Letters to the Editor

To the Editors:  

I enjoyed the article on Kazan by Paulina Hurwitz in the September-October issue of Russian Life.  She provided a bit of information on the phenotype of the Tatars of Kazan (darker than the Slavs) on page 28, but I wished she had described their physical appearance in a little more detail.

I would like to know whether the Tatars of the Kazan area are generally of European appearance, or Middle Eastern appearance, or of somewhat Mongoloid Asian appearance. I have understood that Tatars are not usually European in facial appearance.  

Thank you for any information,

John Tascher

Arlington, Virginia

Paula Hurwitz responds:

The Tatars are subdivided into several sub-racial categories, ranging from the fair, flaxen-haired, Finnish type (the so-called Siberian Tatars); sandy-to-ginger, wavy-haired (the Kama group, NE Tatarstan); to dark-haired, brown-eyed, fair-skinned types (Kazan, most of Middle Volgan Tatars); to almost Arabian-looking, black-haired, swarthy-skinned Mishar group (widely distributed). These specific coloring types are each associated with a specific phenotype and bone structure, owing to the fact that, in the course of history, many of the local tribes (some of Slavic, some of Finno-Ugric origin) were absorbed into the forming superethnicity of the Tatars.

Overall, the Tatars are of Europeoid appearance, with whatever Mongoloid elements they may have once had heavily diluted. They may be recognized by the higher cheekbones and squintier eyes, and some craniologists postulate a different shape of skull (a lower dome with more prominent side-plates, above the ears), although there is not much to it. A trained eye will home in on the combination of the features, coloring and preference in clothing: middle-aged Tatar women are very fond of bright, clashing colors in their make-up and dress alike.

To the Editors:

One of the many delightful joys of our visits to Russia has been to discover the delicious Russian ice cream and sour cream.  The flavor is unique and not to be found in our comparable products.  So after reading about Lifeway’s Kefir (in the July/August  issue), I ran out to buy it  in our local supermarket.  After sampling three of the flavors, I can say that I will never buy Dannon or Yoplait Smoothies again.  This kefir is not as sweet – only about half the sugar of regular yogurt – nor does it have the funny aftertaste of lowfat yogurt drinks.  We’re hoping to try all the available flavors.   

Our favorite so far is strawberry.  To paraphrase a favorite fairy-tale, “It’s not too sweet, not too sour, it’s just right!”  Thank you, Smolyanskys!  And thank you, Russian Life, for letting us know about it.

Sincerely,

Barbara & Gerhardt Suhrstedt

Somerville, MA

To the Editors:

Concerning your note on the word sabantuy (Jargon Watch, p. 13, Sep/Oct 2005), it might be of interest to recall how the word was used by Alexander Tvardovsky in his World War II poem, Vasily Terkin. In the poem, Terkin, a sort of Russian “G.I. Joe” and a grizzled combat veteran, is addressing the younger soldiers in the platoon:

– Что такое сабантуй?

– Сабантуй – какой-то праздник?

Или что там –  сабантуй?

– Сабантуй бывает разный.

А не знаешь – не толкуй.

Вот под первою бомбежкой

Полежишь с охоты в лежку,

Жив остался – не горюй:

Это – малый сабантуй.

Отдышишсь: покушай плотно,

Закури и в ус не дуй.

Хуже, брат, как минометный

Вдруг начнeтся сабантуй.

Тот проймет тебя поглубже, –

Землю матушку целуй.

Но имей в виду, голубчик,

Это – средний сабантуй.

Сабантуй – тебе наука,

Враг лютует – сам лютуй,

Но совсем иная штука

Это – главный сабантуй.

The meaning here seems to be something like “when all hell breaks loose.”

Sincerely yours,

James J. Gebhard

State College, PA