RT Mart... (a.k.a. Shoprite on crack)

For the record, I actually went grocery shopping (this time in a traditional market) over theweekend, but I'm still so backlogged that I'm posting this now. I actually have no clue where the exact address is, but it's near 復興 (Fu Xing) Sogo. Asian supermarkets are different, they sell weird things, more electronics and appliances (and clothing). Actually, if I had to find a comparable, it's almost like a super Walmart or Target... but with a full food section... if that makes any sense. In any case, I like to wander around just looking at the food, since I know that I'll never find half of it in the US even if I go to H-mart or JASmart. Er... as an example of that, I found Burger King branded chips. I'm not sure if they're sold anywhere in the US (maybe they are, but I've never seen them), but I thought it was interesting. I was really tempted by the french toast flavored ones, but I ended up skipping on this since I had bought a giant bag of Calbee chips. There's always next time.


As far as what I truly love about RT mart, I had previously mentioned that there were a glut of Asian bakeries. While that's true, those more famously branded bakeries tend to be a bit pricier (maybe an extra 10 NT). So when I go to RT mart, I tend to stock up on the baked goods. That pictured above? That's a pineapple bun 10" across... and how much did it cost? Only 22 NT (60 or so cents). Fay Da has nothing on RT mart lol. Oh, did I fail to mention how they also offer red bean filled, a taro filled, and pork floss filled variants to the traditional sweetened butter? Same price on each. The real reason I went though, was so I could finally try that ridiculous pork chop sandwich that was to be handmade by sandwiching a cutlet inside a Chinese bread. Well, the pork chops looked small, so instead I got a chicken cutlet, and I actually grabbed the wrong kind of bread... taro as you can see. In the end, I did get to try both variants, but honestly... the pork chop bun is way overhyped. The chicken cutlet bun with taro is where it's at. You get a soft pasty feel when you hit the taro, with a faint earthy sweetness that's missing from the pineapple bun (which is just bluntly sweet). Add in the fact that I think RT mart uses 5 spice (五香) to fry their cutlets and you get a winning combination of spicy savory goodness with sweetness. Total price of construction... 7 NT for the bread (came in a package of 8 assorted) and 10 NT for the cutlet. Find a sandwich in Manhattan like this for 50 cents and I'll buy you lunch for a week. Serious.


Uh... as far as running today, I'm not sure why, but I was really tired. I completed a labored 3.34 miles, then proceeded to walk for another 2 or so, but I won't add that part into the counter. In any case, it was pretty disappointing. In other news, I heard it's going to rain for the next 7 days... straight. Great.

distance for the day: 3.34 miles
distance biked for the day: 0.00 miles

distance on the year: 281.29 miles
distance biked on the year: 142.68 miles