August 13, 2021

Sinfully Good Burgers


Sinfully Good Burgers
Ah, the sweet, greasy smell of globalization. Maksym Kozlenko, Wikimedia Commons

An Omsk resident is bringing a lawsuit against McDonald's for leading her astray during Russian Orthodox Lent in 2019. The woman was reportedly so entranced by an ad for a cheeseburger and McNuggets that she "succumbed," giving into temptation by buying a burger.

The woman is seeking compensation of 1,000 rubles (about $14) for "moral damages." Reportedly, the advertisement ended 16 years of spotless Lent adherence and thirty days of abstinence that year.

Russian Orthodox Christians, like other denominations the world over, observe the time before Easter by fasting and praying. In the Orthodox tradition, meat, cheese, and oils are discouraged. They're also, coincidentally, three fast food staples.

For their part, the Russian Orthodox Church encouraged the woman to "go to confession, not court" to settle the incident.

Whether or not the Bible will be used in the proceedings remains to be seen. If it is, we recommend Luke 17:1-2.

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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.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

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Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
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Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
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Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
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A Taste of Chekhov

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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. 
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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.
Tolstoy Bilingual

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