I will be traveling soon to Russia for the first time and would like suggestions on what foods, authentic dishes, drinks, etc that I should make it a must to try while I am there. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks! :D
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I will be traveling soon to Russia for the first time and would like suggestions on what foods, authentic dishes, drinks, etc that I should make it a must to try while I am there. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks! :D
Drinks:
квас (kvass),
морс (mors -- berry drink)
кумыс (koumiss -- the drink of some nations lived in the Russian Federation: Yakuts, Buryats and some others).
Alcohol:
водка (vodka) :),
медовуха (medovukha -- honey liqueur)
Food:
хлеб (bread, many kinds: ржаной, бородинский (!) etc),
борщ (borsch -- red-beet soup),
пельмени (pelmeni -- ravioli),
блины (bliny -- pancake)
драники (draniki -- like potato pancake)
And you absolutely need to visit russian bath-house, it's desirable, in village.
And if you have a good health and a great bravery, try to russian country people home-brew самогон (samogon) :)
A Russian bath house? Could you tell me all about what a bath house is, are they common and how much are they?
Is samogon an alcoholic drink?
I was told that people often put caviar on their bread. Is this true? In the states we toast bread in the morning for breakfast, but rarely have it toasted for any otehr meal. Is that the same in Russia?
Yes, you call it moonshine.Quote:
Originally Posted by American
What cities are you going to visit and for how long?Quote:
Originally Posted by American
I'll be in St. Petersburg. What the heck is a bathhouse? Are potato pancakes like what we have...leftover mash potatoes smooshed in a patty and then fried in butter? In the bigger cities like St. Petersburg and Moscow, will I find many English speakers? I am a little worried ab. ordering in a restaurant. Are there any ettiquette things I need to be aware of for meals?
Yeah, my Russian friends always put caviar (king salmon, the red kind, they don't seem to like the black kind at all) on buttered bread...Quote:
Originally Posted by American
-Fantom
I believe a lot of americans live and work in Russia. You can try to talk to folks at www.expat.ru .Quote:
Originally Posted by American
Well, since you asked :) -- it should be:Quote:
Originally Posted by pranki
"If you are in good health" - in English, you say that someone is "in good health" - somehow, good health is more of a state of being, not something that you can have.
"If you are very brave" - Usually, when you're talking about someone, you say that he has great bravery (not "a great bravery"). If you are talking to someone, you say that he is brave.
"Ask some Russian country folk for a taste of самогон" (though you'd likely not be able to stop with just a taste! :lol: ) Folk is a word often used for people who live in the country (i.e., not in the city).
All this talk of food is making me hungry! Mmm...how about salmon закуски? Ooh - or home-made pickled mushrooms?! (Sorry I don't know the names in Russian :( )
What is this salmon like? How is it served? The pickled mushrooms sound delicious! Tahnk you to everyone for their replies, my list of food/drinks to try keeps getting longer and longer! I leave in a few days time so any last minute suggestions would be great! Any desserts to try?
Ice cream. Stay away from the Nestle's (yuk!). You can buy it from the carts on the street (ironically almost all say Nestle's on them) or buy the little bricks in the stores.
кисель - kisel'
пироги - pirogi, pies
пирожки - pirozhki, little pies
Moryachka, thank you very much!
American, I told about Russian баня. Classic variant of this house is a not so big wooden building with two rooms -- сени (seni, hall) and парилка (parilka). In the hall people usually relax, sometimes drink something like beer. In парилка there are a stove and two barrels with hot and cold water. Some people come into парилка, close the door and pour on the stove for making hot steam. After that people sit or lie in benches which have two or three different heights. Of course, in the highest bench it's hotest. Then people beat each other by веник -- wisp of birchen branches.
Fuh... Did you understand something? :) Actually, bath-houses are very popular in Russia. They always give vivacity and make your health better. But, I think, my explanation frightened you :)
Be prepared to take your shoes off when going to visit someone. I know one guy that received a stern brow beating for reclining on his own hotel bed with his shoes still on by one of his guests. Oh and something about not leaving an empty bottle sitting on the table.Quote:
Originally Posted by American
Pranki: Thanks for all the information on the bath house. It sounds like a sauna. I will most definitely try one when I visit? Is it common for women to go to one? Are men and women in the same room(strangers)?
DDT: thanks for the tips. What do you do with the bottle if you don't leave it on the table?
Are there any superstitions that are common that I should abide by?
I don't know. I hear that it is just bad luck to leave the empty on the table, kind of like giving flowers in even numbers is bad luck.Quote:
Originally Posted by American
does noone ever apply my compulsive numerics, ergo - if you give two flowers the second "takes out" the first, and then of course every even number is like giving no flowers ....well..no perhaps not....
Yes, of course.Quote:
Originally Posted by American
Usually no, but sometimes... :wink:Quote:
Are men and women in the same room(strangers)?
Put the bottle on the floor!Quote:
Originally Posted by American
Don't shake hands through the enterance door.
Sit down before going on a trip
Don't sit at the corner of a table
...because you will never get married. :) So technically the married people may sit at the table's corner.Quote:
Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie
About the empty bottles on a table... the matter is that the empty bottle takes a place which needed to another stuff.
