All Good Things Come to an End

[ScottinCrimea]

In all fairness and seriousness, it does highlight to me one reason why Russia has failed to keep pace economically with the west, the sheer waste of time running around to buy 1 thing when the opportunity exists to buy 3 in advance and save an hour or two per week.  Compound that many times over in many aspects and it only reminds me of what I see often in Russia.....people beggerising around and getting nothing done.

Yes, definitely much more efficient in the US where people buy in bulk and then end up throwing half of it away because they don't use it before the expiration date.  Go take a look in your cupboards and count how many cans, boxes, etc have been sitting there for months.

Americans don't have the time to shop every day but have the money to buy a lot at once and throw half of it away.  Russians don't have the money to buy in bulk but have the time to shop every day for things they will actually use.

[I/O]

Yes, definitely much more efficient in the US where people buy in bulk and then end up throwing half of it away because they don't use it before the expiration date.

Can't comment on Americans as it would be a gross generalisation, but I tend to use what I buy.

Go take a look in your cupboards and count how many cans, boxes, etc have been sitting there for months.

I did, 3 small cans, all the rest less than 3 weeks off the supermarket shelf.

Americans don't have the time to shop every day but have the money to buy a lot at once and throw half of it away.

Half? Wouldn't that be stretching the truth slightly?

Russians don't have the money to buy in bulk but have the time to shop every day for things they will actually use.

That doesn't make sense and as mine and I have discussed, in many cases Russians are paid on a monthly basis, they manage to live for a month on that money, (I wonder how with some of the small salaries) what difference does it make with non perishable goods if you have a months salary in hand to buy a day in advance or 2 weeks in advance. The answer is that it cost 10 roubles or whatever each time to catch the mini bus, thus the net expense rate is much higher. 

Wiz made a fair point when he mentioned the task of actually getting goods home via public transport. On that point I agree. Scott, like it or not, the eastern habit of buying for today only is hopelessly inefficient.

Catz: Worry not, I have had several grains much larger than your pic dumped right on my head also.

I/O

[Misha]

Can't comment on Americans as it would be a gross generalisation, but I tend to use what I buy.
I did, 3 small cans, all the rest less than 3 weeks off the supermarket shelf.
Half? Wouldn't that be stretching the truth slightly?
 That doesn't make sense and as mine and I have discussed, in many cases Russians are paid on a monthly basis, they manage to live for a month on that money, (I wonder how with some of the small salaries) what difference does it make with non perishable goods if you have a months salary in hand to buy a day in advance or 2 weeks in advance. The answer is that it cost 10 roubles or whatever each time to catch the mini bus, thus the net expense rate is much higher. 

Wiz made a fair point when he mentioned the task of actually getting goods home via public transport. On that point I agree. Scott, like it or not, the eastern habit of buying for today only is hopelessly inefficient.

Catz: Worry not, I have had several grains much larger than your pic dumped right on my head also.

I/O

Also, do not forget that there are certain things that Russians do keep in bulk and prepare in large quantities to be eaten over long periods of time.

Produce: why do many Russians have dachas? To grow potatoes that are stored over the winter, cabbage that is salted and kept on the balcony, cucumbers that are salted ("malosalyennie ogurtsy") and so forth. They manage to find a car to haul their summer's harvest to their apartments and keep much of it over the winter.

My wife and I salted some cabbage a few weeks ago. End up making close to 15 litres worth and we will be eating it for a few weeks :-) We also made a big batch pelmeni and froze one big bag. Again, this will last us a couple of weeks.

So we have to be careful not to generalize whether we are talking about Americans or Russians :-)

[wxman]

I guess I found a westernized Ukrainian woman    She nomally buys enough food to last about a week, at least when I am there  She has a big enough fridge, so perhaps that is why she buys for more than one days worth. I also think it has to do with time restrictions as she works during the day, goes to the University in the evening, and takes care of her daughter and mother. Buying food everyday quickly goes out the window when you have a full schedule. 

[catzenmouse]

Catz: Worry not, I have had several grains much larger than your pic dumped right on my head also.

I've been on a pretty steady diet of salt grains and clue batting at home for almost 3 years now. Damnedest thing is that 99% of the time I deserve one, the other, or both! 

