1) I asked where they most frequently buy food/groceries in Rio - they were allowed to list up to 3 options:
Zona Sul was most popular by far, followed by Hortifruti, Feiras (the open air markets), Sendas, Pao do Acucar, Extra, Carrefour and Wal-Mart.
2) I asked which creature comforts Rio expats bring back with them from home countries on a regular basis.
83% bring back beauty products and toiletries
73% bring food products
56% bring electronics
30% bring other household items (DRL note: I know of several people who bring in garbage bags and dish soap!)
Other items participants specifically listed with this question:
- Baking soda
- facial creams
- peanut butter
- coffee maker, dvd player, kids' cereal, candy
- oriental herbs and spices, dutch treats
- syrup, granola bars, peanut butter
- spicy food, spa treatments
- chips chips and more chips
- Perfume, Clinique, Mac, -makeup in general. Ipods, car stereo, telephone, answering maching, computers, printers, cameras, children's toys, strollers, bedding, and lots of clothes, adults and kids clothes/shoes/accessories...the list goes on!
- Walkers Salt and Vinager Crisps
3) Not what the folks at Shopping Leblon want to hear... when asked where they buy their clothing, ex-pats in Rio responded that they buy most of their clothing back home:
If most clothes are bought at home and not the in Brazil, does that make people not blend in well?
Posted by: amodeus | February 10, 2010 at 12:57 PM
if you are not Brazilian shaped, buying clothes in Brazil is tough, plus good quality is really expensive. I was surprized to seeing baking soda. Is baking soda from abroad that much different than what they sell here? In Rio now I have noticed that most of the food stuffs I used to buy are now available (just really expensive). I still by kitchen appliances and gadgets, but find that I now limit foodstuffs to stuff I use more regulaly (peanut butter, Mexican and other hard to find spices).
Posted by: Corinne | February 11, 2010 at 07:49 AM
You said in one of your posts the Favela Rocinha is the biggest slum in Latin America. That's a wrong information. Of course Rocinha is the most known, but the biggest of the american continent is in the city Caracas, Venezuela. The Favela Petare has between 360.000 and 600.000, while Rocinha has 120.000.
http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petare
Posted by: Júlia | February 12, 2010 at 03:01 AM
amodeus - yes! Good point!
Corinne - I don't think it's that the baking soda is different, just that you can't seem to find it in a quantity bigger than about a half a cup - I'm used to buying boxes of the stuff and using it for lots of things around the house.
Julia - Thank you for the clarification! That is a very common misconception as I have read that "fact" a ton of places.
Posted by: Daily Rio Life | February 12, 2010 at 10:35 AM