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Published: October 2nd 2007
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The Marinsky Theater
I went to see Evgeny Onegin on Saturday I’m sorry! I know I disappeared, but I had some things to take care of. If I told you though, it would totally kill the fun of it all. Anyway, back to business. I’ve had a few requests for topics, which I’ll try to cover. But first, where did you all go? Am I not worth the emails? Keep the love coming guys.
Ok, the last entry was a little harsh on the Russians, and they’re not a generally bad sort. There’s a lot wrong with this country and I plan on pointing it out, but before someone calls me on it, there’s a lot wrong with everywhere. I just happen to be here now. Now if only they’d fix the third escalator in the metro station by my house and then I’d be slightly more content.
First off, the food. I realize I should not be passing judgment on any food, because in general I don’t like any food besides what I know, but for the sake of commentary… Food here has two variations: fried and then anything else but with something diary on the side. Sour cream is really popular, but pastes, yogurt and other random dairy
products are also popular. Skim milk does not exist here. If you’re coming, learn to live with 3.4% milk, at lowest. Most meats are fried in restaurants (note: that does not mean breaded) or cooked in other ways that involve large amounts of oil. Veggies, when present, are boiled plain if cooked, but are usually presented in a Russian salad. Russian salads are veggies chopped and then covered with a strong dressing, generally of mayonnaise origin, but it can be others. Fruit is rare, and expensive, with the exception of apples, but I can’t tell is that’s just because it’s apple season right now. The hit parade includes beets, potatoes, and carrots. Notice a trend? This is a culture of food that evolved from people hoarding their food to last them from the harvest through a long hard winter. Pickled and vinegar-ed foods have just become part of the diet. Veggies that can last are good too. Oil is big here. Most men die of alcoholism or heart attacks.
One the other hand, they have mastered a few things in Russian cuisine that we are considered bring back. Blini, for starters. Think crepes, but soooo much better. Blini are thin pancakes and can be filled with anything from fresh fruit (one of my personal favorites) to jam to ham and cheese and mushrooms to caviar (a Russian specialty). A friend of mine hasn’t gone more than two days the entire trip without blini, usually by stopping by Tepemok, the Russian equivalent of McDonald’s because it’s fast food blini, except that it’s soo much better, and not quite as greasy. Russian cuisine has also got the ice cream down. Or whatever my host mom gave me the other night just had special drugs in it. I wouldn’t put it past her to doctor her food. The peroshki (really how would you transliterate that?) are also quite good. They are an assortment of pastries filled with a variety of jams and sauces and are very functional desserts. I think the peroshki are really what’s going to get me over the year.
Moving on, fashion here. St. Petersburg is quickly becoming known as the city of high fashion in Russia, which in the fashion world apparently means something. I walked past a Dolce and Gabbana store a couple days which melded seamlessly with the city. Despite being the center of the Russian fashion universe, classy has not yet entered everyday wear. Russian is demographically skewed with too many girls for the guys, and they compensate, but wearing what would be considered very slutty clothes on a regular basis in the States. Outrageously short skirts are common, and jeans come with decals and sparkles and god-knows what else. Heels are the most common form of transportation for the Russian woman. I’ve seen women (actually just today) climb to the top of a cathedral in four inch heels and then have to take extra time on the way down because going down the stairs was too hard. Tall heels and knee high boots are common in stores, but not for my wallet. Shoes here are expensive, but the cobblestones don’t make it easy to wear the heels that I do wear. Guys are generally better dressed than in the States too, but it’s a lot easier to get away with a button down or polo and no one noticing than a girl wearing sneakers (I still refuse to give mine up). Jewelry is much smaller here and tourists who wear big jewelry do stand out. Russians have got the accessories down to the hats and scarves and smaller things and dress up more with decorative things on their clothes.
At this point I feel I should give a shout to the four Brits who just interrupted me while I was writing this. We had a very nice conversation about politics in America and the UK. Since I feel it is very unlikely that they’ll ever read this, I’m not too worried about their being offended at the mention. Plus they were worried about distracting from school work, of which I think this hardly qualifies.
And returning to Russia. I had my first Russian sauna experience yesterday. Russian sauna’s are pretty much the same as Russian baths, but minus the hitting people with branches of birch leaves. I went into an incredibly hot room and sat. It was so hot I had to take off my glasses because they were burning my face, and thankfully my nose ring didn’t get outrageously hot. At first I didn’t really enjoy it. Frankly it was more sweating than I can normally take, but coming out feels really good. I guess I can understand how it feels good to come out into the cold Siberian winter, and hence the evolution of the Russian baths. And I did feel really clean after, cause I probably sweated out all of my toxins.
Today I climbed to the top of Isaac’s Cathedral and took pictures. It’s the tallest building St. Leninsburg and (I think) until St. Paul’s in London was built, was the biggest dome in the world. I could be very very wrong about that part. However, I climbed, the sun shone, my camera did most of the work for me. It was lovely. It’s not a rough climb. I remember the climb up the Vatican sucking a lot, but this wasn’t that bad, so I’m either much more in shape than two years ago or the Vatican is taller. I didn’t have time to go inside, but that’s ok, because I’m trying to save all inside things for when the weather starts sucking, which according to every native Peterburger, should be any day now. Until then, it’s been beautiful and I’m not complaining.
Ok, its time to run. On a happy note though, it turns out, if you dreamed of growing up and becoming president, you can always becoming prime minister too!
From Russia With Love…
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Kira
non-member comment
:D
hey! glad to hear you're still alive. :) if you haven't seen anything wrong with the escalator, and no one's working on it, it's likely that it's not broken. at least in moscow, "remont" apparently also means "not in use". and we have 0.5% milk, but my host mom usually buys something around 6%, which is why I've yet to sit down and drink a glass of milk. I was thinking of coming out to st. Pete sometime this month or next. let me know what weekend works best fr you. I'm actually going to be out of the country when you're here in moscow. :( that's our fall break. have you found out when your winter break is? today we're leaving to go to Kazan so I will be unreachable until Sunday. but if you're not busy then, maybe give me a call? TTYL!