This post originally started as a "things I like about Moscow" list but I ran out after 3 (I think I need to give that list a little more time!) so I've changed it to general musings and observations.
1) The Metro system. Very clean, always on time, runs frequently (as in, you never have to wait more than 90 seconds for a train), and cheap!
2) Borscht. Fuschia colored soup made from beef broth and beets. Very tasty and one of the few authentically Russian dishes that I really enjoy. Often served with sour cream on top that you mix in. Served at pretty much all restaurants, even non-Russian ones, since it's like their version of chicken soup.
3) The air. It seems very dry, which also seems great for my hair and skin, but that might also be the pregnancy? I will say that it is much easier to get my hair straight, and we all know that is one of my priorities in life. :) I believe Scott feels it's too dry and often makes fun of me for luxuriating in the dryness too much. On the other hand, I know that this city is very, very dirty (too many cars and buildings and not enough trees) so the air can't be all that good.
4) Excessive PDA. Muscovites seem to feel strangely comfortable showing all stages of public displays of affection in all public places. Literally. Scott and I have seen embarrassingly steamy make-out sessions on the escalator riding down into the subway tunnels, on benches in crowded public parks, at restaurants while sitting on the same side of a two-person table, even right in the middle of the sidewalk, oblivious to their surroundings, such that it requires everyone to take an alternate path...you get the idea. I've already seen this type of very public PDA to a certain degree in NYC but this takes the cake. We think people do it in public vs "getting a room" because many young people continue living at home with their parents and/or grandparents even after they've finished school and started working. These apartments are tiny so they don't afford much privacy, and so...out they go. Again, this is similar to NYC but for whatever reason, the Russians take it to an extreme. And it's older "young people," not just teenagers (which is what I recall seeing in New York).
-------> 4a) Females holding hands. A subtopic of #4 above is female hand -holding -- pairs of adult and young adult straight women holding hands while walking around town. In the US you really don't see a lot of same sex adults holding hands unless their gay. However, I've seen far too many women doing this in Moscow for them all to be gay. Nothing wrong with it of course, but it's just not something you see everyday in the States. Kind of nice to see such open companionship, but also sort of surprises me every time.
5) Caesar Salad. You can't order a Caesar salad here without a protein (e.g. "shrimps" as they say, chicken or salmon). It's another ubiquitous item on the menu, which is nice, but forget it if you want it as a starter without a protein. Scott and I tried to do this a couple times, since it's something used to do all the time in the States ("You want to split a Caesar?"). We tried to order the salad "бес курица" (which means "without chicken") and it would cause ALL sorts of chaos and confusion for the waitstaff and we get lots of head shakes and hear lots of "нет" ("NO."). Substitutions in general are not handled very well here in Moscow, but for some reason, trying to get a protein-free Caesar salad is really just taking things TOO FAR. Who knew?
6) Ordering and dining at restaurants. This could probably be an entire post unto itself but I'll try to keep it brief.
That's all for now. I'm keeping a running list of observations for another post. I bet after I have the baby I'll have all sorts of good ones!
1) The Metro system. Very clean, always on time, runs frequently (as in, you never have to wait more than 90 seconds for a train), and cheap!
2) Borscht. Fuschia colored soup made from beef broth and beets. Very tasty and one of the few authentically Russian dishes that I really enjoy. Often served with sour cream on top that you mix in. Served at pretty much all restaurants, even non-Russian ones, since it's like their version of chicken soup.
3) The air. It seems very dry, which also seems great for my hair and skin, but that might also be the pregnancy? I will say that it is much easier to get my hair straight, and we all know that is one of my priorities in life. :) I believe Scott feels it's too dry and often makes fun of me for luxuriating in the dryness too much. On the other hand, I know that this city is very, very dirty (too many cars and buildings and not enough trees) so the air can't be all that good.
4) Excessive PDA. Muscovites seem to feel strangely comfortable showing all stages of public displays of affection in all public places. Literally. Scott and I have seen embarrassingly steamy make-out sessions on the escalator riding down into the subway tunnels, on benches in crowded public parks, at restaurants while sitting on the same side of a two-person table, even right in the middle of the sidewalk, oblivious to their surroundings, such that it requires everyone to take an alternate path...you get the idea. I've already seen this type of very public PDA to a certain degree in NYC but this takes the cake. We think people do it in public vs "getting a room" because many young people continue living at home with their parents and/or grandparents even after they've finished school and started working. These apartments are tiny so they don't afford much privacy, and so...out they go. Again, this is similar to NYC but for whatever reason, the Russians take it to an extreme. And it's older "young people," not just teenagers (which is what I recall seeing in New York).
 |
| on the street |
 |
| by a fountain |
 |
| in a booth at a restaurant |
-------> 4a) Females holding hands. A subtopic of #4 above is female hand -holding -- pairs of adult and young adult straight women holding hands while walking around town. In the US you really don't see a lot of same sex adults holding hands unless their gay. However, I've seen far too many women doing this in Moscow for them all to be gay. Nothing wrong with it of course, but it's just not something you see everyday in the States. Kind of nice to see such open companionship, but also sort of surprises me every time.
5) Caesar Salad. You can't order a Caesar salad here without a protein (e.g. "shrimps" as they say, chicken or salmon). It's another ubiquitous item on the menu, which is nice, but forget it if you want it as a starter without a protein. Scott and I tried to do this a couple times, since it's something used to do all the time in the States ("You want to split a Caesar?"). We tried to order the salad "бес курица" (which means "without chicken") and it would cause ALL sorts of chaos and confusion for the waitstaff and we get lots of head shakes and hear lots of "нет" ("NO."). Substitutions in general are not handled very well here in Moscow, but for some reason, trying to get a protein-free Caesar salad is really just taking things TOO FAR. Who knew?
6) Ordering and dining at restaurants. This could probably be an entire post unto itself but I'll try to keep it brief.
- Substitutions. As mentioned in #5 above, food substitutions are not good. The one thing Scott and I have been able to do is sub out home fries / hash browns for french fries. Thank goodness. :)
- Phased ordering. The concept of ordering appetizers to arrive first and then ordering main courses a little bit later is not practiced. If you try and order an appetizer and keep the menu, they look at you like you're crazy.
- Service stinks. Probably because tips are optional, the servers aren't very attentive. You might sit down and not see someone for 20+ minutes, or until you flag them down. Or, if you have seen someone and you make / get your order, forget seeing them again to ask for extra ketchup or an additional plate or anything else. Scott and I have learned to decide quickly and consider everything we might possibly want or need during the one exchange we have with the server. We also go to a lot of the same restaurants over and over (there aren't very many casual dining options) so we kind of know which places are worse than others.
- Timing. Even though all the orders for food are placed at the same time, the food isn't always delivered at the same time. And there's no rhyme or reason regarding which things get delivered first (i.e. hot food might come out 20 minutes before a cold salad). This is particularly true when you order bread, which normally would come out right away. It often doesn't arrive until the main course arrives. Speaking of bread...
- Water and bread are not free. This is a European thing (not just Russia), so not really a big deal, but it fits in with the whole dining out experience list.
That's all for now. I'm keeping a running list of observations for another post. I bet after I have the baby I'll have all sorts of good ones!
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