I’m interested in hearing about the personal experiences of living in the USSR without making it a political conversation. Rather, just what life was like, the good and the bad, from a nonjudgmental human perspective.
I’m interested in hearing about the personal experiences of living in the USSR without making it a political conversation. Rather, just what life was like, the good and the bad, from a nonjudgmental human perspective.
I was just a kid when I came to the USA so most of my memories are in the context of how different things were after we came to America.
One particularly vivid memory for me is of bananas. My grandma would go on business trips to Moscow sometimes and she would bring bananas back for us. Otherwise the fruits we had were the ones that grew locally, and you had to preserve them if you wanted them out of season. It blew my mind when I came to the USA and I could just go to a grocery store and buy bananas at any time.
There were a few foods there that are harder to find here.
Buckwheat, which is my favorite grain.
Fresh peas, not the kind that people eat along with the pod but rather the kind with an inedible pod and big seeds, like canned peas but raw.
Russian-style rye bread. My family was so surprised that Americans had such an abundance of food but still ate Wonder Bread.
Kvas, a sweet beverage made out of fermented bread. I think it tastes way better than soft drinks so I’m not sure why everyone isn’t drinking it. Maybe it’s an acquired taste?
Also American cakes are usually terrible and American deep-fried french fries are inferior to Russian pan-fried potatoes.
Edit: one more thing, crepes. They’re not exclusively Russian, of course, but they’ve very common in Russian cooking with a variety of sweet or savory fillings - applesauce, jam, cottage cheese, mashed potatoes, ground meat, etc. Sometimes they’re fried after being filled.
Interesting! There’s a Russian store/deli near my place where I get my loose leaf green tea. I’ll swing by and pick some up to give it a try. Thanks for sharing!
I have found kvas in Russian delis to vary in quality quite a bit, but unfortunately I don’t remember which brands I liked and which I didn’t. Good luck!
I got some kvas and bread. When I asked the Russian food store worker if they had kvas, the guy looked away, slightly smiled as if it was a dumb question, and said, “Of course!” Then he took me to the kvas aisle and showed all of the options lol. I probably seemed pretty silly to him. While I was there, I also got some fresh bread that they made.
I tried the bread fresh, and it was okay. I tried the kvas and thought it was okay too. However, I sliced the bread, toasted it, and put butter on it. I had that with kvas on the side, and it was pretty good! They compliment each other very well. The bread is heavier than I’m used to and has a lot more flavor. I can see how someone that is used to that would think American white bread would seem like crap. By comparison, white bread is lacking consistency and flavor while also being too sweet. To me, the kvas tastes like a soda but less sweet and slightly bitter like molasses. I can see how this would be something someone would like if they drink it often. It has a unique taste that isn’t overwhelming. I noticed that I kept wanting more, where as coke is repugnant after a bit. Overall, I like it and am gonna be eating/drinking this for the next week. Thanks/Спасибо for the recommendation!