Bear with us: this week's Odder News lacks a theme. Instead, we have tomato paste, emotion workshops, and Russian pandas.

“We creatively solve any problems: from opening a bottle to paying taxes.”

– Russian musician Sergei Shnurov, on the Russian people.

In this week's Odder News: a Pushkin theme park, a boot-kicking contest, and just the kind of entrepreneurial shake-up the world needs right now.

This week's Odder News features three survival stories: survival in the Russian wilderness, on the internet, and in a world filled with cell phones.

January 7 is Russian Orthodox Christmas, which calls for a Christmas dish. But the chosen one, kutya, is much more than a winter holiday treat.

Three Russian films have been shortlisted for the Oscars this year, in three different categories. Some critics say it is unprecedented and a sign the country's creative industry is on the upturn.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Yanka Dyagileva’s punk rock album Anhedonia, the greatest monument to perestroika that you’ve never heard of.

Russians may not celebrate Thanksgiving, but we can still be thankful for Russia

Urban legends and superstitions made some sculptures in Moscow and St. Petersburg too famous for their own good, and some culture officials have had enough.

Seven types of kasha to last you all winter – from farina to kutya, and everything worth eating in between...

Hearty Russian soups to warm up this autumn, all seven days a week. 

In honor of the writer's 198th birthday, here are 10 quotes to celebrate the life and writings of Fyodor Dostoyevsky. They may not be cheerful, but they sure are profound.