitter.com/kou17/status/1315447135865769985
Admittedly, 7's new high protein sandwiches are leagues better, as far as filling is concerned. A little pricier but more fillings and usually served on wheat or a baguette, rather than super soft shokupan.
Also, the next time you reach for one of those sandwiches, take a look at the ingredients list. It's pretty damn long for a simple "ham" or "egg" sandwich. As my fiancé put it, Japan food additive regulations just aren't as strict as in America. To paraphrase her, "Japanese companies can put anything in there..." The same way people scoff at the guy reaching for that gas-station sub in America (which I actually kinda miss), she does if I reach for a combini sandwich.
Believe it or not, America has pretty extensive food labeling and additive laws compared to other countries. Probably from the trans fat craze a couple decades back.
As an alternative to 7-11, Daily Yamazaki (in the mornings) and MiniStop have fresh food made in store: spanning from baked goods and sandwiches to bentos and onigiri.
- kaesar14 5y agoI mean it’s just a better option for that price than you could find in huge swaths of America.
- ixtli 5y agoOk so the reason I love 7 is because I lived in Tokyo during college and was broke as hell. I LIVED off of that food and in retrospect I was really lucky because if I had been in NYC (where I lived now) I would have been subject to worse tasting and less healthy stuff. It’s nostalgia definitely but objectively better than equivalently priced things in other cities.
- Aunche 5y agoI'd definitely rather have access to NYC delis/bodegas than Japanese 711s.
- ixtli 5y agoHmm idk. Why specifically do you say this? I currently live in lower Manhattan and have a lot of love for delis and visit them often. But these places are very expensive in a lot of ways that 7 and Lawson isn’t.
- Aunche 5y agoDo you mean like Katz's or your random neighborhood deli? I live in a gentrified area, but a regular sandwich is like $7. It's more expensive than a sandwich you'd get at 7, but a lot more filling too.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- fomine3 5y agoFood additive criticism in Japan is tend to be unscientific. Take them with a grain of salt.
- distantaidenn 5y agoOr just avoid mass-produced convenience store sandwiches if I have the means.
- fomine3 5y ago"mass-produced" isn't a valid criticism.
- distantaidenn 5y agoDidn't posit it as a criticism. Also, did you check the Twitter link I posted? You think if these sandwiches weren't mass produced by an international conglomerate they would get away with that kind of (imho) false advertising?
- fomine3 5y agoI knew the sandwich gate. This is scammy display design but nothing related to food safety and conglomerate. I believe small business are less targeted to criticism on SNS. Blaming or praising big brand is easy to buzz on SNS.
- oska 5y agoWhen it's mass produced food like these sandwiches are (basically an industrialised process) then yes, it is a valid criticism.
- fomine3 5y agoindustrialised != junk, but tend to be. Check each foods.
- suction 5y agoI'm with you. The glorification of all things Japanese is simply a reactionary, ultra-nationalist state of mind which has been adopted by Japanophiles from the US.