{"id":1071,"date":"2010-07-08T10:10:08","date_gmt":"2010-07-08T10:10:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=1071"},"modified":"2010-07-06T19:25:03","modified_gmt":"2010-07-06T19:25:03","slug":"a-summer-in-russia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/a-summer-in-russia\/","title":{"rendered":"A summer in Russia"},"content":{"rendered":"

We spent two years in Russia, when I was Naval Attach\u00e9 in the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, 1981 to 1983.\u00a0 Here are some of my memories of summer there:<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0411\u0435<\/span>\u043b\u044b\u0439 <\/strong>\u043f\u0443\u0445\u00bb <\/strong>[white down; fluff; fuzz]: <\/strong>Summers in Russia are short, but intense, and sweet. In Moscow, our first memory of summer is \u00ab<\/strong>\u0431\u0435<\/span>\u043b\u044b\u0439 <\/strong>\u043f\u0443\u0445\u00bb<\/strong> [white down; fluff; fuzz] or the snowstorm of wispy white seedlings from all the poplar trees that General Secretary Khrushchev planted all over the city in the 1960s. It was a good, fast-growing tree, but no one really researched the fact that the female trees put out such a snowstorm of seeds.<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u041c\u043e\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0436\u0435\u043d\u043e\u0435\u00bb<\/strong> [ice cream] was another sign of summer in Moscow. There were ice cream stalls everywhere, and you could have any flavor you wanted, as long as it was \u00ab<\/strong>\u0432\u0430\u043d\u0438<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u043d\u043e\u0435\u00bb<\/strong> [vanilla] or \u00ab<\/strong>\u043a\u043b\u0443\u0431\u043d\u0438<\/span>\u0447\u043d\u043e\u0435\u00bb<\/strong> [strawberry]. Many of the stands were even open in the cold of winter, when you had to eat the ice cream fast, before it froze as hard as stone. Even though there were few flavors, it was a delicious treat.<\/p>\n

It was good to visit the Moscow \u00ab<\/strong>\u0440\u044b<\/span>\u043d\u043a\u0438\u00bb<\/strong> [outdoor markets] in summertime, because farmers and gardeners brought their goods to the city in what was always a colorful display. Once as I stood in a queue waiting to buy containers of \u00ab<\/strong>\u043a\u043b\u0443\u0431\u043d\u0438<\/span>\u043a\u0430\u00bb <\/strong>[strawberries], a woman behind me began to tell me how glad she was that soon she would be drawing her pension. People got on trains all over the USSR with big trunks and boxes full of flowers, fruit and vegetables to sell in the Moscow markets.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

At Danilovsky Rynok, Moscow, ca. 1982.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u041c\u0443\u0440\u043c\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u0441\u043a<\/strong>\u00bb [Murmansk]: We traveled a lot, all over the Soviet Union, and got to enjoy a lot of variety from Latvia and Estonia in the west to Khaborovsk and Nakhodka in the Far East. On the longest day of the year, June 21st<\/sup>, we flew to Murmansk, well north of the Arctic Circle. During the days of the USSR it was a huge naval base, as well as a vital fishing port.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On the longest day in Murmansk there is no nighttime. We celebrated by looking for a good restaurant to enjoy some \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u0435<\/span>\u0436\u0430\u044f <\/strong>\u0440\u044b<\/span>\u0431\u0430<\/strong>\u00bb [fresh-caught fish]. Alas, in those days, fishing boats froze their whole catch for shipment to market, so even in this city with hundreds of fishing boats, you couldn\u2019t find a fresh fish in a restaurant. At least, we \u00ab<\/strong>\u0438\u043d\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u0446\u044b\u00bb <\/strong>[foreigners] couldn\u2019t find any.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We went to a nice restaurant, with a small orchestra playing, and ordered \u00ab<\/strong>\u0432\u043e<\/span>\u0434\u043a\u0430 <\/strong>\u0441 <\/strong>\u0438\u043a\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0439\u00bb<\/strong> [Ice cold vodka with a tiny plate of caviar] and a bit of \u00ab<\/strong>\u043c\u0430<\/span>\u0441\u043b\u043e\u00bb<\/strong> [butter] and \u00ab\u0441\u043c\u0435\u0442\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [sour cream]. They brought us large, very impressive menus, but we had lived in the USSR for two years by then, and we were aware that large menus did not mean that most of the dishes offered on the menu were actually available.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We went through the usual exercise of ordering a dish, and then the waitress would say: \u00ab<\/strong>\u041d\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u0443\u2026\u00bb<\/strong> [the colloquial version of \u00ab<\/strong>\u043d\u0435\u0442\u00bb<\/strong>] and we would move to the next. Finally, we would give up and say, \u00ab<\/strong>\u0425\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0448\u043e<\/span>… <\/strong>\u0447\u0442\u043e <\/strong>\u0443 <\/strong>\u0432\u0430\u0441<\/strong>?\u00bb [lit.<\/em> Good\u2026 what do you have?] Then we\u2019d usually have \u00ab<\/strong>\u043a\u043e\u0442\u043b\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u044b\u00bb <\/strong>[chops; cutlets] or \u00ab\u0448\u0430\u0448\u043b\u044b<\/span>\u043a\u00bb <\/strong>[shashlik; shish kebab].<\/p>\n

