Wednesday, July 2, 2008

The fruit/veggie van

Many neighborhoods in Salvador have the joy of the fruit and veggie guys that drive by on a weekly, or in some places daily, basis. These guys have either white VW vans or pickup trucks filled with fruits and veggies that you can buy for a lot cheaper than in the store. Plus you only have to carry them from your front door to your apartment! What a great deal!

Here is today´s buy: 16 bananas, a bag of sweet potatoes, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, passion fruit and a papaya. The grand total? R$9! That´s $5.63US with the current crappy exchange rate of R$1.60 to $1US. Keep in mind that on my first visit to Brazil in 2004, the rate was R$3 to $1US. Also, food prices here have been increasing, and lots of folks are complaining that everything is so expensive. But in my gringo mind, this is still an incredible deal. Bon appetite!!!

No comments: