Like could be said of many good romances, it all started with a Starbucks.

Having arrived from my Fairbanks – Seattle – Los Angeles track in October 2017, I was tired and in need of refreshment when I spotted the shop in a corner of the Santiago, Chile, airport. On the one hand, I was a wee bit ashamed to be an American headed for Starbucks, but I was also just curious to see what they had that might be different from the standard fare. Little did I know what would happen next.

“Jugo de frambuesa” read the label on the plastic cup of juice. Hmmm, could that be related to the French word “framboise” for raspberry? (I knew all those years of listening to the smart kids ask about words’ language of origin at the National Spelling Bee would come in handy!) Having inherited a deep love of raspberries from my mom, I decided to buy a cup of dark red juice.

Thank heavens I did! My life has not been the same since, as I am in love.

Raspberry juice is a common beverage on menus from roughly La Serena (mid-Chile) to Punta Arenas (southern Chile). Yes, I even had it once on Easter Island before realizing I should drink the local tropical juices available all the way out there. As far as I know, it really is just raspberries blended with water. How come nowhere else I’ve ever been does this? For anyone who likes raspberries, it’s divine!

Leaving raspberry juice territory has been heartbreaking each year, but it’s more devastating to not have it as an option in restaurants where I expect to find it. On my last afternoon in Santiago in November, I stepped inside 3 different cafes to inquire as to whether they had jugo de frambuesa. It didn’t matter what other people were eating or what other juices were available; upon hearing a negative answer, I walked away to eat elsewhere.

In my opinion, any restaurant in the proper geographical area that doesn’t serve jugo de frambuesa is not a valid establishment. It really is that simple.