Trepidatiously Moscow Bound....

[andrewfi]

Oh, I think that you can probably say that a new frying pan will be on the list of future purchases.

But yer money doesn't go very far does it?

(the pan looks like one of those ones made from aluminium foil, great for blokes who like to have the centre of the pan higher than the edges. )

How is it going with the lessons?

Confederate, onions are the foundation of the pauper's diet! Nutritious, cheap, keep for ages, and they add flavour to otherwise bland food. Onion pasta, anyone?

[Contrarian]

Oh, I think that you can probably say that a new frying pan will be on the list of future purchases.

But yer money doesn't go very far does it?

(the pan looks like one of those ones made from aluminium foil, great for blokes who like to have the centre of the pan higher than the edges. )

How is it going with the lessons?

Confederate, onions are the foundation of the pauper's diet! Nutritious, cheap, keep for ages, and they add flavour to otherwise bland food. Onion pasta, anyone?

Maybe I missed it but I didn't see a large bag of Potatoes to go with those onions? I rarely buy more than one onion at a time. 

[Jerash]

Oh, I think that you can probably say that a new frying pan will be on the list of future purchases.

But yer money doesn't go very far does it?

(the pan looks like one of those ones made from aluminium foil, great for blokes who like to have the centre of the pan higher than the edges. )

How is it going with the lessons?

Confederate, onions are the foundation of the pauper's diet! Nutritious, cheap, keep for ages, and they add flavour to otherwise bland food. Onion pasta, anyone?

I've always loved onions and have found my love for them only grows. They are extremely versatile (if you love onions that is). I hesitated on the frying pan, but I needed one, so decided to give it a go. It's only about $5.50 CAD, so no loss if it doesn't stand the test of time. Should be good for a few meals at least!

I was pretty happy with the grocery bill actually. The longer I'm here, the better I'll understand the costs. I have three grocery stores within 3-4 min walk of me and I've visited all now and am able to start evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of each.

I don't plan on making money til about May, so part of my strategy is to try to spend prudently, and not to overpay for things. If I make money before then, it's bonus. On this strategy, I'll be ok.

I have become aware that I must look like a fool, looking at everything in each shop intensely. I am like a small child, soaking up piles of information all for the first time. I want to know what's available and what it costs.

I've done two lessons now in the training. The students like me. For lesson two, I spent the whole day before moving and buying things like sheets and pillows (so I can sleep) and towels (so I can shower). So I felt underprepared and I wasn't particularly happy with the result, but the evaluation was good and the evaluator pointed out a number of things I did well, which I hadn't noticed because I wasn't in the right frame of mind.

Now that I'm settling in, I'll be able to focus more on the course work and feel less harried by it.

The piece of paper at the end will be nice, but the real benefit for me is to methodically learn about the teaching approach and build my confidence.


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[Jerash]

Oh, I think that you can probably say that a new frying pan will be on the list of future purchases.

But yer money doesn't go very far does it?

(the pan looks like one of those ones made from aluminium foil, great for blokes who like to have the centre of the pan higher than the edges. )

How is it going with the lessons?

Confederate, onions are the foundation of the pauper's diet! Nutritious, cheap, keep for ages, and they add flavour to otherwise bland food. Onion pasta, anyone?

Maybe I missed it but I didn't see a large bag of Potatoes to go with those onions? I rarely buy more than one onion at a time. 

I'll happily put a half onion into an omelette
They keep well so for me it is wasting time to just buy one.

[Jerash]

Oh, I think that you can probably say that a new frying pan will be on the list of future purchases.

But yer money doesn't go very far does it?

(the pan looks like one of those ones made from aluminium foil, great for blokes who like to have the centre of the pan higher than the edges. )

How is it going with the lessons?

Confederate, onions are the foundation of the pauper's diet! Nutritious, cheap, keep for ages, and they add flavour to otherwise bland food. Onion pasta, anyone?

Maybe I missed it but I didn't see a large bag of Potatoes to go with those onions? I rarely buy more than one onion at a time. 

I'll be getting the potatoes next time. I had a meat and potatoes upbringing and I love them!!!


.

[Contrarian]

Oh, I think that you can probably say that a new frying pan will be on the list of future purchases.

But yer money doesn't go very far does it?

(the pan looks like one of those ones made from aluminium foil, great for blokes who like to have the centre of the pan higher than the edges. )

How is it going with the lessons?

