What do you think of convenience store food in Japan?

If this question was asked about 6-7 years ago I would have had a different answer. A lot of conbini sell fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and even some "dinners" that are not bad in a pinch. For me, that is "convenience" when I don't have time or don't want to deal with a supermarket.

Ever since I realised I was getting a massive sugar rush from the sandwiches, I stopped eating them. I still liked the rice balls and oden. Oden is a really good deal as a filling meal.

Turning vegetarian means that even fewer foods are available to me now. Circle K has the best cakes, but 7-11 seems to be taking over everywhere, in my area. I like the soumen and soba packs you can get.

Their sandwiches are good sometimes. But, more often than not, any sandwich you buy has all the stuff insideonly right in the middle. It looks great, till you bite it and find out that there is nothing in there after the first few centimeters in the middle of the bread. So you end up paying 300 yen for 2 bites.

Convenient…

…but not exactly overflowing with taste. Sandwiches have too much mayo and other chemical fillings to bind and overpower whatever stuff they put between the bread.

But you can buy most of the ingredients separately there, and make your own sandwiches...

expensive

I meant to say - one of the pluses of the sandwiches is how tasty they are after a half minute or so in the microwave - very nice!

quality wise, 7-11 is a lot better than the other convenience stores. That 'Pari-Pari' salad is da bomb! (the one with the dry noodles in it)

i know its not good for me, but like sillygirl said, its convenient.

Well, it's convenient. In terms of quality, it depends on what you buy, ranging from terrible to quite ok. I try to avoid it as much as possible because it is propped up with chemicals.

Not too fond of the Lawson food, but the Seven&I meals are okay. The latter also has the sweetest melon bread I've ever tasted.

Maria, that's why you don't try to be a vegetarian in Japan.

@Peter Payne - but I am a vegetarian in Japan! It's entirely doable, though incomplete labelling of ingredients, plus food-preparers' (is that a word?) unfamiliarity with what vegetarianism means, makes it a huge learning process.

I have found it not that hard to do, all in all. It's my love of all things cheese which is causing me grief at the moment (rennet)

Being a vegetarian anywhere requires a certain amount of education, adjustment and giving up things you like. To be honest, it's the hunt for free-range and/or organic eggs which has me stumped, since it's not a consideration for farmers or consumers in Japan (since the avian flu scare, I was told, there is even less chance of getting free-range than there used to be. Shoddy logic...)

Therefore convenience store food is a forbidden fruit. Oden is a particular hardship to give up, though there are lots of non-fishy oden items, as long as you rinse off the dashi first...

It's my love of all things cheese which is causing me grief at the moment (rennet)

Amazon Japan has veggie rennet if you want to try making your own veggie cheese (probably as far from convenient as it's possible to get, but fun and satisfying.)

Some farmers' markets (JA or Michi no Eki) have the nearest to free-range (平飼い - they're loose in a flat space, but indoors coz of the avian flu) you'll find here, expect to pay ¥300~¥500 for a pack of 10. Any eggs in shop-bought items (cakes, etc) are virtually guaranteed to be factory-farmed.

I rarely buy conbini food, too much of it isn't veggie. If there's no other choice, I usually end up with a salad (check for bits of bacon, chicken, prawn etc) and/or the same kind of pre-packed bread item they have in the supermarkets.

Being used to the rather sparse food choices in convenience stores back home (hot dogs, nachos, chips, etc.), going to many different Asian countries and seeing the variety of food for sale in convenience stores is a welcome sight. I love the bento selections.

@Cleo - I have had to compromise with the hiragai tamago as you describe, but they are still available a subway and busride away, in my area (big city...) I gauge potential hiragai-ness by price, and eggs are so cheap (unless they're Nagoya Kouchin) that they are clearly battery-farmed.

Awful.