Munchies

Everyone gets the munchies, right? Most people get the munchies in the middle of the afternoon though, and perhaps late at night after drinking. Well, I get munchies all the time. Seriously, ALL. THE. TIME. An hour after breakfast, 10 minutes before lunch, whilst my dinner is being cooked, at 5 in the morning. My life seems to be one never ending munch (??)

In the UK I worked my way through box after box of porridge oats much to the amusement of my colleagues, and if my office was located in a slightly more exciting area of Beijing, I would no doubt peruse the various bing and baozi shacks in hidden alleyways, but there is none of that to be found near the 24 storey China Life Tower which I call my home 9-6, Monday-Friday.

There is the usual selection of Korean stone pot kimchi rice restaurants, McDonalds, KFC, Japanese curry, Malaysian noodles….which are all fine and dandy for lunch, but what if hunger strikes at 10.30am, what if my stomach starts growling at 3.45pm?. Who am I kidding, this is a daily occurrence.

Now, I cant go having a quarter pounder with cheese twice a day as a mid morning and mid-afternoon pick me up, much as I may want to, so recently I have been perusing the many bizarre items in the neighbourhood’s neon lit 7/11.

7/11 is a relatively recent addition to China and is certainly not as widespread as it is Taiwan, where I swear there is one branch per person, but there are several these days dotted around the city and they are certainly easier than attempting to navigate one of the Wall Mart or Carrefour hypermarkets with their tanks of live, wriggling fish and pushing, shoving Chinese mums who just have to get their hands on that last slab of twice cooked pork side.

Here is a selection of ‘essentials’ to be found in this particular Chaoyangmenwai branch by my office:

Dried pork, beef, tarot
Pre-mixed sex on the beach cocktails
Packaged burritos
Tea eggs bubbling away at the counter
Giant sugar lollies in the shape of piglets dressed up in pinnies (!)
Red bean balls
Green tea flavoured sugar snaps
Microwaveable cheese burgers
Sweet bread covered in meat fluff
Tofu on a stick

….maybe a quarter pounder with cheese isn’t such a bad option, chased with a sex on a beach, naturally.