I Am The Milkman

"Hurry, we will be late." Not having much for me to do in Russia this haste was unusual. But unless we left now we would not be able to buy milk! Of course you can buy the store-bought milk at any time, but if you wanted the raw milk you had to hurry. It was a ten minute walk away. I carried my milk pail. We got there and waited in a short line to get our milk. It was a tank truck of some sort. The lady ladled the milk into our pail and we were done. The truck went to its next stop soon after, this is why we had had to hurry. The walk was rather nice-behind and through the multiple 5-story apartment neighborhood of my mother in law. But be careful, very careful when you cross a busy street. 

There are signs of decay everywhere. The abandoned theatre where Elena first saw one of her favorite movies, "Some Like It Hot." Better known here by its Russian name "In Jazz, Only Girls."  The theatre is from the Soviet era with a mural of a dramatic worker on the side, and a mural of Muromets. The Theatre was the largest in Murom, but was not economical. There seems to be some repair going on however. Building infrastructure is fine, but it must be productive infrastructure. Some of the abandoned stores are being renovated and are beginning to make a comeback. 

On the way back we went to the pensioner's market. I call it that because the pensioners with a garden spot grow extra food to sell to supplement their modest pensions. So the result was 12 sellers for 6 customers as each sold their own produce. We bought "bullheart" Tomatoes. This is a special variety from our area. The closest I can describe bullheart tomatoes is beefsteak tomatoes. Russians have not adopted national uniformity as we have. Most vegetables are not selected for the necessity to haul them a thousand miles. They are produced locally. And they taste much better. Everything tastes fresher.  

I enjoyed our walk but knew that I would not enjoy it as well if it was winter.

So today I was the Milkman. 

Oh BTW I shocked my mother-in-law when I told her that I said on Facebook that I was drinking raw milk. No proper Russian woman would do that! The milk pan is placed on the stove and boiled, cooled and then put in the refrigerator. 

We are returning home tomorrow so I will talk about the Russian transportation system to conclude my series about Russia. 

My Man Purse

Seeing more and more men with their man purse led me to go shopping for one yesterday. The ones I really wanted were too little for my iPad, so I ended up with one rather larger than I had hoped. But it fits nicely on my shoulder. 

We had dinner at Cafe 24. I was reminded again of the great care Russians seem to take with vegetables. But even the good cooks at 24 could not do much with Russian beef. It is often tough. Pork is a lot more popular here, and I can see why. For dessert I had one of my daughter's uneaten cottage cheese pancakes with of course sour cream as syrup. I can see your eyebrow going up with my description, but it is very good. 

After eating while waiting for Elena and my daughter to finish their shoe shopping, I sat in the corridor of the retail area. I noticed again the rather odd pointy shoes that seem to be the height of Russian men's fashion. No, no, a thousand times no, I will not buy any! I kept expecting several Russian Men to join hands and sing "We represent the Lollypop Guild, the Lollypop Guild, and we wish to welcome you to Munchkin Land."

I guess the shoes are not that bad, but in some ways Russia seems as strange as Oz. It will take some getting used to if we continue in our plans to spend the summer here in 2013. As enjoyable as the trip has been, I must agree with Dorothy, "There is no place like home." I am even looking forward to work. 

Obamapoly

International House of Pancakes

MurometsIt was a great day here in Russia so we decided to go to the park. I remember how pleased I was when I was dating Elena, she knew the English word "park." Alas the Russian word is exactly the same. (BTW, why do we park in a driveway and drive on a parkway?) While called a park, I would describe it as a county fair—bumper swan boats, the octopus ride, and a ferris wheel. The ferris wheels in Russia go at a very slow speed, allowing one to see the whole city. We saw the statue of Murom’s legendary hero Muromets (Илья́ Му́ромец literally the Elijah of Murom). He was a knight-errant type, think Lancelot combined with Paul Bunyon. Murom is well known for its many churches as it was (and is) a religious center. My daughter Stacy had a great time on the Swan and the other rides. 

We walked down to the river and Elena pointed out that the bridge that was there last trip was gone and replaced with a new bridge. Russia has a terrible infrastructure problem, but they seem to be making good progress to fix it. The "air" of disrepair in Russia seems to get a little bit better each year. I read that Putin's goal is for Russia to reach the level of Portugal in 30 years. He said this 10 years ago and it seems to me that the goal is achievable, especially as Portugal is going down faster than Russia is headed up! 

We walked back to the center, and decided to eat at the restaurant Blini- "Pancake." It would be better to think crepe rather than pancake. Sour cream, fish, jam, or caviar are the topping choices. We ended up with lightly breaded fried chicken, potatoes with cheese—actually quite good. 

After walking all day, we rode the bus home—walking and rapid transit…I am not an American anymore! 

Science For Smart People

A interesting video on why so much of health science is contradictory. (Note that this is a pro low carb presentation.) 

Note that women on estrogen therapy should not necessarily stop thier treatment from the example given in the video. The problems from estrogen therapy may be due to the method of delivery. Watch the end of the video if you are such a person.