Goodbye Fish & Chips - Hello Pickled Fish

So, how do you like your fish: fried, baked or, well, frozen?

Ice Aquarium in Japan

In Russia, they like their fish pickled, dried, cured or smoked. Pickled fish is enjoyed in many parts of the world and every nation prepares it a little differently. Pickled Herring (Селёдка or Сельдь) is the King of the "Stinky Fish" table. All parts of pickled herring, except the head, are edible: meat and female/male roe. The best time to buy the fish is in the winter as it accumulates fat and taste less salty. Eat it in a salad or as a main dish with boiled potatoes (do not add any salt to the water) and sliced onions. Just like with sushi, it's not a crime to use your hands to handle pieces of pickled herring; just make sure to wash your hands (and dishes) well with cold water and soap.

The lingering smell of pickled fish will likely to stay with you for a couple of days no matter what. It's a small price to pay, if you ask me, for a very tasty meal. The pickled herring dishes are always followed by a cup of tea. Here is a saying you likely to hear just before your Russian host pours a hot cup of tea for you: РЫБА ПОСУХУ НЕ ХОДИТ (rough translation: the fish doesn't walk on land).
English Version, anyone?

You can always find herring at your local Russian store (just be ready to clean and fillet the herring fish). And if you're lazy like me, save yourself some time by ordering from Amazon.

Let's talk food

We are all now part of the global market; that didn't make us closer but rather made our lives similar in many ways. We dress alike and watch the same movies and franchised TV shows. Even the supermarkets are more or less filled with the same food items. Imagine what a shock it was for an American to visit Europe just 100 years ago. Now, you are more shocked at all the similarities you notice when travelling.  But when I think of a Russian Supermarket, two items are noticeably missing: peanut butter and maple syrup. Surprisingly so, as Russian people love peanuts and enjoy pancakes and waffles. And what food item commonly sold in Russia you’re not likely to find in your local supermarket - caviar.

They call me HER, They call me Jane, That's not my name, That's not my name ...

Ever wondered how your name is spelled in Russian? Wonder no more.

Allan	Алан	Alice	Алис
Andrew	Эндрю	Amy	Эми
Brandon	Брандон	Andrea	Эндрия
Brian	Брайан	Angela	Анжела
Charles	Чарльз	Anna	Анна
Christopher	Кристофер	Barbara	Барбара
Daniel	Дэниэл	Carol	Кэрол
David	Давид	Catherine	Кэтрин
Donald	Доналд	Christine	Кристин
Eric	эрик	Cynthia	Синтия
George	Джордж	Deborah	Дебора
Gregory	Грегори	Dorothy	Дороти
Jacob	Жакоб	Elizabeth	Элизабет
James	Джеймс	Eva	Ева
Jason	Джейсон	Helen	Хелен
Jeffrey	Джеффри	Jennifer	Дженнифер
John	Джон	Jessica	Джессика
Justin	Джастин	Joan	Джоан
Kevin	Кевин	Joyce	Джойс
Larry	Ларри	Julia	Джулия
Lloyd	Ллойд	Karen	Карен
Logan	логан	Kimberly	Кимберли
Mark	Марк	Laura	Лаура
Matthew	Мэттью	Linda	Линда
Michael	Майкл	Lisa	Лиса
Neil	Нил	Margaret	Маргарет
Paul	Пол	Maria	Мария
Peter	Питер	Mary	Мэри
Richard	Ричард	Melissa	Мелисса
Robert	Роберт	Michelle	Мишель
Rod	Род	Nancy	Нэнси
Ronald	Рональд	Patricia	Патрисия
Ryan	Райан	Rebecca	Ребекка
Seth	Сет	Rose	Роуз
Steven	Стивен	Sandra	Сандра
Ted	Тед	Sarah	Сара
Thomas	Томас	Sharon	Шэрон
Tyler	Тайлер	Stephanie	Стефани
William	Уильям	Susan	Сьюзен

And if you stay in Russia long enough for someone to learn you name, you will most likely have your name Russianized. So, If your name is Michael, they'll call you Misha (Миша). Elizabeth becomes Liza (Лиза) and Kathrine - Katya (Катя).

Don’t see your name here? Leave you name in the comment section and I will spell your name in Russian for you.

How is Halloween celebrated in Russia?

Halloween is not celebrated in Russia, and very few know much about it (the very few are the younger generation of course). With the fall of the Iron Curtain, many foreign traditions and cultural elements found their way into Russian society. Belly dancing, Irish dancing and Valentine's Day celebration were introduced and accepted by the majority. But when it comes to Halloween celebration, I doubt it ever has a chance of becoming popular as it challenges deep-seating beliefs within society.

Some Halloween decorations like coffins and skeleton bones are found disturbing by many. You think it's spooky and funny, they think it's letting dark-sided forces into your home. Many Russian immigrants would not let their children go trick-or-treating on Halloween night (at least the first couple of years since the move).

So, what one's to do while in Russia to get into the bone-chilling spirit of Halloween. You can get away with a Jack-o-Lantern on your front porch (good luck with finding a pumpkin to carve outside of big cities) but please do not display any cemetery attributes. Here are a couple more suggestions for you: rent/buy a horror flick or, if you are in the big city and that's your thing, look for night clubs advertising Halloween-themed parties.

Ever experienced Halloween in Russia? Let me know how it went.

Are you a coffee or a tea person?

You would think that vodka is Russia’s favorite drink, but actually it is black tea. They drink it at breakfast, lunch and dinner. And if you ever travelling by train in Russia (do that and it will be a highlight of your trip), you guessed it right, you’d be served a cup of tea.

To enjoy a cup of traditional Russian tea, follow these steps:

• Place loose tea leaves in a medium-sized teapot (about one teaspoon per person).
  

  
  
• Fill the teapot to the brim with hot water and let it steep for about five minutes.  Do not discard the leaves. Congratulations, you just made something Russian people call ZAVARKA. There are two schools of thought when it comes to using ZAVARKA. Some say it becomes poisonous after ten minutes and some say it’s good for up to 24 hours. Two of my relatives got into a heated argument about the use of ZAVARKA and just stopped speaking to each other. I guess you will have to decide what tribe you want to be a part of.
  

  
  
• Drop a thin slice of lemon in your cup then add ZAVARKA and hot water to the tea cup. So, how do you know how much ZAVARKA you need to pour into your cup? It all depends on how strong you like your tea. Try not to get any tea leaves in your cup.
  

  
  
• Add a teaspoon or two of white sugar to the cup and enjoy your authentic Russian tea experience.  Have a piece of cake or BOOBLIC (Russian bagel) with your tea. 

Did you know that when people in Russia get sick with flu, they drink a lot of tea with raspberry preserve added to it?

Hey stranger!

I want to share a little bit of Russia with you. I hope you enjoy it! And if you stay with me long enough, you might not be a stranger to the Russian culture anymore.