WHAT'S THIS?

I never realized just how much the presence of snow could affect my psyche.

I thought that today, I would be spending all this time outside, playing in the snow. Nope; I'm far too lazy for that, apparently, and instead spent my day watching "Interview with a Vampire", napping, and working on a presentation for tomorrow (Ross Perot; interesting guy). Finally, I ventured outside, just to find myself humming "Let it Snow" and "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" again.

Problem? Those are both Christmas songs. And it's Halloween. That is simply not right.

So, to remedy this, when I got home, I watched Nightmare Before Christmas and munched on a dark chocolate bar that I had bought. The bar is gone, the movie is watched, and I'm feeling pretty satisfied.

Satisfied enough to warrant a flashback to the only thing I've really done today: walking outside.

EARLIER TODAY

Wait... Now that just ain't right.

I knew that my walk wasn't going to be very long; however, I also knew that it was cold outside. Thus, I was prompted to wear:

 A pair of microfleece tights (highly recommend them, especially the footless ones), with skinny jeans;

Thick socks;

My super awesome knee-length, fur-lined high heeled leather boots;

My Russian-style fur hat (yes, it's rabbit fur-- FEEL THE ENVY);

My super-pretty scarf (okay, I'll admit, I'm ridiculously fond of these things); and

A really heavy jacket (no photos attached, sorry).

(Please don't comment on the blog just to tell me that these things all suck; I swear, I will cry.)

I recognized I might be SOMEWHAT over-dressed for the cold, but at the same time, I'd rather be overdressed than have to scuttle home because my poor, pathetic, California-bred self was dying of cold.

Thus bundled, I headed out into the street, just to have a short little walk before hitting up the grocery store.

This is the perfect time for me to explain one of my favorite things ever: my favorite intersection in St. Petersburg.

Now, you might to be tempted to say, "What are you talking about? This is just an intersection. A shiny intersection, but an intersection nonetheless. Why do you like it so much?"

Well, this happens to be the intersection where I saw the cars parked in the middle of the street. At first, I thought, "Oh! This intersection is supposed to have a parking lot in the middle of it!" But it was not to be. Alas, those Russians are still parking in the middle of an intersection. There are, indeed, lines surrounding where they are parked; however, those lines are not for the benefit of those cars.

Those lines are denoting that there is a trolley line running through the intersection. The cars are parked in the middle of tracks.

Because sometimes, there are not memes where there should be. And it looked even creepier without the hair.

Finally, I took the dumbest trip through the snow that I have ever taken in my life. Why?

Put simply... Here is the path I was supposed to take:

Notice: Nice. Safe. Secure footing. On the other side of massive, open pits.

But did I take that path? Nooo. Like any intelligent person, I did this:

Note: In case it wasn't already obvious, if I ever mention my intelligence, it's because I've just done something seriously stupid.

I am proud to announce that I did not break my ankle at any point during this trip. I will only be able to say for sure if this will continue to be the case when I land back in Los Angeles in two months.

Oh, internet, how you understand me...

I guess the best way to finish this off is by flashing back to yesterday, and mentioning that I was told by a Russian grandmother that I have the perfect "womanly" figure, that men don't like skinny girls and that I shouldn't try to lose any more weight because I look perfect the way that I am. I'm still caught between feeling utterly miserable and utterly amused about that one. With that, I'll go back to listening to "Nightmare Before Christmas", and soon go to sleep. Have to talk about Ross Perot tomorrow, after all.

This is Halloween

So, I've officially decided that Russia is a "Nightmare Before Christmas" fan. True, it did start snowing last night (prompting me to burst into song while walking home), but THIS was my view from the window this morning:

For those who are wondering, yes, this is a bit early for snow-- according to my host mom, the snow usually doesn't hit until late November. But that's not stopping Russia.

Because, in my opinion, this would be SO much better of an explanation for why it's snowing today.

Anyways, with how late I got home last night, I decided to go to bed (which I failed miserably at, in case you were wondering) rather than write a blog post about yesterday, so here we go:

Morning started off with hitting up the St. Isaac's Cathedral (there will be a full review whenever I get the pictures), then lunch at Happiness (again, going to be a review soon). After that, we decided that one museum in a day wasn't enough, so we went to the Museum of the History of Religion (and a review on that one coming up, too.)