[ScottinCrimea]

When I lived in Ukraine, of course we would buy some things in bulk, mostly nonperishables such as flour, sugar, rice, etc.  And we had a dacha where we would grow things like potatoes, carrots, garlic, etc.  We also grew fruit that we would preserve in large quantities to last us through the winter.  Other things like cabbage would be bought in quantity at times and then preserved.  As far as the perishables, including meat, milk, butter, etc. we had it somewhat better because we had a large fridge and freezer but most do not have this luxury.  The selection of frozen foods is very limited there and bulk packages of these are non-existent.  About the only canned goods I could find were corn and green beans.  I saw no decrease in unit price for buying bulk versus individual units, so it didn't save any money to buy in that manner.  The only difference might be the convenience, but the market was only a five minute walk from our place and I enjoyed the exercise and haggling with the babushkas over the price.  If everyone is believing here that in the FSU they go shopping for food every day, they would be wrong. We were pretty average and usually made one big shopping trip every couple of weeks and smaller ones maybe every three days, unless we needed something unusual for a special recipe or some such emergency.

I remember when my mother would can fruit and vegetables.  Now practically no one does this.  I see pre-shredded cheese or pre-packaged salads for three times the price of doing it yourself.  My wife's first comment on shoping in a grocery store in the States was, " There is sure a lot of food for lazy people here."  We buy prepackaged, precooked foods that we can nuke in the microwave in five minutes because we don't have or won't take the time to do it ourselves.

I make the comparison that in Ukraine they will spend 30 minutes preparing a healthy, fresh meal.  I the US they will work an extra 30 minutes at their job to afford to buy food that is not as fresh and has been prepared and/or cooked by someone else.

[I/O]

the market was only a five minute walk from our place and I enjoyed the exercise and haggling with the babushkas over the price. 

Now this, IMO is the guts of the matter, they don't usually do this because they have to, they do this because they want to. It is the opportunity for social interaction that IMO is the key. Frankly, I find the social interaction of dodging a mob of stone faced lard arses who are trying to be Michael Schumacher with their trolley in a supermarket isle quite a PITA and given the choice would do it as seldom as possible.

Anyway on a slightly 'nother tack, we all know how they will search for hours to find the best deal on clothes, shoes or whatever. I love good clothes and I don't phrigg about if I see something I like, almost regardless of the price, I buy it if I need it. Well I happened to mention that I might buy a new pair of jeans, something I don't often wear. I happen to know a good shop who sometimes stocks slightly faulted quality brands, so I ducked in there and sure enough I found something I liked, $140 marked down to $14.95, I grabbed them and tucked them away in my office. Well they searched the town for what they thought was the best deal for the right item.(About $75) I was marched off to inspect and there was a couple of long faces when I rejected the idea. Those long faces turned red then purple then a range of other colours when I produced the jeans and showed the price. Flabberghasted would be a fair description.

Again, I overheard a conversation later, which I didn't catch all of, but it went something like this...Mother to Daughter...he can cook, he keeps a good house AND he knows how to buy clothes..!! What can we do with him.   BTW they did ask where to find the shop and I note that Papa back in Russia will be wearing a pair of $14.95 jeans also at some later stage.  It is just too much fun yanking the chain of women who think they can shop and cook. The facials are priceless.

I/O

[Misha]

She has a big enough fridge, so perhaps that is why she buys for more than one days worth.

It is my experience that across most of Russia the balcony ("balkon") for most Russians becomes one big fridge and is used for cold storage of food :-)

[Blues Fairy]

Looked into my fridge this morning. 
Two small cucumbers, a tiny bottle of olive oil, a half-eaten bunch of lettuce, four bananas, an apple, and three little packs of plain whipped cottage cheese (tvorozhki).

Enough to last me until Saturday.

[SANDRO43]

Looked into my fridge this morning.  Two small cucumbers, a tiny bottle of olive oil...

BF, you need not keep your olive oil in the fridge, it'll keep perfectly well for weeks at ambient temperature (thought I'd make you save some sorely needed fridge shelf space ).

[Gator]

BF,

Healthy food!  But is it enough for three days?  Sounds like a day's supply of snacks for me.  I assume you eat a lot of bread - either that or you are photosynthetic.

Is the cottage cheese enough protein?   Low protein diets can cause
a decrease in metabolism and can reduce if not stop progress in weight loss.  Besides, you need the nitrogen in protein to produce antibodies.