As we were enjoying our vodka, a wedding party started coming in and filled up tables in one side of the restaurant. They immediately started in with toasts of \u00ab<\/strong>\u0448\u0430\u043c\u043f\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u0441\u043a\u043e\u0435\u00bb<\/strong> [champagne], and we walked over and offered our \u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0437\u0434\u0440\u0430\u0432\u043b\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u044f\u00bb<\/strong> [congratulations] to the \u00ab<\/strong>\u0436\u0435\u043d\u0438<\/span>\u0445 <\/strong>\u0438 <\/strong>\u043d\u0435\u0432\u0435<\/span>\u0441\u0442\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [Bride and groom]. I had an American dime in my pocket, along with the \u00ab<\/strong>\u043a\u043e\u043f\u0435<\/span>\u0439\u043a\u0438 <\/strong>\u0438 <\/strong>\u0440\u0443\u0431\u043b\u0438<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong>, and I offered it to the Bride, saying that in our world it was good luck for the bride to carry it in your shoe. Actually the custom is a penny, rather than a dime, but I inflated the custom because I didn\u2019t have a penny.<\/p>\n

We had several nice little conversations with members of the wedding party, particularly the older members. They told us how grateful they were to the Americans for the shipments we sent right to Murmansk during the Lend Lease during the \u00ab<\/strong>\u0412\u0442\u043e\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u044f <\/strong>\u043c\u0438\u0440\u043e\u0432\u0430<\/span>\u044f <\/strong>\u0432\u043e\u0439\u043d\u0430<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> [World War II].<\/p>\n

Harry\u2019s Pie Shop: <\/strong>We visited Leningrad (St. Petersburg) a lot. On our way around Leningrad, along about lunchtime we would stop by Harry\u2019s Pie Shop. I don\u2019t know what the real name was \u2013 probably \u00ab<\/strong>\u041f\u0438\u0440\u043e\u0436\u043a\u043e<\/span>\u0432\u0430\u044f \u2116 389 (<\/strong>\u0442\u0440\u0438<\/span>\u0441\u0442\u0430 <\/strong>\u0432\u043e<\/span>\u0441\u0435\u043c\u044c\u0434\u0435\u0441\u044f\u0442 <\/strong>\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u0432\u044f\u0442\u044c)<\/strong>\u00bb [\u2018Pie Place Nr. 389\u2019<\/em>] or such. This shop turned out little \u00ab\u043f\u0438\u0440\u043e\u0436\u043a\u0438<\/span><\/strong>\u00bb [greasy pastry turnovers]. Two kinds \u2013 one with cabbage inside, and the other with cabbage and mysterious ground meat. They served them with hot \u00ab<\/strong>\u0447\u0430\u0439\u00bb<\/strong> [tea] in a \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0442\u0430\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u00bb<\/strong> [glass], with chunks of sugar. Or, you could go out in front and there was a guy with a tank on wheels, selling \u00ab<\/strong>\u043a\u0432\u0430\u0441\u00bb <\/strong>[kvas] <\/strong>or beer. Kvas is a lightly fermented drink made of old bread.\u00a0 The Russian \u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u0438<\/span>\u0432\u043e\u00bb<\/strong> [beer] was very watery and weak, and tasted mostly like flavored water. I\u2019m sure today Russian beer has greatly improved in taste. If you didn\u2019t have your own cup, the guy who was selling this stuff listlessly washed out the community mug he has on hand, and sold you your kvas or beer in that. You have to eat the little \u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u0438\u0440\u043e\u0436\u043a\u0438<\/span><\/strong>\u00bb while they were hot, because when the grease cooled, they were inedible.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ukranian Kvas Tank.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0Best wishes,<\/p>\n

Sam Coulbourn<\/p>\n

Rockport, MA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

We spent two years in Russia, when I was Naval Attach\u00e9 in the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, 1981 to 1983.\u00a0 Here are some of my memories of summer there: \u00ab\u0411\u0435\u043b\u044b\u0439 \u043f\u0443\u0445\u00bb [white down; fluff; fuzz]: Summers in Russia are short, but intense, and sweet. In Moscow, our first memory of summer is \u00ab\u0431\u0435\u043b\u044b\u0439 \u043f\u0443\u0445\u00bb [white…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":1073,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,178,7827,995,7826],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1071","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-history","category-russian-life","category-soviet-union","category-when-in-russia"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1071","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1071"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1071\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1075,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1071\/revisions\/1075"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}