Well now that the subject is at hand, perhaps someone could tell me when I would get to smash my empty glass into the fireplace. Now that is a custom!Quote:
Originally Posted by JJ
Маринованные грибыQuote:
Originally Posted by Moryachka
I've never heard of any of the above. If you're not a superstitious person I don't see why you should abide by such nonsense. Act your normal self.Quote:
Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie
Come on VM, I can't beleave it. It's more traditions than superstitions have you never heard "присядем на дорожку", or "через порог не здороваются"?
Nope, that's not about it.Quote:
Originally Posted by JJ
Пустую бутылку на столе не держи - денег не будет. - Примета относится к любой пустой посуде, ибо она уже исчерпала свои функции. На мистическом уровне это объясняется тем, что в пустую бутылку может вселиться нечистая сила ("свято место пусто не бывает"). По этой причине хозяйки на ночь переворачивают кверху дном кастрюли, горшки, банки, если они пусты.
A blatant lie.Quote:
Originally Posted by VendingMachine
NEVER give an even number of flowers!
Don't drink before the toast. When someone holds their glass and begins to make a toast you must stop eating and raise your glass also. Be prepared to say a toast to honor your hosts. Something sincere and flowery (not "here's mud in your eye!" :wink: )
To those screaming "blatant lie", I repeat - I have NEVER heard of the things you mentioned. NEVER. The only "superstition" I know is about black cats crossing your path, but that's spoken about tongue in cheek by most people. Oh, yeah, I've remembered one more - for those of you in the theatrical profession - MACBETH! :twisted:
Which mental instituation did you gather that bit of wisdom at?Quote:
Пустую бутылку на столе не держи - денег не будет...На мистическом уровне это объясняется тем, что в пустую бутылку может вселиться нечистая сила... По этой причине хозяйки на ночь переворачивают кверху дном кастрюли, горшки, банки, если они пусты.
As a teetotaller I can comment by saying that it's really up to you - it's liberty hall here, you are not supposed to do it if you don't feel like it. Act your normal self - when someone holds their glass and begins to make a toast and you are supping your favourite juice, no problem, by all means continue - I always do. There's no pressure, it's the people who drink alcohol and stick to silly rules that have a problem, not you. Just act your normal self. Regarding flowers: we do give an even number of flowers .... to those who have passed away! That's why you shouldn't give an even number of flowers to those who are still overground.Quote:
Originally Posted by JB
Etiquette is a "silly rules"?Quote:
Originally Posted by VendingMachine
Etiquette has it that every guest should be made to feel at home - if someone doesn't wish to participate in rediculous performances involving holding your glass up and talking about nothing for half an hour without taking a sip, he/she should not be forced to. Politeness is not when you turn red as a tomato and appologise profusely and promise to commit suicide after spilling your wine onto someone's tablecloth, but when the host pretends not to have seen you do it.Quote:
Originally Posted by pisces
I think American is wise enough not to heed VM's advice for the rude and less cultured.
VM, are you really Russian? I find it hard to believe!
Идёт празднование дня рождения, гости сидят за столом едят и разговаривают. В очередной раз наливают вино и водку. Один из гостей встаёт и начинает говорить тост в честь именинника. Все остальные замолкают, поднимают свои фужеры и рюмки и внимательно слушают. Вдруг их внимание привлекает неожиданный хруст. Все поворачивают свои головы в сторону непонятного звука и, открыв от удивления рты, видят VM который умело расправляется с бараньей ногой. VM непонимающим взглядом смотрит на гостей и с полным ртом, не отрываясь от бараньей ноги, говорит "Что? Я же не пью алкоголь, но вы можете продолжать, вы мне не мешаете".
Much do you know about Russians... So, tell me, what should a Russian look like, act like, speak like, drink like? Tell me everything, next time I'll do my best to live up to your standards.Quote:
Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie
I am not making a comment about how you look, act, speak or drink. But that you say things like you don't know any of the Russian traditions (or as you said NEVER heard of) can only hold true if you have lived in a cardboard box all your life. I really hope for your sake, you don't live in a cardboard box.
So, I guess you are learning alot about your own culture on this site! Great! :D
I don't really eat red meat. And, don't twist my words, I never said you should go "Что? Я же не пью алкоголь, но вы можете продолжать, вы мне не мешаете" - you just carry yourself so that no one takes offence at your not taking part in their histreonic performances, you just act your normal self. Most people are quite laid back about that sort of thing and will not insist on your participation if you happen to be teatotal. And those who do are not worth your spending your time on them. I always treat my guests like that - when they come to stay I make them feel as much at home as possible, when I go visit someone I expect them to treat me with the same respect.Quote:
Originally Posted by alexei
Let's continue this in PM, shall we? Please tell me which aspect(s) of the Russian "culture" I'm not aware of? Maybe you don't really know our culture all that well? It's very easy to make generalizations about a foreign culture. For example, many people in Russia think that every Englishman likes dogs, eats porridge, is a real gentleman, etc. - and are they surprised when they meet real people and discover that hardly any of their stereotype is true!Quote:
Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie
Learning? Hardly. What I am doing is seeing a lot of silly stereotypes being tossed about thread after thread after thread after thread...Quote:
So, I guess you are learning alot about your own culture on this site! Great! :D
P.S. Please notice that at no point did I say I didn't know any of the Russian traditions, I only pointed out those which were either a) incorrectly portrayed, b) misinterpreted, c) propagated by Holywood and therefore existant only in the mind of an ignorant and prejudiced foreigner.