The food speaks

The modern Russian salad

My stepfather loves food. Although we were a humble family, food was always abundant even if that meant not paying the telephone bill our borrowing money from a friend. My mother was definitively the best cook at home, but I always thought my stepfather’s Russian salad was unmatched by any of my mom’s salads. It would only be prepared for especial occasions, proudly announced by stepfather “I will make a Russian salad for our nephew’s baptism”.

In Venezuela, things are often named after nationalities, but most likely that doesn’t mean that they are actually related to that place. For example “Russian hide and seek” involves kicking the first person to be found and “Chinese chop suei” is completely unknown to my Chinese friends in Australia.

Inside the Hermitage restaurant, 1864

I was surprised to find out that “Russian salad” is actually a Russian salad. Originally created by Lucien Olivier, the Salat Olivye was the signature dish of the Hermitage, a famous Moscow restaurant during the 1860s. However, in the post-revolutionary Russia and subsequent times, many of the original fancy ingredients were substituted by cheaper versions: grouse was replaced with chicken and crayfish by eggs, for example. The modern Olivier Salad only somewhat resembles the original recipe, but it is the version commonly known as Russian salad around the world.

Russian winter

For me, eating what people would normally eat is a crucial ritual to begin to understand a place one is visiting. I find it fascinating how the dishes whisper a story of my surroundings. They speak of geography, the potatoes and pickled vegetables in the Olivye tell a story about the harsh Russian winter. Their evolution in time, from fine ingredients to cheaper ones, telling the story of the fallen Russian empire. Sometimes they whisper their history far away and they end up on a table, thousands of kilometres away from its place of birth, served on a special occasion on a modest Venezuelan table.    

Russian charm

Russian charm

I met a Russian last month. She’s a brilliant Spanish student in one of my classes and from the first day she's struck me as a very friendly and outgoing person. In one of our conversations she said: "you see, I know we (Russians) have a reputation of being unfriendly, but you will find it is not so once you get to know us well."

At the time I had no idea  what she was talking about. Then I resorted to pop-culture references, one of the best sources of symbols at our disposition and there I found the stereotype of the Russian. Often portrayed as an extremely intelligent rocket scientist or chess player by the movies, the stereotypical Russian is also a blunt person who doesn’t smile much and loves vodka.

There’s probably some degree of truth in this stereotype, after all, all well-known stereotypes reflect some of the reality.  Based on what expatriates working in Russia have written on the internet, I can also see that this is a cultural shock catalyzer for many foreigners visiting Russia for the first time.

People are often shocked by the Russian’s lack of smiles towards the tourist. This is often mistaken as a rejection towards the tourist, but the truth is Russians don’t smile at people (including other Russians) for no reason. It is simply considered a sign of hypocrisy and those who smile for no reason are considered  untrustworthy and false. However, we are not Russians, some might say. Since we are visitors, shouldn’t we be treated nicely?

That is precisely the question, should we be treated differently by natives to avoid culturally shocking us? Or maybe should we try to understand the reasons for certain behaviors that we consider "shocking"?

I can only speak for myself in this regard but I expect, in fact thrive, for cultural differences in my travelling experiences. Treat me as you would normally treat another human, I want to have a glimpse of your world through your eyes. Then, instead of bringing back mementos that after all won’t look that great at my home, I might bring something unique and rather invaluable: a new, broadened view of the world.   

Leningrad as a local

Leningrad as a local

In my list of magical Russian places that I wanted to visit after hearing my stepfather's tales, Saint Petersburg definitively occupied the first place. Home to the absolutely incredible Hermitage and a UNESCO World heritage site, the beautiful Leningrad is considered the cultural capital of Russia and its second biggest city. I always pictured myself as a tourist, strolling by its river near the stunning Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood reflecting on the cultural heritage of Catherine the Great.

However, I recently considered the fact that much more could be added to this original idea of experiencing St. Petersburg as a museum when I could rather be part of it, at least for a while. One of the most joyful ways to accomplish this goal could be exchanging my own life experiences for the privilege of experimenting the real St. Petersburg first hand from its residents. I was extremely happy to discover that there are numerous opportunities to use my talents and career to have a very real experience like the one I've been dreaming of.

GeoVisions (www. http://geovisions.org) is an organization dedicated to make dreams like these happen, an international education and cultural exchange group. Their vision really resonates with my view of the world: that more cooperation and understanding between nations is possible, if only we knew each other better. I was fascinated to find that it is possible to organise through GeoVisions a 3 month homestay experience with a local family in St. Petersburg. The volunteering job consists of helping the host family with their English skills in exchange for the privilege of living with them and learning their culture first hand.

I still look forward to the day when my image of  strolling by the river becomes true. I have, however, modified my original dream a little: I might walk in the company of the locals, talking about their lives and dreams. Learning a bit more about these things connects us as humans and forgetting some of the ones that separate us.  

The beautiful square

The Red Square is the largest and without doubt on of the best known squares in Russia and the world. Together with St. Basil’s Cathedral and the Kremlin, it has become one of the most famous symbols of the country. I came to know about its existence thanks to a magazine article that I read when I was a child. The magazine had without doubt been bought by my stepfather, given its main article about Russia. It shown pictures of the Red Square and an impressive military parade commemorating victory over the German oppressors of WWII.

Military parade celebrating the 67th anniversary of the great patriotic war

The name of the place obviously evokes the colour of communism, but interestingly it is much older than the ideology and surprisingly unrelated. It is also unconnected to the colour of its surrounding bricks, its name in fact originating from the Russian word krasnaya, which means “beautiful” but later evolved into its meaning of “red”.

Moscow's Kremlin, 15th century

Its origin is, however, indeed related to war and the construction of Moscow’s Kremlin. Ivan the Great ordered clearing all the east side of the fortification to be used as a shooting range in times of war and thus the square was born. In times of peace it was quickly recognised by merchants as a fantastic place to sell their goods, given its central location and vast expanse. 




History is constantly reshaping the mixed nature of this place. It was frequently used during the cold war for military parades, but it has again become a centre for commerce and tourism around Lenin’s mausoleum and the Kremlin that compelled its creation. The best thing about this place is that it really is what the observer wants it to be. For my stepfather, a symbol of the Soviet Union and its glorious history. For the tourist one of the most majestic landmarks on earth once they fathom the intricate architecture of St Basil’s cathedral and the cobble street under their feet. For the Muscovite merchant, the best place to make their day’s work.

The Red Square today