What makes the FSU so interesting?

[SANDRO43]

Mendy, What is a 'Perhaps bag'? I get good pay to set him up with these questions!

Wishful thinking about being able to buy something to put into it ?

[mendeleyev]

Perhaps you both win the prize!   

An авоська (perhaps bag) was carried during Soviet times especially, when there were shortages. Perhaps you'd stumble across the right size of shoes for a child, or find a hard to get item at the market. My mother-in-law still keeps one tucked away in her purse today, just in case it is needed.

Many of them looked like this: http://russiapedia.rt.com/of-russian-origin/avoska/

[mendeleyev]

Shopping has changed considerably over the years. Russian store owners understand the pent-up demand, and that today's modern consumers have choices.

Soviet shoppers only had the choices their status allowed: party members and officials had access to the nicer things, while everyone else faced more limited choices.

So, let's go shopping!






This next video from the 1970s features film only; no sound:





In 1957, the famous "Children's World" store opened:






Oh my, how things have changed!











For today's ladies fashion trends, here we go to Kiev:

[Larry1]

Related to Mendy's posts #970 and 977 above, here is a description of Boris Yeltsin's first trip to the US, in the final years of the Soviet Union. He visited a typical grocery store and was reportedly shocked at the quality and variety of the food available to ordinary Americans. 

In 1989 Boris Yeltsin, at times just a Soviet parliament and High Council member, has visited United States of America with an unofficial visit. The program of the visit consisted of visiting different landmarks like a Lindon Johnes Space center in Texas etc, but Yeltsin also wanted to see how regular Americans live so he headed directly to the grocery store he saw on the street.  The journalists that were with him on a trip were telling Yeltsin was pretty much shocked by the diversity in the store and was waving his hands all the time – like here on a photo. Inside you can see more photos of him in a store...

The guy which followed him on a trip was telling later that this supermarket shocked first Russian president too much. “He was heading home on a jet and was sitting holding his head with two hands saying – They were lying to the people all the time, telling the fairy tales, inventing something – but everything is already invented!”, was mumbling Boris...

When they got into the store, as one of the guys remember, the manager appeared and helped them to see the store in detail. “Yeltsin asked how many different goods are in store. The store staff answered that there is around 30,000 different things for sale now. Yeltsin then said – did I get the number correctly? Does my interpreter misheard the seller?”. So he was really in a shock look at his face and on a manager’s face. The Lev, guy who was with him, says that Yeltsin before never was in a Western store.

http://englishrussia.com/2015/01/20/borist-yeltsin-in-american-supermarket/#more-155934

[calmissile]

Anyone have current video inside typical Russian supermarket?  In Kiev and elsewhere in Ukraine they would not allow me to film or take photos inside stores or restaurants.     

[jone]

That's because you look like a terrorist, Calmissile.

[mendeleyev]

Anyone have current video inside typical Russian supermarket?

Go back a page--3 video examples of modern supermarkets. 

[AC]

I enjoyed the video with Paris Hilton and the video of the "Main Department Store" (GUM) very much.  This may seem like a silly question however I am wondering, if you use the public restroom at GUM is it up to western standards or is it just a whole in the floor like so many other public restrooms?  Very large and beautiful architecture, I could spend most of a day at a place like that.

[jone]

I enjoyed the video with Paris Hilton and the video of the "Main Department Store" (GUM) very much.  This may seem like a silly question however I am wondering, if you use the public restroom at GUM is it up to western standards or is it just a whole in the floor like so many other public restrooms?  Very large and beautiful architecture, I could spend most of a day at a place like that.

I can tell you (with great confidence) that the facilities at GUM are up to Western Standards.  They ought to be.  There is a 75% mark-up on all items in this godforsaken mall.  I once bought a pair of gloves there for $30.00 that I could have gotten from a street vendor for around six dollars.

[Anotherkiwi]

I can tell you (with great confidence) that the facilities at GUM are up to Western Standards.  They ought to be.  There is a 75% mark-up on all items in this godforsaken mall.  I once bought a pair of gloves there for $30.00 that I could have gotten from a street vendor for around six dollars.

Your maths is a bit off, jone!  That's a 400% markup.

I agree about the facilities, though.  You wouldn't know that you were in Russia if you use the toilets at GUM - they look just the same as any in the equivalent mall in the West (probably even cleaner than most).

One thing I did find, though - in amongst all the plutocracy and pretention, there are a couple of very affordable café-type eateries with very good food.  Admittedly there are also a couple of incredible rip-off merchants in the food category as well.

