an ode to the ultimate culture shock remedy

Ladies and gents, I have found the ultimate remedy for reverse culture shock:

Whole Foods.

There's a huge one near my office, and since I started work I've gone there nearly every day. Amidst the feelings of confusion and strangeness from being home, and the shock of working 9-5 in a fluorescent-lit office, Whole Foods has made me feel like a new person.

First of all, it helps me forget about missing the little things from Brazil because of the incredible stuff they have there. If I was coming from Argentina or Italy or Israel I think I'd be similarly comforted. Speaking of Brazil though, they have these super fancy fruit chips, one of which are jaca (jackfruit) flavored, that were a little weird (but I don't really like jaca in the first place since it looks like mucus). They have beautiful, beautiful fresh fruit. They have a gelato bar. They have a sushi bar. They have a juice bar (!) which offers orange and carrot juice, amongst others, and ACAI. Yes. Acai. And the guy showed me the stuff they use, a frozen mix, which actually is almost as good as the berries. He told me they sell the mix in the actual store, too. They have an incredible buffet, a la "por kilo" restaurants in Brazil. And today, I nearly fell over when I saw caldo verde in the fresh soup section of the buffet (it actually wasn't very good, though).

Second of all, it has all of the delicious things I desperately missed, like gooey baked goods, cookies and cupcakes, decent iced tea, cheese galore, and in some stores, a burrito bar. [Excuse me while I wipe the drool from my keyboard] And everything is organic, so it makes me feel like I am making a slight effort to be healthy and environmentally conscious. Everything is clean and shiny, and everything smells delicious and fresh. The check out lines are so organized and move fast, with a soothing automated voice calling out the number of the register for you to go to. American efficiency makes me want to drool too.

So, my shell shocked friends, go forth to your nearest Whole Foods for even just a brief moment of comfort. You won't be sorry you did.*

*Whole Foods did not endorse this entry. I am in no way gaining anything from them in publishing this. My integrity is intact, which is a shame because my wallet is certainly nearly empty from all those lunches.

Comments

[Anathalia]

I like to go to Whole Foods too. I found good mangoes there. hahaha
Beijinhos!

[c]

You've been going to Whole Foods since you were 10 years old, by the way. We went to the one in La Jolla, California, where we had breakfast every day for a week. This was before the chain even opened on the East Coast.

You are seriously cutting edge, riogringa!

[DRL]

I love it too. I was looking into opening one before I moved to Brazil (FYI you can't, they don't franchise, the stores are corporate-owned). When in Sonoma on my honeymoon we stopped to pick up a few things on our way to our B&B, and I told my husband, "You could have just brought me here, to Whole Foods, for our honeymoon," which I don't think he to this day really gets... haha