“Should I stock up on buckwheat?”

– Headline of an interview with Mikhail Delyagin, Director of the Institute for Globalization

A doctor believes that Russia isn’t ready for vegetarians.

Russian alcohol deaths are down, thanks to a mild January.

Ah, spring, when nature wakes from its winter slumber, and the farmers markets come alive with fresh greens like spinach, sorrel, and green onions.

“Maslenitsa week is usually accompanied by all sorts of food excesses, including plentiful blini eating. And in this regard, any overeating is harmful to the body.”

– Member of the State Duma Committee on Health Protection Dr. Boris Mendelevich on the potential pitfalls of eating too many blini

Get your Big Mac delivered!

In this week's G-rated Odder News: Kid-friendly World War II history, kid-friendly educational TV, and kid-friendly swearing lessons.

Curious about vodka stats? Russia's Research Center for the Federal and Regional Alcohol Markets has you covered.

Online duty-free purchasing is taking over Russian airports. Rejoice, fans of designer cologne.

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

You’ll have to pay full price for that burger.

“Alcohol is the most harmless component of beer. The remaining minor components that give the beer its properties - foam, color, taste - are extremely unhealthy compounds for human health.”

- Expert in narcology, Daniil Pokrovsky