February 09, 2014

Take Plenty of Vitamin D to Sochi


Take Plenty of Vitamin D to Sochi

So you, dear readers, think that the Olympics is all about sports? Nay!

It is of course all about the souvenirs! And about how a miserly correspondent is supposed to buy them in sufficient quantity for the many friends and family left behind on the "mainland" while he is "roughing it" in Sochi...

It boils down to this: You need plenty of "Vitamin D" here in Sochi (money, in Russian, is dengi). 

Of course, before thinking about souvenirs, one has to satisfy one's stomach. And, in case anyone is interested, the official per diem for this humble TV journalist is R700 (to cover lunch and dinner; a sumptuous breakfast is provided at the hotel, khalyava = free). So I found my comfort zone with a R250 option called kompleksny obed – a schi (cabbage) soup, a salad carrots and sauce and mashed potatoes with a solitary sausage. It's OK with beer, as say they.

Then this master of khalyava gets his freebie desserts at a nice corner called Kuban Hospitality (courtesy of governor Alexander Grachev) where they offer you free (the list is long) – tea, honey, baranki (small bagels), biscuits and pryaniki. Who needs the cinamon-rich apple pie at the Main Media Center's McDonald's?

Time to visit the Kuban!

 

So with this strategy, I figure, I can save up some kopeks for souvenirs... Until I look at the prices: the T-shirt I bought for a friend was R1800 (over $50). The winter scarf for my younger son – R2200. Initially I was quoted R1100, but when I took out my wallet at the kassa, the devushka whispered – 'Izvinite, ya vas obmanula' (“Sorry, I cheated you.”) Though she is a volunteer, her mistake was involuntarily, so I went ahead with the purchase.

Needless to say, I have only scratched the surface with the requisite souvenir purchases.

“Gli olimpici souvenir sono molto cari,” I complained to my breakfast mate Enrico, who hails from Lugano. “Don't worry, it's like that at all Olympics,” he says with a smile, as if that were a consolation...

​Luckily, I don't need any souvenirs for myself. The organizers gave me, as an accredited journalist, a voluminous back pack with a notepad and pen (of course all sporting the games' logo). Well, the colors are bit girly for my taste. But that's the design ordered up by the uniform official supplier Bosco. The T-shirts, the bags, the snowsuit of the volunteers working in the Mountain Cluster all have those somewhat funky rainbow colors. (That's famed movie director Nikita Mikhalkov wearing the Olympic colors there at the top of the page, by the way.)

When Putin was meeting with people on the eve of the Sochi games, one lady asked him, "Why did we pass that anti-gay law if we are dressing up our volunteers in these rainbow colors?"

“You ask me because you think I was behind the color choice?!” Putin retorted.

Ahah! At Rosa-Hutor village I find a terrific set of vodka glasses for just R350 ($10) – 6 nice ryumki with biathlon, ski, hockey, figure skating and other figures of winter athletes on them. Not only a bargain, but Bosco-free! And then some beautiful kitchen towels with images of the three Olympic mascots: a snow leopard, a white bear and a hare.

These three were elected by popular vote under our democratic former president Medvedev. It's a bit messy, that democracy thing... Medvedev clearly thought people might get the wrong idea if the symbol was just his namesake “medved” (“bear”), so he encouraged our narod to add a bars (snow leopard) and a zayats (hare). The good news is that each towel is just R15. One towel is for my wife, but I guess I won't get away with bringing her just a $3 gift from Sochi.

Oh, speaking of gifts... When the famous gymnast – Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva, who is Putin's rumored flame – was handed the Olympic torch on Friday night, your favorite khalyava-ist quipped to his TV friends, quoting a popular jewelry ad, “A shto ty sdelal dlya svoey devushki?” (“And what have you done for your girlfriend?”). I don't think the resulting laughter was nervous, but genuine.

Clearly more than a $3 dish towel. And for a moment there, we thought it was Kabaeva who had been tapped to light the Olympic cauldron. But no... niceties were observed. She was just one of the torch carriers, along with Karelin and Sharapova, etc. The cauldron was actually lit by two triple Olympic medalists (and sports legends – hockey goalie Tretyak and figure skater Rodnina).

A nice, balanced approach, Volodya and kudos for the suspense!

Now, about that Vitamin D...

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955