I stopped at the little European grocery on Leetsdale just out of curiosity. It was great—all these brightly colored packages with labels in Russian next to cans of cod liver and pickled tomatoes. (There are people who actually like cod liver?) It was fun guessing what was inside by the pictures on the label. One small bag had drawings of what looked like pineapple chunks, but the contents felt like round pellets. Pineapple drops?

I bought pasta in the shape of strawberry leaves, a can of giant baked beans (not a giant can, but giant beans), and a pastry with an exotic pattern pressed into the top. The pastry is hearty and semi sweet, with a yummy date paste in the center. It was an adventure trying it with no idea what it actually was.

The owners knew everyone who came into the store, sharing baby pictures and telling stories with lovely Russian accents. It felt like another world. Funny that I start exploring my home town and end up feeling like I’ve been transported out of it.