Went on another shopping trip today. Great adventure. Who would have thought that grocery shopping could be like a bad suspense movie. Action, adventure, crazy mobs, getting yelled at by angry women... Oh the joys of Russia! I will continue to say this, the food is awesome! Two fresh (I mean, super fresh) baguettes - $.30, a loaf of bread (don't ask me what it is) - $.50, two homemade bagels $.20, and two rasberry pastries $.50. A memorable trip to a Russian grocery store - well, $15, but still...
I tried to buy some bananas, thinking this would be an easy process. Oh no, that would be sensible. You need to pick said bananas, weigh them, press special buttons that spit out a tag (ok, I admit, that part was fun), and then stick said tag on bananas. Overall, not too bad. Or so I thought. But, no, no, no. Apparently, there are many different kinds of bananas. And each one has a separate tag. Of course, the special little buttons don't indicate said difference, but all good Russians know the difference. I think this was once of the things Dr. Denner taked about when he said Russians don't want foreigners to fit in. So, after I got yelled at for using the wrong tag and watched my lovely bananas be taken away (the horror! my poor bananas! what if they are mean to them!), I was promptly yelled at again.
The Russians are super paranoid about shop-lifting. When you enter the store, all large bags must be scanned, enclosed in these plastic bags and then air-zipped. It's a pain. So, last time, I bought a reusable plastic bag (being the good environmentalist that I am), and put it in my tiny purse. Too small to be zipped-up. When I got to the register, I took said reusable bag out of my pursue under the watchful eyes of the cash-register-lady and moved to put groceries in the bag. She promptly bursts out into violent spasms of rage, yelling at me in some foreign language, cursing at, what I can only assume, my mother, my heritage, and my sense of style (those Russians are serious about their fashion). Apparently, I needed to have my grocery bag zipped up, even though (folded up), it is about the size of my hand and was safely secured in my purse. Of course, how could I have been so stupid.
Anyways, I finally got out of the grocery store alive (with nothing I put on my list, too much bread, and reindeer sasauge because it was funny). And then my knee promptly gave out, leaving me stranded miles from the university with groceries. At least I didn't have to carry my bananas as well...
That's about all for now. Am working on classes (they made sense yesterday! OMG! Today, less so), am still beng stoped by guards (and am currently being glared at by the cafe's security - snicker), and my battery is dying. Loves to all! TTFN!
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Wait, I don't understand the zipped-up thing...? How do you zip up a plastic bag?
ReplyDeleteMan, Hannah, you are having a HARD TIME! I don't know if St Pete is more relaxed, or you're just so foreign-looking that they expect any moment for you to don your armor and summon hordes of your fellows and invade the city on horseback a'la "Mongol", but jeez! I mean, I've been yelled at by angry Russian women (one of them kicked me off the bus today), which is upsetting, but I haven't had any trouble buying bananas. Thank God! You're a much stronger woman than I... I'd be curled up crying in a little banana-missing fetal position.
On that note...even though you didn't get your bananas back (I hope they weren't tortured in the name of the Church for information on when you are planning to invade), I do know from our conversation that you enjoy banana and chocolate blini from Teremok...(I'm more partial to the weird chicken/yoghurt/cabbage-or-maybe-its-apple-or-onion ones myself).... How have your bananas been? Because honestly, the bananas I've had lately have been some of the best I've had in a long time. How weird is that? Living in Florida, grew up in Cairns (close to the banana capital of Aus), and I have to go to freaking Russia for really nice bananas... Strange old world.
Loves to you!
Hey Bim!
ReplyDeleteYeah, the zipped-up thing is very confusing. When you walk into the store, there is this lady standing to the side at this kiosk-thing. You need to give her your bags (anything bigger than a purse). She will take your bag, put it in this plastic bag, and seal it shut with some fancy machine. All you have to do is rip the plastic apart to get at the bags, but they harass you if you do i in the store.
I never did get my bananas (sigh) and I'm kinda afraid to go back. I'm sure I'll be banana deprived in a couple of days and will get up the nerve...
I know what you mean about the fruit. It's been amazing. I was stunned. I grow up in Florida then go to Moscow and get better (and moer) fruit. Can't say it's cheaper though. My 5 bananas were about $3.50. Well, the kind I thought I bought were...
It really hasn't been that hard. A few mishaps, sure, but that is to be expected. I've come to realize that nothing goes according to planned and (though it messes with my nerves) am trying to go with the flow. We'll see how long the resolve lasts... :) Loves!
Hannah!
ReplyDeleteIt's Feb. 23rd and I'm trying to catch up on reading your blogs. As you can see I have a ways to go, but I just wanted to say hi and congratulate you for keeping up with your blogs SO well! Wow. They're highly entertaining. :0)
I'm glad you're liking the food. Now back to catching up...