Strange things about Russia
There is no lettuce…you can’t just have a nice veggie salad with dinner. There might be lettuce available somewhere in Russia, but I’ve never seen it. Tami said that she saw it once at a market, and it was something like $40!
People work in their gardens in their underwear! Of course, in the Spring and Summer, not in the winter (hee hee!). This might be a regional thing, or a phenomenon only seen in the village where I heard about this strange happening.
Clothes are very expensive, but people make very little money. This might be why most people only have one or two outfits. Can you imagine? A month’s salary to buy an outfit!
I found crackers! Goldfish crackers and some that are kind of like Ritz. They don’t taste like the ones we have at home – much more bland. But they are crackers none the less!
I also found orange cheese (American / Cheddar). YAY!
You can buy canned horsemeat at the grocery store.
Russians love their dogs – just about everyone seems to have a dog!
I keep saying thank you instead of please…I just realized this yesterday, so now I know why people are looking at me funny when I talk. The oddest thing about this is that I know the difference!
The smallest bag of sugar at the grocery is about the size of a throw pillow.
Yesterday Marty and I decided we were going to be the Russian version of ourselves. He was Boris, and I was Olga.
I’ve coined a new term – Irkutsk Calluses. Seems every time I come here, the first day I am out and about walking, I always get nasty calluses on my feet. Doesn’t matter what time of the year or what shoes I wear. This time – they are gigantic on my heels.
5 comments:
Ditto on the lettuce issue! Makes it hard huh? This coming from a fellow vegetarian.
We noticed the dogs too, even in Cheremhovo everyone had a dog.
And the price of clothes explains the teeny tiny closets... also serves as a reminder of how much WE as Americans have and tend to take for granted.
Yeah, I'm trying to fashion "down" my wardrobe and find those five items that I can't live without and that are interchangeable. I remember Tanya's closet - she had two pairs of jeans, three or 4 t-shirts, a pair of sturdy shoes and slippers. She also shared her closet with her roommate! We can learn something from that.
Cabbage - that's the year round leafy green for Russians. As a salad, it is shredded along with carrots and topped with cucumbers and/or tomatoes. Oil and vinegar tops it off. Another version is lightly steamed cabbage and carrots topped with a dollop of sour cream...or you can stream the cabbage leaves until just piable and fill them with anything. Of course, none of this works if you don't like cabbage (hee,hee,hee).
And how exactly did you discover the horsemeat at the grocery store!?
The ready to eat salads at the deli under the stadium are mostly quite yummy... I think you'd find some there you'd like!
The "regular market" on KM up near Adidas...watch and you will find chips and possibly salsa... possibly - we saw it once!
And I forgot to ask, was the milk you got the other day a good one? I never found a good Russian milk.. did find the buttermilk once - yuck!
Don't feel bad about the please and thank-you. In PR one of my classmate's mom asked the milkman repeatedly for a 'beso' (kiss) rather than a 'peso' (quart) of milk.
We have lettuce here. ;>
One time (did I blog about this?) I walked in to find my housekeeper cleaning the flat in her underwear! And she didn't put anything one once I was home!!
Granted, it was hot, but...
(Back from our trip and all caught up now. Hang in there. Just. keep. hanging.)
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