Not seeing smentana on your list, I wonder if you are Russian.

[Blues Fairy]

SANDRO: Not to worry; olive oil was on top of the fridge.

Gator:  I never eat bread.  Luckily the world is bigger than my fridge and one can catch enough protein in the Moscow woods.

Seriously though, I have no idea how to accomodate my diet to the American reality.  For me, a daily trip to the store for a small basket of fresh items is a must. 

[KenC]

SANDRO: Not to worry; olive oil was on top of the fridge.

Gator:  I never eat bread.  Luckily the world is bigger than my fridge and one can catch enough protein in the Moscow woods.

Seriously though, I have no idea how to accomodate my diet to the American reality.  For me, a daily trip to the store for a small basket of fresh items is a must. 

Blues Fairy,
Don't worry about such trivial matters as you and your man will most likely find a middle ground like Lena and I.  I shop Costco (large bulk foods store) for the bulk items and nonperishables and Lena hits Jimbos (a natural foods store) almost daily for fresh veggies, fruit and bread.

There is another side to this contrasting mind sets on food shopping though.  When Lena first arrived, I would make sure our fruit bowl was well stocked.  I made sure we had plenty of apples, bananas, plums etc.  Well, in Lena's mind she thought I was buying enough fruit for a day or two, so she would try to eat it at that pace.  The more she would eat, the more I would buy, the more she would eat!  Finally, we had to talk it through and come to an understanding.
KenC

[KenC]

I/O,
Your lady will surely go through some transformations regarding her shopping habits.  I know Lena did.  Like most Russians, when she first arrived she was very selective about her purchases.  Making sure she got the best quality for the best prices.  I remember taking her to a mega mall to purchase a leather coat.  (Big mistake).  I took her to the store that specialized in leather coats and jackets.  We found what we were looking for and the price was what I expected, so we should buy it.  Right?  Wrong!  We needed to verify that the coat was the best possible value by checking every store in the mall in order to make sure we were not passing up a better value!  What I thought would be a quick trip to the mall turned into an all day quest to assure we got our proper value!
KenC

[Gator]

Blues fairy,

one can catch enough protein in the Moscow woods.

Good point because in Moscow I saw the largest rat in my life (maybe he just had a thick coat of fur for the bitter winter).   

Although America has many obese people, a significant percentage of Americans demand high-quality if not organic fresh vegetables and fruits.  This has given rise to stores such as the following:

http://www.thefreshmarket.com/departments/produce.html

You can see from this "store locator" that this particular chain of stores can be found in smaller cities as well as larger cities.  If Fresh Market is not in your city, I guarantee you that something similar is (perhaps KenC's Jimbos is such a store).

http://www.freshmarket.com/stores/store_locationsDetail.aspx?StoreId=30

You will not have a problem if your city is at least 100,000 people.

[Blues Fairy]

Good point because in Moscow I saw the largest rat in my life (maybe he just had a thick coat of fur for the bitter winter).   

Hey thanks for reminding, I need to throw that rat out of my fridge as it occupies too much shelf space!!

The city is Raleigh and as I understand there are lots of fresh markets since NC is a major produce-growing area.  I'll do just fine (especially as my guy is not a junk-eater like I/O  )

[Gator]

 
Raleigh is a fine city (with mild winters).  I completed my undergraduate studies there at NC State University which is part of the Research Triangle Park.  There is a Fresh Market in Chapel Hill, 30 minutes away, if not closer dependent upon where you live in Raleigh.

I return to Raleigh each April to visit my fraternity brothers for an annual oyster roast golf tournament.  Our class of fraternity brothers did well, e. g. one is Vice Chairman of Wachovia Bank (America's 5th largest bank), another is listed in Forbes Magazine's Weathiest 500 Americans, and a third one of the university's largest benefactors with towers named after him.  Another is married to the curator of North Carolina's Art Museum.  Everyone much older than you but real interesting people.

Blues music.  I have no idea today.  When I was a university student, we would go to some of the black concerts but that was more R&B rather than blues.  The Mississippi Delta is home of the real blues where Robert Johnson, the king of the blues, got started.

In case you do not have this, you can read the daily newspaper of your future home here:

http://www.newsobserver.com/

I wish you well.  Sorry, I/O, for the interruption.  But BF will soon be in the same situation as your woman, and I wanted to

[I/O]

Oh so now I am a junk eater? Another attribute to add to my list. I admit to eating a bit of junk last night as the board of directors from work took me out for a "Last supper" and there was far more liquid than solids consumed. Go figure.

