January 18, 2022

The Fight for Dumplings


The Fight for Dumplings
Certainly a controversial subject. Flickr user Gourmandise

Good news, kids: you might finally be able to have pelmeni at school!

During a recent meeting of the Moscow Oblast regional government, governor Andrei Vorobyov inquired with indignation as to why pelmeni are not given to children in schools. Minister of Education Ilya Bronshtein replied that it is a matter of public health. Bronshtein suggested that the issue must be taken up with Rospotrebnadzor (the federal service responsible for consumer rights), as (according to him) the popular dumplings pose a health risk that other foods do not.

Vorobyov handled the situation sternly; he demanded that this unthinkable situation be corrected. "What's wrong with pelmeni? It's a reasonable desire. We all went to school, we all wanted pelmeni. Why are there no pelmeni?"

The issue was closed when the chief sanitary doctor of the region promised to work on adding pelmeni to the menu in the near future.

Fortunately we adults can have as many pelmeni as we want.

 

You Might Also Like

School Lunch Gourmet
  • December 24, 2021

School Lunch Gourmet

An annual Russian competition to decide the best school cafeteria cook in all the land was held recently.
Something Worse Than Detention
  • November 12, 2021

Something Worse Than Detention

An abandoned crypt found on a Russian school's property takes the phrase "bored to death" to a whole new level. 
Get Them Vacs A-Rollin'
  • June 16, 2021

Get Them Vacs A-Rollin'

“The main condition is that the first shot of the vaccine must be administered between the 15th and 25th of June 2021 at the vaccination points of the Ministry of Health of the Moscow Region. For this purpose, you can choose any drug: ‘Sputnik V,’ ‘EpiVacCorona,’ and ‘KoviVak.’” – On June 13, Governor of Moscow Oblast Andrei Vorobyov announced a lottery to win a new apartment.
Pelmeni, Rogue Rivers, and Military Bands
  • April 29, 2021

Pelmeni, Rogue Rivers, and Military Bands

In this week's Odder News, a military band delights a kindergarten class with songs from cartoons, Russian food might be able to make it in New York, and a Moscow nurse has had enough of this pandemic.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

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.
At the Circus

At the Circus

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.
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. 
Steppe / Степь

Steppe / Степь

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
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.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.

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
PO Box 567
Montpelier VT 05601-0567

802-223-4955