Confederate, onions are the foundation of the pauper's diet! Nutritious, cheap, keep for ages, and they add flavour to otherwise bland food. Onion pasta, anyone?

I have become aware that I must look like a fool, looking at everything in each shop intensely. I am like a small child, soaking up piles of information all for the first time. I want to know what's available and what it costs.

I still do this but I'm back home in America and I speak the language! Go figure. 

Congratulations on settling in just fine. I also go from market to market as some have better deals on one thing than the other. That omelet sounds good; thanks for the good idea. 

[andrewfi]

I think you are taking the right attitude to your training.

Most things can be done by following a template and these guys seem to be keen on getting you into a pattern, that's a good thing. Get the template down and implement it religiously and then, later, you might start to make it your own. Once you know how the template works you can make your own. You don't have to tbe the best teacher in the world, just the one who turns up, on time, every time, and doesn't get the worst evaluations. The important bit, once you are papered up, is the business, the marketing. That's what Dan seems to have mastered to a greater degree than almost any of his peers.

[Jerash]

Oh, I think that you can probably say that a new frying pan will be on the list of future purchases.

But yer money doesn't go very far does it?

(the pan looks like one of those ones made from aluminium foil, great for blokes who like to have the centre of the pan higher than the edges. )

How is it going with the lessons?

Confederate, onions are the foundation of the pauper's diet! Nutritious, cheap, keep for ages, and they add flavour to otherwise bland food. Onion pasta, anyone?

I have become aware that I must look like a fool, looking at everything in each shop intensely. I am like a small child, soaking up piles of information all for the first time. I want to know what's available and what it costs.

I still do this but I'm back home in America and I speak the language! Go figure. 

Congratulations on settling in just fine. I also go from market to market as some have better deals on one thing than the other. That omelet sounds good; thanks for the good idea. 

Oh, I think that you can probably say that a new frying pan will be on the list of future purchases.

But yer money doesn't go very far does it?

(the pan looks like one of those ones made from aluminium foil, great for blokes who like to have the centre of the pan higher than the edges. )

How is it going with the lessons?

Confederate, onions are the foundation of the pauper's diet! Nutritious, cheap, keep for ages, and they add flavour to otherwise bland food. Onion pasta, anyone?

I have become aware that I must look like a fool, looking at everything in each shop intensely. I am like a small child, soaking up piles of information all for the first time. I want to know what's available and what it costs.

I still do this but I'm back home in America and I speak the language! Go figure. 

Congratulations on settling in just fine. I also go from market to market as some have better deals on one thing than the other. That omelet sounds good; thanks for the good idea. 

Ideally, you want to get more into the omelette than just onion. I demurred on the peppers as they were about $5CAD/kg. Next time I may grab some. For the omelette (oh, I don't have eggs at the moment, but they're cheap) I have some sausage to chop into it as well as some cheese, and tomatoes. Found some zucchini, which would be nice to throw in, but at 10CAD/kg, I thought better of it. I did see that at least one of the shops has Iranian avocados available at a good price, so I'm looking forward to doing up some guacamole.

[Jerash]

I think you are taking the right attitude to your training.

Most things can be done by following a template and these guys seem to be keen on getting you into a pattern, that's a good thing. Get the template down and implement it religiously and then, later, you might start to make it your own. Once you know how the template works you can make your own. You don't have to tbe the best teacher in the world, just the one who turns up, on time, every time, and doesn't get the worst evaluations. The important bit, once you are papered up, is the business, the marketing. That's what Dan seems to have mastered to a greater degree than almost any of his peers.

Get the template down, and start replicating it at all levels, at all stages, so you don't have to waste half your life doing lesson prep. Do everything else right (including some of the things you mentioned), and then you are ready to start following the money and take it where it goes.

There's a reason I did what I did. I've traded away 80K CAD a year with good benefits and ongoing pension (I already have a nice chunk available to me) to take on the challenge of making that all back, while being happier and more confident. It's weird I'm afraid of public speaking, but I thrive in front of a crowd. It brings out the best in me and makes me a better person.

I think my biggest enemy is sloth.


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[Contrarian]

I only make an omelet about once a month. For me the perfect omelet is as follows: 3 eggs whipped with a fork and then poured out nice and flat. Grated cheese, mushrooms, green pepper and onions. Not nearly as much as Jerash uses, but sufficient to give it a nice flavor. Fold it in half and serve hot. Never worry about the cost of the fixins', just eat it and smile.