After that, we had a Russian-style Halloween party. Now, this was HILARIOUS because Russians

1) Have no idea what you're supposed to do for Halloween;
2) Have no idea how to bob for apples;
3) Cheat horribly at Musical Chairs (except for when one of the exchange students won; but that was before the epic cheating); and
4) Think it's okay to have living pieces of their Halloween costume.

No, I do not mean that someone was wearing a bunch of live snakes sewn together on their head for Medusa (though that would be epically intense, and I would give them props for being brave enough to have those angry snakes writhing around near their face). What I'm talking about is one of the girls came as a witch and decided to bring her black cat on a leash.

With America's obsession with little, itty-bitty dogs, I'm surprised that we still haven't taken the logical step to cats on leashes. Maybe it's because we feel that it's inhumane. Maybe it's because we don't want the arm workout. Either way, seeing that poor, terrified kitten getting dragged by a leash was equal parts adorable and sad.

Anyways, party ends, and then I go to Judo. Total fail, by the way. I've realized that I learned how to do a lot of things differently than they do; and so, when they're doing the forward rolls into standing up, or backwards rolls into a handspring, I can't do that because (somehow) they're going straight over their own heads, whereas I'm going at an angle. This was my only moment of clarity for the entire class; after that, it was learning and practicing moves while having no idea what was going on, somehow tweaking my ankle (it's fine now) but having to frantically indicate to the Russian people to the best of my ability that they could not, for example, use my foot as a crank for the knee bar (might as well show you want I'm talking about):

Considering this was the motion that was hurting, my head would've exploded.

... as well as begging them to not do an ankle lock on that foot. However, class was over, I punched something harder than I should've, and with a collapsed knuckle (hey, at least they match) and a slight limp, I headed home singing "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" and "Let it Snow" as loud as I could without people hearing me. (Snow, by the way, does wonders for icing injuries; my knuckle is already back to almost being normal.)

So that was yesterday. I do have to admit, seeing a cat on a leash and a little kid carrying a big one (like, one two feet taller) invokes the same feeling of sadness and adorability. Yesterday was just... unique. And from the way today has started off, today is going to be just as special as well.

After this commercial break...

I apologize for the delay; while I did have some fun cultural experiences this weekend (going to the movies and eating at a fancy restaurant), I figured that they were not of the sort that I could really write about. However, today, one of my roommates found this book and gave it to me to look through, thus giving me something to talk about when otherwise my life has been entirely boring.

The title of this book is literally "Book About Delicious and Healthy Food"; can't get much better than that, can you?

And while Prince Charming may disagree (he started kneading the pages with his claws; I promptly shooed him away), Prince Charming is a cat, and he can deal with the fact that his royal opinion holds no water in this situation.

After looking through this book, I have decided I will learn:

Kharcho;
A meat goulash;
Chanakhi;
Uzbek pilaf;
Three different kinds of dumplings;
Pelmeni;
 Blini with tvrog;
Two kinds of cookies;
A cake;
Pirozhki (basically) with multiple flavors;
and jams.

Why do I tell you this? After all, a list of foods isn't very interesting.

I am fully aware of this, I promise; however, I'm telling you, because that means that within the next two months, I am going to be racing to try to learn how to make all this stuff. And that's where all of this gets interesting.

So, whenever I start my delicious but grueling work, I'm going to start yet another page on this blog: A page that easily links back to recipes, with pictures of the finished product. Just another thing to look forward to while I'm in the throes of unproductivity.

A Note to the Glass Monster

This one has a widescreen.

And columns.

Consider yourself replaced.

And now, a lesson in Russian linens taught by the Cat Formerly Known as Prince

Here's a little bit of catching up on my personal story:

As you might have been able to tell from the post "Farewell to the Glass Monster", I moved a couple of weeks back. Basically, Princess had been living in one apartment until the apartment SHE was supposed to live in was free; and when she moved, the Institute decided that I could move as well.

Thus, I have ended up in the house of the Cat Formerly Known As Prince; for a better, shorter title, I'm going to be calling him Prince Charming from now on.

Prince Charming has become my best buddy, breaking into my room in order to take a nap in his spot (because it is HIS spot, and nothing else can be there) at least once every day. This morning, Prince Charming was being particularly incessant with his demands for attention, and all I could do was sit and laugh as he sat on my bed.

