I Need That To Go, Por Favor

When I was first introduced to the concept of no to-go cups for coffee I embraced the idea. It was in the context of Europe and I thought, wow, what an awesome concept to sit, soak up the local scene and enjoy my coffee. Such a difference from the normal hustle and bustle in the states. This also went well with my recent love of the mindful eating movement. Well, that was Europe, this is Brazil.

The coffee, well the coffee here is great. You can't get it much fresher than when you can actually see the coffee plants on the side of the road about 10 min outside of the city. It is a beautiful site. I do my share of sitting to enjoy an espresso and soaking things up. (Especially on days like today. We are having some unusually cool and rainy weather. I've loving it.) However, I have to admit the views aren't quite as beautiful as those in the few cities of Europe I've visited, or even parts of Lexington for that matter.

I am dying for a to-go cup! I can't find one anywhere in the city. After almost a month of morning walks from the hotel to our apartment that is under minor construction, I'm desperate for a cappuccino to go. I'm actually beginning to miss Starbucks a bit even though I want part of my experience here to be consuming local products. Is it too much to ask to sip my coffee while I window shop?!

PS. By the way, I just recently returned from Ireland and you can definitely get to-go cups. I'm not sure about Italy, but hey, there are Starbucks everywhere now (except here) if you are desperate.