Things you didn't expect

[GuppyCaptain]

I found out about Salo the hard way. We sat down to breakfast at a cafe and the waitress brought out a plate of what looked like turkey and ham with a basket of bread. I thought, Sweet... I'll make myself a sandwich. So I proceed to pile the turkey onto my bread, stuff in my mouth and start to chew. After a second I thought, wow this is really fatty turkey! I choked it down, then was asked  how I liked the Pork fat. Yuck!!

No more Salo for me after that, lol.

I was also surprised by the diet. Very fatty meat, lots of butter and fried stuff with a heaping if cooked potatoes. Ugh, I definitely gained a few pounds on that trip that I'm just now burning off. I found a nice salad with beef, peppers and lavash (tortillas.)

Also, I was a bit surprised that nothing was mowed. Ever. The  nicest part of town was full of overgrown weeds all along the medians and sidewalk.

The biggest kicker, however, was constantly being stared at. Whether I was walking down the street, standing at the ATM or just walking to the table at a cafe. Women would literally stop and stare. I had a group of 3 well dressed young ladies eyeball me then as I passed they stopped to turn around and look some more.

It was kinda fun at first but then moved toward the Alfred Hitchcock creepy side.

Anyone else have this experience in Ukraine? (my girlfriend has grown rather tired of being asked if I'm an American... She gets very approving looks and answers when she says yes, but it happens several times a day). I didn't exactly dress like a tourist, but she and her sister told me it's very obvious I'm not from Ukraine.

J

How come I didn't have women oogle me while in Moldova & Ukraine? I tend to dress well. Oh wait, maybe it has to do with the Dr. Evil look 

Speaking of, I noticed that the shaved head seemed to throw some off as I think they still tie it to skinheads. The secret to the beaming shine of my head?

Lots of salo of course 

[sashathecat]

Also, I was a bit surprised that nothing was mowed. Ever. The  nicest part of town was full of overgrown weeds all along the medians and sidewalk.

I was told that back in the Soviet days the parks were beautiful and perfectly manicured. They even had babushkas sweeping them clean.

[mendeleyev]

Also, I was a bit surprised that nothing was mowed.

I understand. There was a time when I truly wondered whether Russia was familiar with motor powered lawn equipment, but thankfully those days a past for the most part. Unsightly conditions can exist in areas maintained by municipalities or in housing blocks owned by residents.

There are some places in Russia which can be found as described but the real estate sales market in larger cities has forced residents to rethink and adjust to the realities of a functioning real estate market in which "curb appeal" matters. They are not all the way there yet but have come a long way.

Another part of that issue is the function of budget, and also of responsibility, as in who is responsible. In the 90s when housing was being privatized, citizens had to adjust for caring for things that had previously been a function of some soviet (a committee). This extended to common areas like yards, sidewalks, parking lots, etc. The typical response was to continue the committee approach and hire it done, however a common problem surfaced with money being paid but no work performed.

As the region transitioned from the Soviet to a market system, many fundamental questions had to be answered and some of those seem elementary to our thinking, but were genuinely new to that environment: Who owns and maintains the sidewalk now? What about the common green area bounding the end of an apartment house to the street--is that maintenance the responsibility of the city or of the building residents? What seems like a simple answer to us was not so simple then in a society where the state had owned everything.

Today the Housing Code of the Russian Federation outlines who does what, when and regulates for how much. Much of those functions are handled by contract with a management company, selected by residents of a building, and that MC in turn hires maintenance and care taking services to be performed. To insure compliance, the State Housing Inspectorate has the authority to inspect properties for code violations and maintenance issues, and to prosecute contracting companies who receive money for such services but fail to perform.

Some areas of Russia and Ukraine continue to flounder in those respects since where is no competitive real estate market, and thus very little demand for improvements. In those situations, corruption is unchecked and residents loath paying money for services they know will seldom, if ever, be performed. This is seen to a greater degree in Ukraine where corruption is entrenched, both in the private housing services, and as cities these days in Ukraine are strapped for cash.

[Danchik]

That I would meet the people and experience the things I have.

That Moscow would be much better than advertised (many people warned about moving to Moscow; most were Russians).

That I would speak and understand Russian with any semblance of fluency.

That the metro, though wonderfully designed, would really be a big PITA.

That I wouldn't miss having a car.

That my life would turn out much better than in America, and my outlook on life would change as much as it has.

That I would still be here 10 years later.

[2tallbill]

I am all for trying stuff and exposing myself to other cultures, but a sea of congealed fat? Heart attack in a dish? Not really.......

For Brits that have never encountered the stuff, imagine a tray of lard with bits of guts, entrails and god knows what floating in it. And then congealed together. You would think twice before giving it to a dog.

My wife makes holodetz that is about 90% meat and serves it with cold potatoes. I mix it together
then to her never ending dismay, I throw it in the microwave until it is hot. It tastes great! Turkey,
chicken, steak, all meat has fat juices, that is why it tastes so good. You've eaten gravy with meat
and potatoes hot.

Everyone has eaten hash browns & eggs cooked with bacon. Obviously you shouldn't do it every day
(or even frequently). 

That's my two kopecks
Bill