Why is this so funny?

Because I had to change the sheets. And thus, grabbing my camera, I began documenting Prince Charming's efforts to teach me in the way of Russian sheets.

Fail #1: Removing the bottom linen

So, Russians don't really believe in American style sheets, as far as I've seen; at my old apartment, the host mom laid out a blanket for the bottom, a thinner sheet on top of that, and then another thin sheet to go under, and the comforter. This has been the case at my new apartment, too.

It makes sense that the bottom sheet would be the first thing that I changed; however, his furry highness was sitting directly on top of the sheets. The result was this:

It took a while for me to extricate the cat from the sheets; however, eventually I managed to pull the sheet away from Prince Charming, and place the new bottom sheet on the bed.

For those who have ever wondered, it is really, really difficult to adjust sheets when there is a cat sitting directly in the middle of them.

Fail #2: The Comforter

Next, there was the Russian style comforter. As far as I've seen, in the US, you have a comforter, and that is that-- the entirety of the comforter goes in the washing machine, it takes forever to dry, and eventually you have a fluffy, clean comforter after two or three days and multiple trips to the dryer. Not so in Russia. Russia has these interesting sheets called "envelope sheets"; the idea is, you have a normal sheet with a hole somewhere-- this can be the bottom, the side, the top, the middle, pretty much anywhere. You take your comforter/blanket and shove it in this hole, and then that serves as your comforter.

Well, his furry highness refused to move when I tried to put out the comforter, so at first, this happened:

Aaaaand back to the middle.

However, soon enough, Prince Charming recovered, and began to illustrate the importance of the hole in the comforter's outside envelope sheet.

It was only at this point that I decided it would be hilarious to throw a pillow on him; and, camera at hand (as if I could miss a moment like this!), I tossed the pillow and waited.

And here is where you look for the cat-shaped lump. It's like "Where's Waldo", but cute and fluffy.

Prince Charming would want me to tell you about Russian pillowcases, which are interesting because some actually have buttons that you have to button up in order to get them to close. Like the one I threw at him.

Now, Prince Charming is curled up in the middle of my bed, sleeping like a baby. It's hard work, teaching Americans how to make their beds. Especially when there's photographic evidence. It's been a rough morning for him.

Epic Meal Time: Russian Style

Due to uncooperative internet (and the self-control to hold on just a while longer before finally revealing a post I've been preparing for almost a week, now), I failed to post anything yesterday. While this may have made some cry in happiness, for me it created a sense of guilt and a missed opportunity.

So, today, I thought I would categorically talk about every "non-American" food I've had in Russia, including a little bit of Georgian cuisine and the Russian take on what can be American staples.

1) Blini

Blini, as you can see, are essentially the Russian version of crepes. They are one of the most commonly found foods on the streets (followed by pirozhki and, oddly enough, Russian-style pizzas), and are usually served stuffed with some type of filling. This can range from meat, to cheese, to fruit, to smetana; and apparently, they are wonderfully easy to make.

My personal rating: I absolutely love these. Most Russians do, too; I've heard multiple stories from people of when their host families would make blini-- they would have to eat as many blini as they could manage before they left home, because it was a well-known fact that by the time they would return home, all of the blini would be gone. As a delicious and quintessentially Russian food that is super easy to find, I give this dish  five stars (out of five possible).

Recipe forthcoming in the future.

2) Pirozhki

Pirozhki are small stuffed Russian pies. They can be filled with, once again, almost anything: cabbage and/or meat is quite popular, as well as potatoes and onions; and Princess's personal favorite is the pirozhok filled with eggs and rice. Not all pirozhki are savory, however-- there are also lemon pirozhki, apple pirozhki... If you really wanted to, it would probably be possible to have a pirozhok for every meal of the day.

My personal rating: Again, five stars. The bread used to bake these is absolutely phenomenal; and I have as of yet to actually eat a pirozhok that I haven't liked. (The way that I know you could have a pirozhok for every meal of every day? When Princess and I first got to Russia, we discovered that there was a cafe at the bottom of our university that had an entire window filled with pirozhki. One day, when Princess wanted to break a large bill, we bought one of almost every kind of pirozhok and split them, so we could both see how they tasted. Suffice it to say, that was a great day.) Pirozhki are also super easy to find-- they sell them all over the place, in cafes, bakeries, street vendors, etc.-- so they also win in the overall food category.