[Jerash]

Andrew, I was thinking about getting one of those water filtering jugs for coffee. Is it necessary?  I had coffee today with straight boiled tap water and it seemed fine. I brush my teeth with the tap water and no ill effects (probably a good way to slowly build up immunity too).


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[Jerash]

I only make an omelet about once a month. For me the perfect omelet is as follows: 3 eggs whipped with a fork and then poured out nice and flat. Grated cheese, mushrooms, green pepper and onions. Not nearly as much as Jerash uses, but sufficient to give it a nice flavor. Roll it in half and serve hot. Never worry about the cost of the fixins', just eat it and smile.

Yep, that's a good omelette. You reminded me about mushrooms, I saw those as well at a fine price.  Decided not to get them since I don't have eggs right now. Figure I'll get them when I'm in the mood for an omelette. I'll probably be having an omelette more than once a month. Right now I'm doing yoghurt and fruit for breakfast. In Canada you can get some healthy cereals (where you add milk), but here....

Two things have changed, everywhere:
1) The big food companies have all targeted kids with sugar. It's getting out of hand as they now raise a generation on sugar where even processed dinners start to taste like dessert. (This looks like a rerun of the marketing strategies deployed by cigarette companies)
2) Cold milk-added cereal breakfast is not a traditionally Russian thing and has really only been introduced since Russia opened up. All of it is sugar-loaded garbage aimed squarely at kids.

[andrewfi]

I honestly don't know about Moscow water, but, on the whole I think people are tricked into buying bottled water and filters. If your water tastes OK and comes out of the tap clear, not brown, then I'd say go for it.

This article sums up the case: https://www.moscowconcierge.com/can-drink-moscow-tap-water/

Remember, millions of muscovites are drinking it daily without ill effect.

[yankee]

I honestly don't know about Moscow water, but, on the whole I think people are tricked into buying bottled water and filters. If your water tastes OK and comes out of the tap clear, not brown, then I'd say go for it.

This article sums up the case: https://www.moscowconcierge.com/can-drink-moscow-tap-water/

Remember, millions of muscovites are drinking it daily without ill effect.

Everyone I know in Moscow boils the water first.

[Dogsoldier]

I only make an omelet about once a month. For me the perfect omelet is as follows: 3 eggs whipped with a fork and then poured out nice and flat. Grated cheese, mushrooms, green pepper and onions. Not nearly as much as Jerash uses, but sufficient to give it a nice flavor. Roll it in half and serve hot. Never worry about the cost of the fixins', just eat it and smile.

Yep, that's a good omelette. You reminded me about mushrooms, I saw those as well at a fine price.  Decided not to get them since I don't have eggs right now. Figure I'll get them when I'm in the mood for an omelette. I'll probably be having an omelette more than once a month. Right now I'm doing yoghurt and fruit for breakfast. In Canada you can get some healthy cereals (where you add milk), but here....

Two things have changed, everywhere:
1) The big food companies have all targeted kids with sugar. It's getting out of hand as they now raise a generation on sugar where even processed dinners start to taste like dessert. (This looks like a rerun of the marketing strategies deployed by cigarette companies)
2) Cold milk-added cereal breakfast is not a traditionally Russian thing and has really only been introduced since Russia opened up. All of it is sugar-loaded garbage aimed squarely at kids.

Get yourself some porridge. That's what I have most days,unsweetened. I add some nuts ( walnuts, almonds) some seasonal fruit eg strawberries, or banana and prunes. My 2 yr old loves it and shares my breakfast most days. Gets me set for the day.

[Dogsoldier]

I honestly don't know about Moscow water, but, on the whole I think people are tricked into buying bottled water and filters. If your water tastes OK and comes out of the tap clear, not brown, then I'd say go for it.

This article sums up the case: https://www.moscowconcierge.com/can-drink-moscow-tap-water/

Remember, millions of muscovites are drinking it daily without ill effect.

Everyone I know in Moscow boils the water first.

A sensible precaution.

[Jerash]

I honestly don't know about Moscow water, but, on the whole I think people are tricked into buying bottled water and filters. If your water tastes OK and comes out of the tap clear, not brown, then I'd say go for it.