[AC]

Your maths is a bit off, jone!  That's a 400% markup.

I agree about the facilities, though.  You wouldn't know that you were in Russia if you use the toilets at GUM - they look just the same as any in the equivalent mall in the West (probably even cleaner than most).

One thing I did find, though - in amongst all the plutocracy and pretention, there are a couple of very affordable café-type eateries with very good food.  Admittedly there are also a couple of incredible rip-off merchants in the food category as well.

By any chance can you recall the name of the eateries there which you would recommend?  Thanks!

[mendeleyev]

First meal I ever ate at GUM (Ghoom) was at Rostik's Chicken. It was the pirated KFC. Later KFC entered the Russian market and purchased Rostik's, and over time have rebranded all locations to the KFC name.


First floor: Ice Cream kiosks, Lemonade stand, Bosco Bar and the Fountain Cafe.

It is a large place and  several eateries are on the 2nd floor. Options include Coffee House, Coffee Mania, Illy Cafe, Emporio Armani Caffe.

The food court area on the third floor includes: Festival Cafe, and one of the most popular inside GUM is Stolovaya #57. Worth the visit as they feature Soviet and Russian dishes in a retro atmosphere! http://www.gum.ru/en/projects/s57/

[Faux Pas]

I enjoyed the video with Paris Hilton and the video of the "Main Department Store" (GUM) very much.  This may seem like a silly question however I am wondering, if you use the public restroom at GUM is it up to western standards or is it just a whole in the floor like so many other public restrooms?  Very large and beautiful architecture, I could spend most of a day at a place like that.

I've traveled Russia quite a bit and while I have seen a couple of the hole in the floor crappers, most places have regular toilets. Don't buy into the hype

[Anotherkiwi]

By any chance can you recall the name of the eateries there which you would recommend?  Thanks!

Sorry, not offhand, but...

First floor: Ice Cream kiosks, Lemonade stand, Bosco Bar and the Fountain Cafe.

It is a large place and  several eateries are on the 2nd floor. Options include Coffee House, Coffee Mania, Illy Cafe, Emporio Armani Caffe.

The food court area on the third floor includes: Festival Cafe, and one of the most popular inside GUM is Stolovaya #57. Worth the visit as they feature Soviet and Russian dishes in a retro atmosphere! http://www.gum.ru/en/projects/s57/

I'm pretty sure that the one I'm thinking of was on the top floor.  It's not a food court in the way that you would think of in a shopping mall, with everything grouped around the outside of dozens of tables, because the railed galleries are on all floors, with bridges across the empty space.

I can't remember the name of the bar/restaurant in the first photo, although I'm sure that Mendeleyev or Chivo will know it - all I can remember is that it was expensive!  Same goes for the Armani Café in the second photo, but add the adjective "extremely."  Where I ate was on the bridge in the third photo, although this wasn't actually taken to show that.  There are cafés on the galleries on each side of the bridge.

[mendeleyev]

AnotherKiwi, that top photo looks like the Illy Cafe, very near the Empero Armani Cafe. Illy is closed, signs say for renovations, and that leaves Coffeemania and Coffee House, along with Empero Armani, on the second level.

[jone]

FP,

When I first started to go to Russia, there were many hole in the floor jobbers.  But I did not stay in the Federal Cities.  Now, I never stay anywhere but nicer facilities, some which we have even built ourselves.  But, just 15 years ago, it was still the norm.  (I never was very good at doing the stoop to poop.)

[AC]

First meal I ever ate at GUM (Ghoom) was at Rostik's Chicken. It was the pirated KFC. Later KFC entered the Russian market and purchased Rostik's, and over time have rebranded all locations to the KFC name.


First floor: Ice Cream kiosks, Lemonade stand, Bosco Bar and the Fountain Cafe.

It is a large place and  several eateries are on the 2nd floor. Options include Coffee House, Coffee Mania, Illy Cafe, Emporio Armani Caffe.

The food court area on the third floor includes: Festival Cafe, and one of the most popular inside GUM is Stolovaya #57. Worth the visit as they feature Soviet and Russian dishes in a retro atmosphere! http://www.gum.ru/en/projects/s57/

Rostik's chicken or KFC would interest me.  Coffee houses generaly only feature pastries which is a lot of carbs and sugar.  I don't consider that to be food nor do I consider a Cafe to be a proper place to eat, unless they have healthy sandwiches.
Thanks.

[jone]

Personally, I wouldn't go to GUM. 

I would go to Охотный Ряд.

