The spirit of the fifth grade lives in São Paulo! Recently, the internet went wild over the new convenience store that opened in São Paulo: CU. Although new to Brazil, the chain is huge, with around 17,000 units throughout South Korea. For comparison’s sake, it’s like our Oxxo, with a reputation for “one on every corner”.
The controversial CU – and the first in Brazil – is located on the second floor of Galeria Imperial, a commercial building on Rua Galvão Bueno, 351 – Bairro Liberdade. The establishment is open from Tuesday to Saturday, from 11am to 6pm.
What’s in the convenience store?
Influenced by dramas, the star of the house is undoubtedly the ramens, traditional South Korean dishes, which can be bought and prepared in the store itself, as it is equipped with instant-preparation machines. In addition, the store offers spring onions, carrots and other accompaniments to the meal, making it all the more special.
Other products that can be found at the unit include imported sweets, onigiris, snacks, Korean drinks with or without alcohol and much more. As for prices, the ramen costs around R$14, the on-site preparation R$15 (with two side dishes included) and drinks average R$17.
What does CU mean, anyway?
Calm down, that’s not what you’re thinking! In fact, the name comes from the Korean pronunciation of “See You”, which means nothing more or less than “ See you later” in English. In other words, there’s nothing pornographic or indecent about it, it just didn’t go down well in our language.
So far, as well as amusing visitors, the store doesn’t seem to have any problems with the unusual nomenclature. But in 2023, we saw the creperie ‘La Putaria’ become ‘La Censura’ due to a rule from the Ministry of Justice and Public Security. So it’s not known how long the name will be kept.