This article sums up the case: https://www.moscowconcierge.com/can-drink-moscow-tap-water/

Remember, millions of muscovites are drinking it daily without ill effect.

The water may be clear, but if I'm producing liquid brown in a few hours that's a bad thing that can take awhile to recover from. I'd rather not go there.

When I was here in 1999, I was suffering a stomach ailment for most of my time here and quite miserable as a result. Don't want that again. I was in Russia for 10 weeks.


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[Jerash]

I only make an omelet about once a month. For me the perfect omelet is as follows: 3 eggs whipped with a fork and then poured out nice and flat. Grated cheese, mushrooms, green pepper and onions. Not nearly as much as Jerash uses, but sufficient to give it a nice flavor. Roll it in half and serve hot. Never worry about the cost of the fixins', just eat it and smile.

Yep, that's a good omelette. You reminded me about mushrooms, I saw those as well at a fine price.  Decided not to get them since I don't have eggs right now. Figure I'll get them when I'm in the mood for an omelette. I'll probably be having an omelette more than once a month. Right now I'm doing yoghurt and fruit for breakfast. In Canada you can get some healthy cereals (where you add milk), but here....

Two things have changed, everywhere:
1) The big food companies have all targeted kids with sugar. It's getting out of hand as they now raise a generation on sugar where even processed dinners start to taste like dessert. (This looks like a rerun of the marketing strategies deployed by cigarette companies)
2) Cold milk-added cereal breakfast is not a traditionally Russian thing and has really only been introduced since Russia opened up. All of it is sugar-loaded garbage aimed squarely at kids.

Get yourself some porridge. That's what I have most days,unsweetened. I add some nuts ( walnuts, almonds) some seasonal fruit eg strawberries, or banana and prunes. My 2 yr old loves it and shares my breakfast most days. Gets me set for the day.

I think that's a good idea. I was eating porridge in the morning before I came here.  If I could find something like All-Bran to go with it, I'll be set.


.

[Contrarian]

I honestly don't know about Moscow water, but, on the whole I think people are tricked into buying bottled water and filters. If your water tastes OK and comes out of the tap clear, not brown, then I'd say go for it.

This article sums up the case: https://www.moscowconcierge.com/can-drink-moscow-tap-water/

Remember, millions of muscovites are drinking it daily without ill effect.

Everyone I know in Moscow boils the water first.

I wouldn't be brave enough to risk it (without boiling or filtering). I have a Brita jug with filter and I use it here to keep down the cost of bottled water. In other words bottled water is a luxury I only get for part of the month and the other part is filtered water.

[Jerash]

Bottled water has always been out of the equation, except when being in places further than Western Europe.

Which I am now.  So i need to be careful as this can ruin best laid plans quickly by a waterborne illness.

I drink bottled water.

I boil other water in cooking for example. I am wondering about the benefits of filtering before boiling, that's what I don't know.

[Gipsy]

It is strongly recommended throughout Russia, that one uses only bottled water for drinking.
The water for most of Moscow comes from open reservoirs and is only filtered, not treated, so there is a strong possibility of catching something which may not be very nice.
I would suggest that the majority of Muscovites buy their water, either from local supply stations, or supermarkets, or have it delivered in 19l bottles.
Should you decide upon having delivered, once you have paid for the bottle, about 4oor, exchanging it for a refilled bottle is easy, and it is delivered directly to your flat..
Most expats will probably tell you not to trust the water..
HTH..

[andrewfi]

Gentlemen, here's a learning point from a bloke who used to sell water filters:

A Brita type filter, or 'normal' inline water filter will NOT remove bacteria from water will remove bacteria from the water but retain it in the filter unit which become a breeding ground for bacteria. It will not remove fluoride. Such filters ONLY remove chlorine and particulate matter (rust, sand etc.) and some heavy metals.

Moscow water is treated such that it is bacteria and parasite free at the treatment plant. Extra 'stuff' can get into the water en-route to your home. This is why, in some places, extra chlorine is added to the water, to maintain its potability, it should kill both bacteria and parasites such as giardia (giardia is not fully controlled with chlorine but chlorine is not the only treatment applied to drinking water in Russia or elsewhere in the developed world. Of course nothing can be done to remove 'bits' except new pipes and, unless the pipes are new in the building in which you live, everything done between the treatment plant and your building is for nothing.