There used to be plenty of fast food restaurants there.  My favorite was one that began with the letter 'S' and seemed to be an Italian name, but I can't remember it.

[Faux Pas]

FP,

When I first started to go to Russia, there were many hole in the floor jobbers.  But I did not stay in the Federal Cities.  Now, I never stay anywhere but nicer facilities, some which we have even built ourselves.  But, just 15 years ago, it was still the norm.  (I never was very good at doing the stoop to poop.)

My first trip was in 07 and I saw some. I've even used a couple while off the beaten path. I would take a dump in my pants before used one for that. Just taking a pee I got out as soon as possible. To date I've never been in a position where it was dire and I "had" to use one and frankly don't expect I ever will as it is an oddity at the places I frequent. There is a lot of hype on the forum as to "having" to use one

I've been to India and Hong Kong where it was just about all that was available except at the hotel or a modern building

[Anotherkiwi]

My first trip was in 07 and I saw some. I've even used a couple while off the beaten path. I would take a dump in my pants before used one for that. Just taking a pee I got out as soon as possible. To date I've never been in a position where it was dire and I "had" to use one and frankly don't expect I ever will as it is an oddity at the places I frequent. There is a lot of hype on the forum as to "having" to use one

I've been to India and Hong Kong where it was just about all that was available except at the hotel or a modern building

I know what you mean.    I've posted a note about this particular coach trip before, but it bears repeating in this context.  On my first visit to Russia I spent some time in a city called Naberezhnye Chelny, about 230 kilometres east of Kazan.  One day we went to Izhevsk, about 200 km away to the north-east, and stopped for a break at a place called Mozhga.  The male "facilities" there hardly even rated Stone Age - two holes dug in the concrete, out in the open, each surrounded by a huge pile of excrement (think the top of a volcano, with an ill-defined path to the lip of the crater, and you'll get the idea).  I took one look and bolted back to the bus.  By the time we got to Izhevsk I would have been ready to poop in the street if I had to, but luckily the toilets at the bus station there are top class.

I dreaded the trip back, but we were on a bus from a different company, and the stop in Mozhga was at a café with proper toilets.    Thank goodness!

This is one reason why I have subsequently recommended that you try to complete all "number twos" (or whatever you call it) in your apartment or hotel room before venturing out for the day.

[Larry1]

I know what you mean.    I've posted a note about this particular coach trip before, but it bears repeating in this context.  On my first visit to Russia I spent some time in a city called Naberezhnye Chelny, about 230 kilometres east of Kazan.  One day we went to Izhevsk, about 200 km away to the north-east, and stopped for a break at a place called Mozhga.  The male "facilities" there hardly even rated Stone Age - two holes dug in the concrete, out in the open, each surrounded by a huge pile of excrement (think the top of a volcano, with an ill-defined path to the lip of the crater, and you'll get the idea).  I took one look and bolted back to the bus.  By the time we got to Izhevsk I would have been ready to poop in the street if I had to, but luckily the toilets at the bus station there are top class.

I dreaded the trip back, but we were on a bus from a different company, and the stop in Mozhga was at a café with proper toilets.    Thank goodness!

This is one reason why I have subsequently recommended that you try to complete all "number twos" (or whatever you call it) in your apartment or hotel room before venturing out for the day.

That might make a useful thread.

[Anotherkiwi]

That might make a useful thread.

What?  "Toilets I have known?" 

Another one to add to the bad list - Sochi Railway Station.  You would think that a major railway hub would cater for all sorts of male visitors, but no - squat toilets for all.  I was treated very disdainfully by the staff (and my travelling companion!) when I insisted on being allowed to use the "invalid's" toilet (but at least they had one). 

On the other hand, one of the best I've seen anywhere - next to the Admiralty building in the grounds of Catherine Palace, St Petersburg (see photo).

[Faux Pas]

On the other hand, one of the best I've seen anywhere - next to the Admiralty building in the grounds of Catherine Palace, St Petersburg (see photo).

Speaking of which, I'm pretty sure I've been in that bathroom 

[Anotherkiwi]

Speaking of which, I'm pretty sure I've been in that bathroom 

It's on the opposite side of the lake to the Palace.  I was there in 2006.

[AC]

Personally, I wouldn't go to GUM. 

I would go to Охотный Ряд.

There used to be plenty of fast food restaurants there.  My favorite was one that began with the letter 'S' and seemed to be an Italian name, but I can't remember it.

I want to see GUM for anyways.  Hopefully someday after regime change in the Kremlin.  Doubt if I would go until then.  Can you spell that one in English?