Think About It

Mashed potato vending machine is only the beginning: 5 more bizarre fooddispensers for 7-Eleven

Yes, it's mashed potatoes in a vending machine. Welcome to 7-Eleven.
Zufelt Zoo
The 7-Eleven mashed potato vending machine in all its glory.
Zufelt Zoo
Looks ... delicious?
TheZigZagger.com

The Internet issued a collective OMFG this week when it discovered a surprising specialty inside certain 7-Eleven stores: an instant mashed potato and gravy vending machine. According to Tecca, the machines are particularly popular in Singapore and haven't really made a foothold in America, which, frankly, I find to be a travesty.

I mean, if America is giving up our top spot as the country that invents new and increasingly weird ways to eat carbs, then how can we claim to be the greatest country in the world? I'm pretty sure falling behind in mashed potato technology was the cause of the fall of Rome. That or the Visigoths.

If Singapore is going to monopolize the instant watery mashed potatoes and gravy machine market, than we will just have to come up with our own machines.

Here are five ideas, America. You're welcome.

5. Queso

Technically, cheeses already come in a variety of dispensers, whether it's a pump at a baseball stadium or a spray can. But let's take a classic crock pot of Ro-Tel dip and Velveeta, turn it upside down and add a spigot.

4. Eggs

Push a button to choose between scrambled, over easy, fried or poached. I'm picturing that no matter what you choose, the egg comes out in a square shape.

Yum, square eggs. Frankly, I don't know why Egg Beaters hasn't already done this.

3. Lobster bisque

Just because you are buying an instant premade meal from a convenience store doesn't mean you can't be fancy. I'm not even going to explain this one. Just trust me. It'll work.

2. Banana pudding

Mmmm, bowl of banana pudding, straight out of the dispenser. 7-Eleven sells Nilla Wafers, right?

1. Kraft EasyMac

All jokes aside, there's no this shouldn't exist. It's a premade fake carb product that only requires the addition of water and heat, and it's the kind of thing that people who find themselves hungry at 7-Eleven at 4 am might enjoy.

Call it SuperEasyMac, add a Slurpee and you've got a quality meal.

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Egg Roll News

Crimson Dragon Cafe brings Asian fusion family touch to Richardson

Crimson Dragon Cafe

Chicken wings at Crimson Dragon Cafe

An Asian fusion restaurant with a personal touch has opened in Richardson: Called Crimson Dragon Cafe, it's located at the CityLine complex on the ground floor of The Riley apartments, at 1450 State St. #400, a space previously occupied by Pho Dangki Fusion, which closed in early 2026.

Crimson Dragon is from Stephanie Nguyen, a spirited 33-year-old entrepreneur who opened her first business, a doughnut shop in Arlington, when she was only 20. She was most recently a stay-at-home mom who is leaping back into the restaurant world with this cafe, serving everything from her grandmother's egg rolls to popular favorites like pad Thai.

Skewers are a theme, offered as an entree with choice of fried rice or garlic noodles; or as an appetizer, in options from shrimp, chicken, beef, or mushroom.

Starters include spring rolls, wings, and Dragon Bombs, an original creation she compares to the Juicy Lucy, the famed burger with a core of molten cheese inside.

"For the Dragon bombs, we use ground chicken and shrimp, rolled into a meatball that's stuffed with mozzarella cheese, then dusted in crumbs and fried," she says.

Grandma's Egg Rolls are a signature dish she learned to make by her grandmother's side.

"I grew up watching her make egg rolls, and over the span of many years, she would let me do the next step — like, when I was 5, I got to seal the wrappers," she says. "We make three variations: pork, chicken, and vegetarian which has two types of mushroom, and tofu skin for a meaty texture. We take the vegetarian option seriously."

Nothing on the menu is more than $15, and for the large workforce in the area, they offer $12 lunch specials with classics like chicken teriyaki on jasmine rice; garlic noodles; Golden Fried Rice; and chicken katsu sandwich which they serve stacked tall on Texas toast.

The space is pretty and bright, with nice touches like gleaming wood-top tables and curvy modern metal chairs.

They're about to add breakfast, with earlier hours and a menu featuring breakfast croissants, sandwiches, and burritos — as well as Asian-themed chicken katsu with waffles, and what she called "our little Asian twist on an English breakfast" with hash browns, tomato, and king mushrooms.

"Breakfast was something we planned when we first opened," she says. "We're here to serve the demand for good fresh food at a reasonable price."

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