Photos from the "old days"

Ride'em, cowboy. Novokuznetsk, 1982.

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Ride'em, cowboy. Novokuznetsk, 1982.

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We get some fat raccoons here sometimes that everyone is afraid of...I don't know why...I like them. The rare fox strolls by on the streets here sometimes that are harmless, and more scared than anything, and my brother has a wandering Coyote about 3.5 to 4 ft tall hanging around in his back yard. There is a photo and vid of it from last week I can share. But yeah, that is a big piggy. Hahaha. :)
 
Those are beets and carrots...besides potatoes which pretty much go with everything over there, they serve those two cold sides with a lot of dishes.
 
[...] besides potatoes which pretty much go with everything over there [...]

Coincidentally today at the grocery store I saw "Russian Salad", whose second ingredient is indeed potato.

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I was like, sure, I'll try anything once. The taste is well balanced, overall bland and inoffensive, appropriate for an egg salad, but the sour pickle gives it a nice little kick.
 
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I used to eat cases of the Polish version of that when I was younger - which is eggs, carrots, green peas, mayonnaise and apples.

It's normally a side dish for bread with butter and various cuts of pork.

Washed down with vodka.

The traditional old European diet is just out-of-hand and I eat better in my 30s.
 
I know a lot of people who have eaten eggs, bread, meat, and sugar every meal their entire long lives, but the times were different and they knew where the food was coming from and they also weren't very big eaters and the portions were incredibly small (I ate with them).

If someone's a big eater and has that stuff every meal, the weight gain will be unstoppable.
 
Coincidentally today at the grocery store I saw "Russian Salad", whose second ingredient is indeed potato...

This looks to be the Olivier salad (aka the Russian salad). Back in the 90's, there was a Russian/Armenian restaurant called "Robert's" on La Brea, a block south of Hollywood. I used to take friends there and they liked it quite a bit. In the USSR, this was a "party salad", something done for the major holidays or family gatherings.

As to herring - if one wants to try it, I'd recommend it with a side of a large boiled potato. That will absorb most of the salt. Some Russian escapees will eat it with both dark rye bread and a boiled potato, sometimes mixing in a pickle on the side. It has a certain flavor but also promises a heavy case of indigestion. Which is why vodka is usually consumed along with the meal.

Major US cities should have plenty of European type eateries. I tend to like the Middle Eastern/Northern Caucasus types rather than the Polish/Russian Center European. A beef or Lamb shashlyk (shish kebab) is very popular. And tasty.

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This is a screen shot from the 1976 comedy hit "Afonya" (Russian version of the Greek Thanos) . On the left is the late great Bronislav Brondukov, playing a typical down-on-his-luck alkie.

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Brondukov was slotted for the main role but, the old director was fired and roles were recast. The new director still liked Brondukov though and offered him a smaller role.

A closeup.

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The Soviet military wore knee high boots and foot wraps until the end. The men weren't amused.

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Alright, DLD, game's called Mother of God.

First one to blink sleeps in the barn with the cows.

Each round has 4 chocolates. One of these chocolates has Spirytus in it (which is legally sold as a beverage but also used as a cleaner by some).

In Soviet Russia, chocolate eats you!

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I don't drink (OK, a little but not really). And all the cows belong to a kolkhoz anyway.

Here's a Soviet chocolate liquor candy called the "Queen of Spades".

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That's a nice wrapper.

P.S. I was just kidding about the Spirytus in them (I doubt anyone would make chocolates with it), but they do have Vodka, obviously.
 
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