Suco de manga

        As if they somehow sensed my ravenous appetite, my parents suddenly began to express their desire to find something to eat as well. After conferring with the affable man behind the front desk for several minutes, we decided it would be best to visit a local grocery store nearby.  It was either that or finding a restaurant that would be vegetarian friendly. As traditional Brazilian cuisine consists mostly of meat, due to the abundance of livestock, this would be harder than it sounded, especially at night. Presuming it would be easier doing the former, we started out of our cloistered hostel in earnest, eagerly expecting to see the wholesome sight of an open and bustling grocery store. In spite of my tired state, I was suddenly rejuvenated at the thought of visiting a Brazilean grocery store, and what's more: food.
     Some may ask, "Well, what's so special about a grocery store? You've seen one, you've seen 'em all, right?" To which I would reply, that is a fair question, but I do have to disagree with the idea that all grocery stores are the identical.
       My case? Brazil is an entirely different country. That means that suppliers and farmers and merchants have access to a sundry of  goods and services that are just unique to Brazil. For example, how many Safeway chains in the United States sell Açaí flavored ice cream? How many offer "Leite de Rosas"? How about "Bananada Cremosa"?
       The tremendous international significance of grocery stores aside, allow me continue with our journey to the supermarket. We walked two blocks down Rua de Tonelero before finding a bright, lively, and seemingly prosperous grocery store, tightly squeezed in amongst various other small businesses. I peered in the wide entrance inquisitively, feeling the gentle breeze of the air-conditioning cooling my face, and stepped inside. Although it appeared narrow from the  outside, I was surprised to see that the inside was tremendously spacious and comfortable.
       Before venturing too far into the store, we picked up a green, plastic basket, as if preparing ourselves for the shopping ahead.  I walked through the various aisles of the store, hungrily appraising all of the colorful packages, and cans, and brightly colored tags advertising "maravilhoso" discounts. It'd shouldn't have come as such a surprise to me, but all of the products names were written in Portugese, making the labeling of the packaging all the more intriguing.
     I slowly passed an aisle of fruit juices and tentatively rolled the words in my mouth for a while, as if seeing how they tasted." Suco de maracujá (Passion fruit juice), Suco de goiaba (Guava Juice), Suco de manga..."