What makes the FSU so interesting?

[BC]

I guess 12 eggs is about the best any chicken will lay in two weeks.

Thus you buy a dozen eggs.

Here in Europe 10 eggs in a package is standard.

Guess we're getting ripped off a bit.

[Ranetka]

6 or 12 in the UK. Or 15 for some reason.

[Faux Pas]

I guess 12 eggs is about the best any chicken will lay in two weeks.

Thus you buy a dozen eggs.

Here in Europe 10 eggs in a package is standard.

Guess we're getting ripped off a bit.

Thats the way I felt in Russia with the 10 egg carton. I was like "WTF"?

[I/O]

You're all welcome to you're arguments regarding measurements, frankly I don't care providing any visitor coming to stay with us from Russia brings at least a kilogram or 2.2 pounds sch!tload of Russian chocolate - I was hooked within a week of being in Russia many years ago and I've never wavered, it's unmatched.

[acrzybear]

I knew mama liked me when she sent me a "care" package from Khabarovsk and in that package was a pound or so of the Russian candies (The kind in the wrappers you mix & match and pay for by the weight) , sushki (сушки) and some other things.    I love the chocolates, sushki and salty tomatoes and whenever we go to visit mama she always has salty tomatoes and сушки.  I am truely a fortunate man 

[Ranetka]

I am having ALL the Russian chocolates our Russian agent sent to us no-one in the office likes it, silly people, all the better for me!

[SANDRO43]

I've never tasted Russian chocolate yet -  or eggs, for that matter - but I wonder whether my taste changes are shared by others: I remember that, as a kid, I'd only consider milk chocolate palatable while my father favoured fondente, i.e. straight, slightly bitter chocolate. This was a source of debate for instance re Easter eggs, his type were more robust while mine tended to sag after a while .

Over the years, I found myself following more and more in his footsteps . Progress in chocolate discrimination, or a need for an increasing 'extra choky kick' ?

[SANDRO43]

Digressing a little further , recently I discovered in a neighbouring supermarket a very decent ale from Corsica:

http://www.brasseriepietra.com/it/pgs/pietra1_it.htm

Pietra means 'stone' in Italian. They add chestnut flour to malt in its preparation, which may account for its good taste.

[OlgaH]

My favorite chocolate candy always was "Truffles" by "Red October", and I like bitter chocolate.

[OlgaH]

Here in the US I love Donchels Cocoa Dusted Belgian Truffles  mmmm they just melt in mouth

[OlgaH]

Acrzybear, do you like sushki with poppy seeds? 

Ah, salty tomatoes with dill, pepper, onion... , I love them too.

[Spoon]

Just moving away from chocolate (as hard as it is) what do people think of the vegetables/fruit in Russia? Would you say it is grown more 'organically' than in the west? My wife seems to think so, now that she has experienced the fruit and vege section of Australian supermarkets, she said at one stage they look like 'plastic'.

Of course I told her you can usually find dedicated 'markets' that sell (not necessarily organic) more homegrown produce that would be more to her liking, I explained that organic fruit/veges will be a lot more expensive, and for the supermarkets, presentation is possibly more important than nutrition.

I must admit when I was in Moscow, the fruit and veges looked more 'organic' except for one very expensive supermarket on Tverskaya Ulitsa, beautiful building, amazing produce.

[Chicagoguy]

I was over there in Russia with my wife for three weeks in May and we never ate in restaurants like all my other trips. And for the first time I found the Russian food noticably better than I can buy here in Chicago. It is not altered. Now I try and buy organic here and is better. But a little more expensive and not as availiable near me.

[mendeleyev]

what do people think of the vegetables/fruit in Russia? Would you say it is grown more 'organically' than in the west?

While I simply couldn't speak on where you live, as compared to the USA then Russian fruits and produce do seem to be more natural. In general foods in the FSU are less processed and more easily digested. That is one common cause of diarrhea, when some visitors suddenly experience live cultures (as nature intended) in the food and those little guys go to work cleaning out a clogged up colon/digestive track, etc.