KenC: The other point to note is that I think the local shop keepers will go through a transformation also.  Nevertheless, under the circumstances, I think she is doing rather well. I note the fridge is now fairly well stocked and the cupboards even have a few spares of this and that on the shelves.

Apart from the habitual aspect of buying small quantities, to be fair there is the factor of confidence in local products. Lack of local knowledge plays it's part and to this extent I tend to encourage her to buy almost any food item she is curious about to build that knowledge bank. Again, interestingly enough, I am probably more fussy about quality than she is, but again, there is the local knowledge factor.

We are not exactly starving right now and I am pleased to note that the initial fascination with a few novelty food items has largely dropped off the radar so I certainly don't have room for complaint. BTW, I am still holding my steady 200 pounds.

I/O

[I/O]

As I walked into my office this morning and sat in my very comfortable chair, I was somewhat surprised to find that 1/2 hour had passed without my doing anything. The reflective mood continues, so what the hell, put a few things in writing.

I've quickly considered the past 2 + years and it is far too illogical to try to make any sense of. I recall returning from an international trip back in '05 and sitting in my office at home cleaning out my useless emails (Some from an introduction website) when the phone rang.  I talked to a friend as I continued to delete emails, there was one left. I raised my finger to click delete several times and for some unknown reason I did not delete it.

Fast forward to this morning and the glowingly happy and beautiful person who hugged me and kissed me to the extent of almost leaving my speachless as I left for work is the author of that email I failed to delete in 2005. Our wedding, which is nothing more than a blip on the radar so to say is tomorrow. Notwithstanding being a very small fish in a very big sea, it is perhaps only you people who have been in an international marriage who can really understand just how big of a deal it really is.

To find a true friend who can see your weaknesses and laugh at you for them, but love you none the less is extremely difficult under the best of circumstances, however when one adds that little word, international to the equation, logically speaking, it is near impossible. I will never understand why she loves me but I am thankful she does.

I really do feel sympathy for those who stumble upon the hype of the websites and marraige agencies, being left convinced this is an easier way to find a life partner. IMO this delusional hype should almost be regulated against. I do really tip my hat to those of you who have walked this road and made it work as it is only you people who know the facts.

I am not a particularly religious man, but I do know a little history in this area and with a wedding tomorrow, I find myself gravitating to the words of one of the foremost reformers of the late 1400's, "Here I stand, I can do no other, God help me". (I certainly don't want to do any other) I am not in any way nervous, I never am, but I admit to feeling very much as I did years back as I was about to begin a major sporting competition, "Key Up". Perhaps marriage is similar, a lot of hard work, rewards only for the few and never ending training and retraining. God knows, she has some retraining (of me) to do.

I/O

[KenC]

I/O,
I was going to bust your balls for being so melancholy, but instead decided to take the high road (for once).  Best of luck to you and your future wife.  If any man did his homework on what lies ahead, it is you.  I for one have all the confidence in the world that you are about to take the best step forward in your life!
Sincerely,
KenC

[I/O]

I/O,
I was going to bust your balls for being so melancholy, but instead decided to take the high road (for once).  Best of luck to you and your future wife.  If any man did his homework on what lies ahead, it is you.  I for one have all the confidence in the world that you are about to take the best step forward in your life!
Sincerely,
KenC

KenC: Interesting how we come across sometimes. Melancholy was not something I thought when writing. Actually I can barely concentrate on anything right now for being so keyed up. Ken I would be wholey disappointed in you if you didn't deliver some "Chop Busting" line.  (There's licence for a free shot)

Dan: Thanks for your private note. Much appreciated. Tomorrow is party time...!!!

I/O

[SANDRO43]

and with  wedding tomorrow

Oy moyte, is this apurpriate, then (the music, at least)?


[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8homYQsV6U[/youtube]

[catzenmouse]

I/O,

 Tell us how it goes tomorrow and give a big hello to the soon to be Mrs. I/O from Elena and I!

Ken

[Gator]

Big  day tomorrow.  If you can, please share a photo.  Wedding photos are wonderful!

[Simoni]

Best wishes to you and your new family on this grand day!