Shut up, it's still 7-11

So I've finally come back to this post. I should be studying for 'Biochemical Separations,' but that doesn't seem too important at this very second... it's not until Wednesday anyway. Anyhoo, 7-11 in Taiwan, you never fail to impress me. Know what that is on the left? It's a giant piece of fried chicken cutlet. In the past I've already mentioned how Taiwanese fried chicken is different from its American brethren. Pounded as thinly as possible, breaded with unknown spices (I have a hunch that it includes 五香粉 or '5 spice powder'), then fried to GBD. The crunching sound of the exterior is one of those things you just can't replicate. Yet again, a challenger appears (stupid gaming reference). I know what you're thinking... 'that's gross, 7-11 microwaved fried chicken.' Well, don't be so quick to judge. I mean, they've surprised me numerous times before with their microwavable bentos, so I wanted to at least give them a fair chance.


Oh what a mistake. Let's revisit the checklist for delicious fried chicken. Piping hot? Yes. Real chicken? I think so. Adequately oily? Oh yes. Crispy delicious skin? Uber fail. The problem with the chicken isn't in the taste. Actually, it tastes pretty damn good. The spices are more or less correct, and the clogging of the arteries factor certainly exists. No, the problem is, once you microwave something this oily in a plastic bag for 1 minute, the steam collects, and the chicken skin is rendered soggy. Sorry 7-11, this is one time I'll have to say... you screwed up big.


Yay, another bento. I should probably explain the naming system they have for their bentos. They do pork, chicken, or 全民 'everyday value' bentos, with maybe 7 variants of each. What they do is, they will call it pork A, pork B, and so on. I think this was chicken C. I'm not sure why I just explained the 7-11 bento naming system, but whatever. It was delicious. The chicken cutlet here was not soggy (I'm not sure why), and the side dishes were passable. Still the greatest thing about their bentos is the fact that it's 59 NT (<$2) for this and a 700cc bottle of tea.