There are obvious differences between pure organic and natural but either is better than genetically engineered and highly processed foods which are nutritionally "dead" on arrival at store shelves. In recent years Russia has dramatically curtailed imports of meat and vegetable products from the USA for those very reasons.

In general, fruits and vegetables will be more natural. However, there is a very real danger of produce coming from areas of high contamination with all manner of toxic crap left over from Soviet practices. Moscow has tried to regulate this but it is a potential issue here and all over Russia.

It is thought that melons originated in Asia, specifically in areas such as Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and the Persian Empire. Export for trade was made easy along the famous "Silk Road." That is easy to believe when tasting melons from any of those areas or from the south of Russia along Asian borders. Mouthwatering!

[SANDRO43]

That is one common cause of diarrhea, when some visitors suddenly experience live cultures (as nature intended) in the food and those little guys go to work cleaning out a clogged up colon/digestive track, etc.

IIRC, this problem was first studied by the Royal Army Medical Corps

a century ago or so, due the the high incidence of that particular 'discomfort' afflicting most British troops sent to distant British Empire possessions - like India, Africa, the Caribbean islands, etc. - and the conclusion was that their immune system took some time before it could learn to handle those different local strains of otherwise familiar bacteria.

[OlgaH]

It is thought that melons originated in Asia, specifically in areas such as Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and the Persian Empire. Export for trade was made easy along the famous "Silk Road." That is easy to believe when tasting melons from any of those areas or from the south of Russia along Asian borders. Mouthwatering!

But you also should be careful. Sometimes they are full of nitrates. Especially huge watermelons.  Coloring agents injected into a watermelon give a nice bright color. You can consider yourself lucky if you get only diarrhea.

Here is an article (in Russian) about "watermelons-killers".
http://www.from-ua.com/health/078e8a53e2e17.html

[mendeleyev]

From today's Mendeleyev Journal:

Speaking of overly processed foods, some ideas are just plain strange. Odd, isn't it, that many of the strange ideas come from the West?

Heinz drooled over this potential new market some years ago. Russians love ketchup, in fact it could be a food group all by itself. So could mayonnaise and sour cream now that I think about it.

What Heinz didn't realize is that Russians often want 2 things out of their ketchup:
1- They like it to be more "fluid" that the constipated ketchup slowly oozing from the Heinz bottles.
2- Any Russkaya (Russian female) can tell you that a proper ketchup must be able to function as a tomato paste or as spaghetti sauce at a moments notice.

Even while claiming to have researched the market, when Heinz came to Russia they brought a sugary and slow moving tomato paste to town. It flopped. Heinz lost money, reputation and market share before eventually learning how to make a good Russian ketchup.

Now we're wondering whether Lay's the potato chip maker is on to something big, or have they lost their marbles? It's too early to tell but we'll let you know at some point in the future.

Time for another mini language lesson:

There is no c sound in the Cyrillic alphabet. Of course there is a letter resembling a C, but it is an S when sounded.

Therefore most words we'd associate with C usually begin with the letter K. Just like this one: краб.

If you guessed that краб = crab, then you've already figured out that Lay's has decided to introduce crab flavoured potato chips on Russian, Ukrainian and Belarussian market shelves.

After sampling, I'll politely pass (remind me to sell that Lay's stock after writing this). You might enjoy the taste however and perhaps the Lay's folks are on to something really big. Russian tastebuds and pocketbooks will eventually tell Lay's whether it's a really big success or a monumental blunder.

Lay's shareholders will be very crabby if this idea sinks.

[OlgaH]

Russian tastebuds and pocketbooks will eventually tell Lay's whether it's a really big success or a monumental blunder.

Lay's shareholders will be very crabby if this idea sinks.

