Spicy Big Bite and Chelada

The absence of 7-Eleven since southern California was enough to make me wonder if life would ever be the same, seriously now, few stores ooze as much in-store personality right beside good-old-fashioned value. My heart sank as I realized that I'd miss the first 7-Eleven that I'd seen since Long Beach - my RV just wouldn't slow fast enough, but if you've seen one 7-Eleven, then another isn't far off.

I stopped at the 7-Eleven on Route 12 in Aberdeen, Washington and selected a Spicy Big Bite hot dog and a Bud Light & Clamato flavored "Chelada." Added to the hot dog were sauerkraut, yellow mustard, pickle relish, and a dab of salsa, while the Chelada comes standard "with Salt and Lime. The Perfect Combination" ...says it right on the can.

The hot dog was eaten first, and 7-Eleven's "spicy" flavor is now becoming familiar. It's a certain, ever present and nearly artificial hotness whose same-every-bite consistency is unmatched by any hot sauce. I don't particularly like it. It gets the job done with all of the impersonality of a glory hole.

Texturally, the Spicy Big Bite was pleasant. The typical uniformity and rubbery "meat" of a hot dog was replaced with a firmness that I'd welcome in any cased meat product. The meat itself was juicy, and good tasting, but not devoid of gristle which best seemed left unacknowledged. The bun and condiments were standard without need for review, excepting the sauerkraut, which was grated into unrealistically crunchy strands [visible in photo]. Overall the hot dog was very good, and lived up to the "big" name swimmingly.

Washing down this meat-treat was a 24 ounce Bud Light & Clamato Chelada. A Chelada may seem like a relatively new offering to SIEF711's mostly WASPY reader base; however, those of with a little Latin in them, and not the stercus accidit kind, might know that a Chelada is basically a Mexican mixed drink made with beer. Whether it's an attempt by Anheuser Busch to culture us or patronize the latin community (again the Chicano and not the academic kind), I like it. The 24 oz. version has about 300 calories, 31 grams of carbs, 4.2% alcohol by volume, and a generous amount of salt. It should be said that none of my friends or acquaintances will drink it - mainly due to the "Clamato" brand name. Of course, anyone worth their salt that has spent some time on Nantucket will know that clams and drinking go together like Velcro.

The taste of Bud Light & Clamato Chelada is excellent, the alcohol seems only faintly present and my lack of buzz after drinking the entire 24 oz. can reflected that. The saltiness is pleasant as is the the tomato juice. Overall, drinking a can is not unlike having salsa atop "Hint o'Lime" Tostitos brand corn chips. If your response to Chelada is as positive as mine, it should be noted that Chelada only comes in four gangs and not the expected six pack.

I only pick winners:
Spicy Big Bite Hot Dog 7/11
Bud Light & Clamato Chelada 7/11