SOME inline filters can be relatively effective at dealing with bacteria, the company with whom I used to work used carbon (charcoal) filters (just like Brita and everyone else) but also incorporated an activated silver layer. Silver is great for killing bacteria. The carbon layer should remove any bits of animal life that had been in the water.

Brita and similar filters that remove chlorine from the water introduce another problem though: Chlorine is the water to keep it potable (chlorine kills the bacteria that we don't want) Once the chlorine is removed then bacteria are free to grow in the water when stored in your fridge.

Chlorine evaporates from water when stored anyway so if you don't like chlorine taste just keep the water in your fridge for a few hours. That's why cats and dogs will often not drink water immediately, they wait until the chlorine has gassed off.

Upthread I noted that people were tricked into buying filters - now you know why, and how!

[andrewfi]

Addendum to the above post.

The reason it is a bad idea to use an online filter without a silver component is that as bacteria are filtered and build up in the charcoal layer they can, eventually, flow through to the water outflow. The chances are that Brita, and similar, filters, have a time limit on their use is not because the charcoal is clogged up by crap but because that's the safe limit for bacteria buildup. How often have you drunk from a pitcher filter that is of unknown provenance in somebody's house? EUGGGHHH!

Coincidentally I am going to take back home an inline water filter that was a remnant of demo stock I had left over from some 25 years ago. (It'll be serving the coffee machine I got while I was over here - thanks Manny!) This has a metallic silver component and no expiry date. Its lifetime in use is solely down to the amount of particulate matter in the water. Eventually the flow will reduce, typically after a few years, and the filter is simply replaced.

[Contrarian]

I only make an omelet about once a month. For me the perfect omelet is as follows: 3 eggs whipped with a fork and then poured out nice and flat. Grated cheese, mushrooms, green pepper and onions. Not nearly as much as Jerash uses, but sufficient to give it a nice flavor. Roll it in half and serve hot. Never worry about the cost of the fixins', just eat it and smile.

Yep, that's a good omelette. You reminded me about mushrooms, I saw those as well at a fine price.  Decided not to get them since I don't have eggs right now. Figure I'll get them when I'm in the mood for an omelette. I'll probably be having an omelette more than once a month. Right now I'm doing yoghurt and fruit for breakfast.

Great minds think alike. 

My standard breakfast is coffee, fruit, yogurt and toast.

However due to your inspirational idea I went to Safeway and purchased some cheese (2.69), a small onion (.79 a lb so less than that), some pre sliced mushrooms (2.29 for the pkg) and a green pepper. I already had eggs. Sauteed two slices of onions chopped up and a bit of the green pepper chopped up as well as some mushrooms. 3 eggs laid out nice, cut some big slices of the sharp cheddar cheese and laid them on top, then the rest of the fixins. Once the cheese started to melt I folded it in half and ate it piping hot. Need to work on getting the green peppers into the frying pan same time as onions and 'shrooms. Pro cooks are amazing but my work will do in a pinch. Delicious! Thanks Jerash! 

[Dogsoldier]

I only make an omelet about once a month. For me the perfect omelet is as follows: 3 eggs whipped with a fork and then poured out nice and flat. Grated cheese, mushrooms, green pepper and onions. Not nearly as much as Jerash uses, but sufficient to give it a nice flavor. Roll it in half and serve hot. Never worry about the cost of the fixins', just eat it and smile.

Yep, that's a good omelette. You reminded me about mushrooms, I saw those as well at a fine price.  Decided not to get them since I don't have eggs right now. Figure I'll get them when I'm in the mood for an omelette. I'll probably be having an omelette more than once a month. Right now I'm doing yoghurt and fruit for breakfast.

Great minds think alike. 

My standard breakfast is coffee, fruit, yogurt and toast.

However due to your inspirational idea I went to Safeway and purchased some cheese (2.69), a small onion (.79 a lb so less than that), some pre sliced mushrooms (2.29 for the pkg) and a green pepper. I already had eggs. Sauteed two slices of onions chopped up and a bit of the green pepper chopped up as well as some mushrooms. 3 eggs laid out nice, cut some big slices of the sharp cheddar cheese and laid them on top, then the rest of the fixins. Once the cheese started to melt I folded it in half and ate it piping hot. Need to work on getting the green peppers into the frying pan same time as onions and 'shrooms. Pro cooks are amazing but my work will do in a pinch. Delicious! Thanks Jerash! 

Looks like we need a new topic on haute cuisine........