I guess not only Russian, it seems that the State of Colorado will also have something to say 
http://mypartofcolorado.blogspot.com/2008/08/crab-spice-potato-chips.html

and Massachusetts too
http://blog.masslive.com/linkfarm/2007/10/the_crab_spice_must_flow.html

[TwoBitBandit]

Now we're wondering whether Lay's the potato chip maker is on to something big, or have they lost their marbles? It's too early to tell but we'll let you know at some point in the future.

 
lol I ate some of these when I was in Siberia this summer.  I saw them on the shelf and I HAD to try them.  They were pretty tasty.


Lay's also had Red-Caviar-flavored chips for sale.  I was going to try those next, but there was never an intersection of me being hungry and them being available.  I'll have to save that for the next trip.

[Gator]

Chocolate!  Ice cream!  Yes superb.  But not the soul of Russia.  Today I enjoyed what I consider the soul of Russian cuisine.


Today it snowed here on the eastern side of the Urals.  First snowfall of the year.   Accumulation was less than 3"; however, it started with ice before snow.  Winter wonderland except for cars spinning off the road.   Dead cow in a ditch, struck by a truck.   A car engine is on fire, blocking traffic.   Walking is treacherous.  And when I walk the wet cold swirls  around the collar of my jacket and chills my gloveless hands.  Yes, a storybook Russian day, and just a sample of what is to come.


For my lunch this day it was Russian soup and fresh bread at a cafe. Can there be anything better when feeling chilled by winter's first storm.  Hot delicious soup when one is chilled.  For me it was Solyanka made with smoked meats, olives, the usual root cellar vegetables, lemon and a dab of smetana (sour cream).  The olives and  lemon make me think Middle Eastern origins. 


And the bread with the soup!  Breaking bread in Russia is almost akin to praying to Mecca.  Defying tradition, I had red wine.  And a siesta after returning home and disrobing at the front door.

[ML]

I've never tasted Russian chocolate yet -  or eggs, for that matter - but I wonder whether my taste changes are shared by others: I remember that, as a kid, I'd only consider milk chocolate palatable while my father favoured fondente, i.e. straight, slightly bitter chocolate. This was a source of debate for instance re Easter eggs, his type were more robust while mine tended to sag after a while .

Over the years, I found myself following more and more in his footsteps . Progress in chocolate discrimination, or a need for an increasing 'extra choky kick' ?

Your father was merely ahead of the times with his preference for dark.

Several recent medical studies indicate that chocolate and its main ingredient, cocoa, appear to reduce risk factors for heart disease. Flavanols in cocoa beans have antioxidant effects that reduce cell damage implicated in heart disease. Flavanols also help lower blood pressure and improve vascular function. Dark chocolate contains more flavanols than does milk chocolate.

I purchase Hershey's Kisses 'Special Dark' by the large bagful.
In that manner, I can have a couple of them after a meal . . . not as a dessert, but rather as a health supplement. 

[mendeleyev]

I purchase Hershey's Kisses 'Special Dark' by the large bagful.
In that manner, I can have a couple of them after a meal . . . not as a dessert, but rather as a health supplement.

Smart man! 

[mendeleyev]

Gator, hope it was a great lunch!


Twobit, glad you liked the crab chips. Let us know if you get to try the other ones.

[mendeleyev]

Some of our readers will recognize instantly the contents of these small packages.
 
Others will think them to be condoms.
 

So, have you been to a Russian аптека (pharmacy)? аптека by the way is spoken as "ap-teka" and easy to stay, and understood instantly. Remember that the a in Russian is always "ah" and you'll nail this one easily.
 
 
 

There is a pharmacy closer to our flat but it is not open past 1900 hours. This one is not far, close to our Metro station and the most important thing to remember about this pharmacy is that is it open 24 hours as indicated by 24 часа.



2 Questions:

- What is inside the packets above?

- Do you recognize any other services offered inside this pharmacy?

[Faux Pas]

2 Questions:

- What is inside the packets above?

- Do you recognize any other services offered inside this pharmacy?

I'm only guessing asprin but, every time the wife returns from Russia she has a multitude of pharmaceuticals in packages just like that. She doesn't like, trust or understand American drugs