Recipe forthcoming in the future.

3) Pelmeni

Pelmeni are like Russian-style ravioli. They are almost always filled with meat (don't ask me why, that's just the way it is), and they are usually in a strange circle shape. You can have pelmeni fried or boiled in broth; either way, they are asolutely delicious.

My personal rating: Actually, a 4.8. While these are absolutely delicious and many places will claim to have them, they are not quite as readily available as blini or pirozhki. However, the taste makes it so that I can't give them too much less than five stars...

Recipe forthcoming in the future.

4) Syrniki

As far as I can tell, syrniki are basically fried tvorog, which is fine by me. This is yet another one of those quintessentially Russian foods. All the syrniki I've gotten to try have been sweet; and, in true Russian fashion, they were eaten with smetana.

My personal rating: 4 out of 5. These are fantastic, but you can't really eat too many of them, and they're rather difficult to find. I loved these when I got to eat them, but I haven't been able to find some since.

Recipe forthcoming in the future.

And now that I've kept mentioning tvorog and smetana without an explanation...

5) Smetana and Tvorog

Tvorog

Smetana

Smetana and tvorog are both very important parts of Russian cuisine. Smetana is the Russian version of sour cream, except it is slightly thinner and thus easier to slather. Russians eat smetana on EVERYTHING: on pasta, on carbs, even in soup. (In fact, when Russians put smetana in soup, it is said to be "making the soup soft".) Tvorog is somewhat like the lovechild between feta cheese and cottage cheese, with a generally sweeter taste; it can be eaten mixed with smetana or even yogurt, and is one of my personal favorite foods.

My personal rating: Five out of five. I love both of these, even if when I first was introduced to them I wasn't entirely sure about my feelings for them. (I thought the tvorog was a bunch of flour until it glooped out of the bag; then I was just disturbed.) These are also super easy to buy, super tasty, and make pretty much everything better.

6) Kolbasa

Kolbasa is supposed to be the Russian version of the sausage. It comes in many forms-- a tube, a normal hot dog, etc.-- but the main way I was introduced to it was when my host mom near the Glass Monster used to cut it up and shove it on the stove in the same pan she was using to reheat pasta. (I don't know why it was always that combination; but it was.)

Now, it should be noted, if you are British in particular, or expecting anything resembling an actual sausage, kolbasa will leave you feeling incredibly disappointed. (I only know this because the British girls on our exchange program invested in a proper British sausage after reaching wits' end.)

My rating: I really don't have one. I don't hate these, but I don't love them, either; and while they're quite cheap, and readily available, I wouldn't necessarily take the effort to buy them. So, my official rating is a quite definite ???????????.

7) Oladushki

Oladushki are basically like smaller, fatter versions of blini. (Okay, so TECHNICALLY they aren't quite; but, for all effective purposes, they really are.) They're usually hand-sized (meaning they can fit into the palm of your hand), and they're absolutely delicious with preserves and smetana. 

My rating: Five out of five. I love these, and eat them just as quickly as blini. Because they basically are. And they're apparently super simple to make, so that's a plus, too.

Recipe forthcoming in the future.

8. Sosiska v teste

Sosiska v teste is literally the Russian version of a pig-in-a-blanket. The name literally means "sausage in dough"; and, if you couldn't tell from the picture, that's exactly what it is.

My rating: This is another one of the ones where I don't really have a rating for it, just because it's not my kind of thing. Overall, it tasted fine; but I'm not going to go out of my way to have it or anything.

Recipe forthcoming only by request.

9. Pichki

Pichki are Russian-style donuts, though if I had my say, they would be called "the lovechild of funnel cake and donuts". These are super delicious, especially when heated up with powdered sugar on top. (I never said Russian cuisine was diet food...)

My rating: Five out of five. I haven't tried to buy these (my waistline would never forgive me), but I'm pretty sure they would be easy to find; plus, they're absolutely delicious.

Recipe forthcoming in the future.

10. Korzinki s karamelom

This is one of the most brilliant things I have ever eaten. It's a little pastry "basket"-- which explains why the title is "little baskets" in Russian-- with soft caramel and caramel whipped cream. (Unfortunately, this picture is only an approximation.)

