Food in Russia

Russians love their cheese and dairy products: cream cheese, sour cream, cheese, milk, kefer (a sour form of milk that I am not a big fan of), and cheesecake! They have these little things called sirok (сырок) that are like bite-sized cheesecakes, and they are very good! They are also cheap (10-15 rubles each, so 30 to 50 cents). I can usually only eat 4 at one time before I get sick. They are that good! I talked to a guy who says every time he goes back to the states (he is american) he takes a whole box back. They are usually for little kids, so when I buy them for myself the cashier usually thinks it's funny. Bread is also very cheap here, and it is very inexpensive to buy the ingredients to make a lunch, rather than go out to eat. I spent $2 on lunch when I went to the store, and usually spend $5-$10 when eating out. I also had watermelon today. I was very good, just as good as in the States. All the food here seems to be made from scratch, and maybe that's why everyone seems healthier here. Not as many fried foods or preservatives. I have actually, however, had as much access to soft drinks (coke, sprite, etc.) as in the States; one thing I do miss is gaterade/powerade. It is very hard to find, and if you do find it, it is usually expensive. Other than that, the food is really good here. My host family feeds me very well. I do miss fried chicken, however! Maybe I can go to a KFC here (probably, since they are popular here).

Старый Арбат

Today we went to a market that sold a lot of souvenirs. A lot of people bought T-shirts, Machirska dolls, etc. I found a Russian hat that was synthetic fur (it was cheaper), and was able to haggle the price down from 1,000 rubles to 2oo rubles($6-$7). It wasn't too difficult, I just had to be firm. When they see that you are not from Russia, they try to jack up the price. It surprised him that I spoke Russian, and I think speaking Russian helped me to get the price down. After that, we went to "Old Arbat street" (Старый Арбат). It is a walking street with lots of restaurants, souvenir shops, and other types of shops. We ate at a Sabbaros, which was very cheap. It was 35 rubles (about a dollar) for each "super slice" of cheese pizza (if you add toppings, the price goes up a lot, by twice as much 70-120 rubles). My whole meal was 117 rubles (about $4), which is very cheap for eating out in Moscow. Also, you don't throw your trash away, in Russia people do that for you; however, it is not customary to tip. This is a little different than in the States, but I'm not complaining!

Going to the movies

So today we decided to go see the movie "Public Enemies." First we tried to go to this art cinema called 35mm, but the times listed online were wrong, so instead we had lunch at Subway. It was a little different than in the States (you could customize your sandwich more, but cheese costs extra and they only had one type). It was also a little more expensive ($8.50 for a footlong(30cm) and medium drink). After that, we went looking for the "america-cinema" near the European mall. We couldn't find it, but found another theater that was showing what we wanted to see. The person who bought the tickets forgot to ask whether it was dubbed or with subtitles. It ended up being dubbed, but it was still good (even though I didn't understand much of the dialouge). I'm not sure how historically accurate it was, but I still enjoyed it. When I get back to the states I will have to watch it on DVD (in English this time!).

Trip to Tretyakovskaya 7/25

Today we went to the State Tretyakov gallery. It had several paintings from the 19th century, and lots of religious icon paintings. After that, we went to a monastery near the Frunzenskaya metro stop. We also stopped by a graveyard nearby and viewed Boris Yeltsin's grave. I also just started the blog today. I will try to update it every so often.

Ross

July 24

I finally got the chance to visit Red Square today. I walked around St. Basil's, but didn't go inside because it cost money and was very crowded. Lenin's tomb was also closed, and I was disappointed. I didn't have my camera with me, but my friend had hers, so she said she will email me the pictures. I saw the Kremlin as well. It is like it's own city (similar to the Vatican) and walled off. Once again, it was crowded and cost money, so I just saw it from the outside. What I liked most was going into GYM department store. It was very big and impressive, although a little over the top. Like the plaza in KC, you go there to see the items, not buy anything because everything is super expensive. On the top floor, however, a lot of things were on sale because not many people are buying things there. I also went to look at the church of the asenction (assumption? I don't know how it is spelled), but it was closed. Evidently it is not the original (although it is on the same grounds), as the communists tore it down after the revolution. I am not too disappointed in not getting to go inside, because everyone says the insides of most of the churches in Russia are the same. In fact, that church was modeled on the one I saw in Suzdel.

July 22

We are going to the Moscow circus today, so that should be interesting. Other than that, I have just been studying Russian all day. Yesterday myself and some of the other Tech people ate lunch at this cafe called "Mo-Mo." It is evidently a chain in Russia that is very popular. I ordered борщ for the first time, and it was very good. It was expensive. I did not order very much, and it was still $8 for lunch. Another guy ordered a full meal, and it cost him $20! Eating out is expensive in Moscow, so I guess that's why it's not done often.

Trip to Vadimir and Suzdel July 18/19

My group went to the towns of Vladimir and Suzdel last weekend. Suzdel is a small town with old Russian churches, and had the yearly "pickle festival" were they had lots of good pickles and other things. I tried this Russian carbonated honey drink called Meed. It was very, very good. Vladimir was once one of the largest cities in Russia, back when Kiev was the capital (8th or 9th century). It was nice to see other Russian towns besides Moscow. It was a fun time.