Just went through an intensive immersion-style course in conversational German.

My internal syntax is at war with itself. Internal syntax is with itself warring.

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I am working a sad vibe behind the fact that 7-11 is everywhere. 7-Eleven for me is the primary token of dehumanised, franchised human interaction. The clerks are terrified of the customers (in the States), so they put on a "You best not be thinking of fucking with me!" attitude.

The food? Wonderbread and Rice-A-Roni. Coffee in a styro-foam cup, boiled down to its most bitter essence.

Microwave burritos.

Gah.

I don't think people in Australia really think of 7-11 as a dining solution per se! I imagine here the big sellers would be milk, cigarettes, phone cards, public transport tickets and chocolate bars, none of which really suffer through being sold in a franchised environment...although yes you can get the hot dogs and various microwaved delights too. I haven't noticed any fear in the eyes of the staff, although 7-11's obviously do get robbed sometimes here too.

I dunno, you occasionally read an elegiac article about how 7-11's are replacing the traditional family-owned corner milk bar, but to be honest traditional family-owned corner milk bars weren't that great, and anyway I imagine most 7-11's are family-owned too. Of the franchise plagues that the US has unleashed upon the world, I find Starbucks far more noxious.

Do the 7-11 clerks in other nations have the same attitude?

(I have a friend who's dad was murdered while working at a 7-11. . . so their attitude is completely understandable.)

When I worked in construction I discovered that 7-11s serve a major function feeding contractors since they're zoned in closer to residential areas than fast food places. If you're in a neighborhood putting a hot tub in somebody's back yard, 7-11 is your nearest eating option.

I grew up with them as my primary comic buying venue. Also, I supported that habit by returning bottles for deposit there. (Two eight packs equaled eighty cents equaled four comics.) They had penny candy when I was growing up, so it was also excellent on a summer day to go digging through the couch, find a nickel and a penny and walk down to the 7-11 to get sugared up.

For some reason, there is no 7-11 near where I live. There is instead a Store-24, which is also a franchise (though probably smaller). At my Store-24, the manager puts on WEEI and broadcasts the baseball game at top volume in the early evenings, whether the customers want it or not.

There are also several local/independent stores that sell snacks, soda, magazines and limited lunch items. Around here they have traditionally been called "spas", as if there were fountains of curative waters hidden in the back of the store. Mostly these days they are called dollar stores or corner stores, I think.

My internal syntax is at war with itself. Internal syntax is with itself warring.

Excuse me. I believe that's

Internal syntax with itself warring is
or possibly
Internal syntax with itself warring has

depending on the verb.

Or, if you're in a tasteless mood, "My internal syntax is invading Poland".

7-11s aren't exactly national in Oz. I just had a quick look and there are none listed in the SA phone book, so they don't exist over here. However, some of the petrol companies have taken up the slack and now a large number of BP, Caltex and Shell stations also have 24 hour fast food and "mini-marts". On the way to my parents' place, I can stop at one Caltex petrol station that has a McDonalds combined with it, while on the way to work, I can stop at a BP servo that has a Wok-in-a-Box built into it. (yummy noodle dishes!)

There is a Borders Books in Minneapolis about the size of stadium. It has a Starbux in it that is so long that they need two separate service counters. It gives the impression that there is a Starbux concession inside the Starbux concession.

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You see those nine-franchises-in-one-deals in Outback Wisconsin a lot. My favorite is the Pizza Hut Subway Laundromat Post Office.

My favorite is the Pizza Hut Subway Laundromat Post Office.

It's only a twofer, but in SF we've got a barber shop/fire safety supply store.