My rating: Five out of five. These are absolutely delicious, and since they're offered at a chain restaurant in St. Petersburg (Nyam burg; there are a bunch of them), they're unfortunately easy to get a hold of. Also...

Recipe forthcoming in the future.

11. Shashliki

Shashliki are shish kabobs that are normally cooked outside over an open fire. Remember when I was at the dacha? (If not, refer back to "(Wo)Man in Nature"; it's a longer, but [in my totally unbiased opinion] more interesting post.) Little did I know it at the time, but the chicken we ate at the dacha was shashliki.

My rating: Shashliki are super delicious, super easy, and super fun. How could it be anything other than a five out of five?

12. Kasha

Kasha is a particularly difficult thing to quantify, just because there are so many types. Basically, kasha is the Russian word for any hot cereal; and that includes:

Semolina;

Grecha (a.k.a. buckwheat); and

Oatmeal. (Forgive me, can't remember the Russian name at the moment...)

My rating: Four out of five. Kasha is readily available (obviously), easy to make (obviously), and can be quite tasty; however, as a breakfast, it can also get rather monotonous.

13. Russian Cheese

So, I know what you're thinking: How is cheese a specifically Russian thing? Obviously, it's not; however, the main reason why I bring up Russian cheese is that there's a very particular KIND of cheese much beloved by people in Russia. I have no idea what it's called; however, I have rarely seen a cheese that was totally solid, and instead see cheeses like this:

Now, some might argue that this is simply Swiss cheese; however, to them I say, nay! This cheese is much milder, and much tastier than Swiss cheese.

My rating: Five out of five. Super available, super tasty, and super cheap. Win-win for everyone.

14. Ermigurt

What is Ermigurt, might you ask? Only the strangest concoction ever. Now, true, this picture is of a package of Ermigurt tvorog; however, the principle remains the same: Ermigurt is a brand of dairy products that apparently have so many preservatives in them (and/or so much sugar) that they are sold outside of refrigeration, AND that they are normally not refrigerated even after they are bought.

My rating: Three out of five. Not the biggest fan, personally; they're a little bit on the sickeningly sweet side for me, and I'm just weirded out by the concept of dairy products that don't need to be refrigerated. 

15. Kharcho

This soup is technically Georgian, but I ate it out here in Russia, so it's making its way onto this post. Kharcho is a delicious, delicious soup (obviously), with meat, grains, vegetables... It's just awesome.

My rating: Five out of five, for sheer deliciousness. AND, I'm leaving the description vague because...

Recipe forthcoming in the future.

16. Khachapurri

Khachapurri is ALSO Georgian; however, it is absolutely delicious. Khachapurri is bread with this amazing cheese mixture on the inside; kind of like an inside-out pizza without any tomato sauce.

My rating: Absolutely a five out of five. Though the availability depends on the number of Georgian restaurants around.

Recipe forthcoming in the future.

17. Russian-Style Brownie

If you're thinking that that's just a cake with whipped-cream frosting, yes, you are correct. Russians have absolutely no idea what a brownie is supposed to be; so, instead, they have these strange half-versions which are, yes, chocolate pastries, but no, not brownies.

My rating: A four, just because even if it's not technically correct, it's still delicious.

18. Russian-style berries

No, the berries aren't actually Russian-style. However, I thought I should briefly mention three berries that are very important culturally to Russia: malinka, rebinka, and kalinka. All three of these are berries used to help bolster the immune system here in Russia; there's even a famous song named after them. (Note: I have absolutely no claim to this song, have nothing to do with the performers, and only linked this because it was a video available on YouTube that wasn't super long. However, once you hear the melody, it should be familiar enough.) When I lived with my old host mom, she forced me to try all three of them.

So, how do I feel about these berries? 

Malinka

 I love malinka, just because to us Westerners, they're good, old-fashioned raspberries. Can't go wrong with that.

Rebinka

 I like these far less; they're quite bitter, though tolerable. My least favorite?

Kalinka

These berries are SUPER bitter, SUPER sour, and just generally unpleasant. On another note, don't eat any of the berries that are growing on the trees in the city; with how much pollution there is, any health benefits are far outweighed by the possibility that you'll get terribly sick from eating these. (Thanks, old host mom...)