What was I Thinking?

Being out of the U.S. for over eight months now means I thought I had a pretty good handle on things. Lately, there haven't been too many new experiences thrown my way that actually shock me and leave me pondering, "What in the world was I thinking...?" or even more commonly, "What in the world are THEY thinking...?" But two days ago, Wednesday, that exact pondering occurred.

I took my friend Nikki to Mercado Minicipal and 25 de Marco. 25 de Marco is a very popular street in Sao Paulo where you ca purchase things dirt cheap from vendors right off the street. Yes, the products are usually fake, illegal or stolen, but it's fun to be able to buy DVDS for 2 for 2.50 USD or 8 pairs of fake Nike socks for 6 USD. I've gotten a few fake purses there for affordable prices and picked up other various things throughout my time here in Brazil. It's a fun place to take guests so Nikki and I went.

After 25 de Marco, we headed to Mercado Municipal. This is one of the most beautiful indoor markets I have ever seen in the heart of Sao Paulo. There are stands of the most exotic fresh fruits you can imagine. Fresh meat cuts hang down the rows of meat stands. Fresh cheeses and olives sit out waiting to be purchased. Chocolate is being spun around and made in front of you so that you can purchase cups of fresh Brazilian fruits covered with the delicious chocolaty syrup. It's heaven.

We started off at the market by eating one of the world famous Mortadela sandwiches there. Well, Nikki ate it; since I'm a vegetarian I went for a awesome sun dried tomato and fresh cheese sandwich. Then wandered around the fruit stands. One man gave us some of the most delicious flavors of fruits to try. I tried to most exotic fruits I could imagine. Absolutely incredible. And, after eating so many samples of fruits, Nikki and I decided it was only just to buy a fruit each. She bought an absolutely delicious yellow fruit with white and black specks inside. I bought a very ripe, delicious-looking mango. The vendor wrapped up the purchases (which, in Brazil means that once it's wrapped you've purchased it. No backing out) and weighed the fruits. My mango was 18 USD. I'm sure my face was something to be seen. Sticker shock was not what I was imagining when I agreed to buy a mango. But, the man explained that as it was wrapped and packaged, I had to buy it. I paid and left.

Now, on my counter, I have the most expensive mango I will ever eat. I think today will be the day I will indulge. I'm not sure it will be worth 18 USD, but hopefully I can at least wipe the cost out of my mind and just enjoy the fruit. I do have to admit, though, this purchase left me wondering... "What was I thinking...?"