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SIBERIAN FOOD

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52.What is the traditional Siberian food?

53.Do you think if the food reflects the national character? Read the text and find arguments for and against:

SIBERIAN HOSPITALITY

Cuisine and dishes reflected the national character. For example, the French light and spicy menu with exquisite cooking, with dishes to any taste combines nutritiousness and digestibleness like French chatter.

In this respect the Siberian dishes are remarkable for their primitive simplicity, they are easy to cook and heavy to digest. The development of such characteristics of Siberian board was facilitated with the low prices of provisions in the country that is rich in corn and cattle and also with rigorous climate requiring much nutritious food.

So there are quite a few fatty pancakes at Shrovetide, such a pile of them is served to table that there is no end to it. Pancakes with melted butter are replaced by pancakes with soured cream, with curds, with jam.

But moreover, Siberian meat dumplings are tremendous dish which may be on the table at any season, at any time. The meat dumpling is "powerful" as if it personified the stocky Siberian man.

The kitchen of Siberians was the centre of their life. It was there something was frying from morning till night, the samovar was always heating beside the stove. It was the kitchen where the family and the guests gathered together and Siberian dinner was the sign of sociability and politeness. Thus in Siberia cult of dinner has formed and Siberian hospitality has become a byword.

54.Call a dish:

1.some of whose ingredients may vary?

2.that includes meat?

3.traditionally eaten at holidays?

4.eaten very often?

55.Translate the text from Russian into English:

Все меня оставляли в Сибири, всякий сибиряк хвастал своей Сибирью: «Ну, что у вас в России! Есть пельмени? А кто из российских съест

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штук сто? А я четыреста съедаю!..» Пельмени – очень хорошее кушанье, но сибиряки, кажется, злоупотребляют им. Их готовят к обеду несколько сот, укладывая на досках. Если дело происходит зимой, их замораживают впрок. Сибиряки едят пельмени во множестве и в разных видах. Как суп, их едят с уксусом, бульоном и перцем; едят со сливками, едят с горчицей; едят, просто обливши топленым русским маслом; едят с кисленьким вареньем, едят с медовой сотой… Весь обед может состоять из пельменей; они могут заменить даже пирожное.

(Н. А. Кущевский)

56.Fill in any, some, much and many:

A:I'll make ... meat dumplings. Is there ... meat?

B:Not much. Only ... pieces.

A:That's OK. Do we have ... eggs?

B:No, there aren't ... . We need to buy ... .

A:What about flour? I'll need ... .

B:Yes, there's plenty. How ... do you need?

A:Just 2 glasses.

57.Now, using the words below, act out similar dialogues in pairs:

fish-soup: fish, onions, potatoes

fried patties: mushrooms, flour, butter, eggs

58. Look at the menu:

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Divide these adjectives into 2 groups:

somebody's opinion (bad, etc.) fact (salty, etc.)

Which of these foods are:

spicy, sweet, salty, healthy, fattening, creamy, juicy, strong, nutritious, delicious, rich, tasty, hot, disgusting, good, bad.

59. Make up the menu for a foreigner who would like to taste Siberian dishes. Use internet, drawings, photos and recipes (at the back of the book).

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Part IV

OMSK

Lead-in:

Do you know the Omsk region well enough? Fill in the crossword:

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2

3

4

5

6

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8

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1.The climate of the Omsk region.

2.The surname of the Admiral who made Omsk the capital of Siberia.

3.The Omsk gates through which Dostoyevsky was led to work.

4.The nickname of the metallic plumber (the sculpture on Lyubinski Prospect).

5.The name of the Cossacks' leader, the conqueror of Siberia.

6.Omsk hockey team.

7.The gates where Omsk bards gather.

8.The monastery in the Omsk region.

9.The place where the zoo is located.

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berian Baroque, was constructed in the traditions of Russian theatre building. The principles and forms of the Modern were also reflected in wooden ar-

chitecture. The best example of that is the House of the Kuznetski Coalmines Stockholder Company.

There's a special attractiveness in old Omsk red brick mansions with their ornamental lattices of the gates, fences, corbels over the main entrance.

Omsk is a major industrial, educational and cultural center with population of over 1 million people. Although the city now faces many beautiful places: parks, pedestrian only streets and gardens. The City Administration Building faces one of these parks, the Small Park of Victory.

The panorama of the city is enriched by some large-scale constructions of the last decades. They are the Shopping (Trade) Centre, the Music Theatre, the Irtysh Complex-Hall for

Sports and Concerts, the Pushkin Library.

The town-planners of a new Omsk set themselves the task of turning streets and squares, parks and gardens to face the river. The Irtysh of nowadays becomes the main axis of the composition around which the city is developing.

3. Choose any building of Omsk and describe its location and style.

Text 2

4. Read the following words and learn them by heart:

coat of arms – герб shield – щит background – фон

stalk – стебель, зд. колос

flask – фляжка, зд. колба (с нефтью) cogwheel – шестерня

iron boiler – котел

the latter – последний (из перечисленных) raw materials – сырье

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5. Read the text and make the detailed plan of it:

OMSK RIVERS

The Omsk’s coat of arms (not the modern variant) reflects city’s history. Omsk was founded in 1716 as a fortress in the place where two rivers, Irtysh and Om (Omka) meet. On the coat of arms, this is represented as a shield above blue background. Stalk of wheat indicated the city’s region important agrarian role. In modern days, Omsk has major oil-refining, chemical and metallurgy plants. Flask, cogwheel and iron boiler reflect these industrial trends.

Omsk was founded as a fortress on two rivers, Irtysh and Om (Omka); the city was named after the latter. Almost 300 years later, the rivers still play an important role in the city’s life. Irtysh is a very long, good naviga-

tional river. Factories and plants are able to use Irtysh as one of the modes of transportation of raw materials.

Omsk main passenger river port is located in the geographical centre of the city, where Om and Irtysh meet. It is quite busy in the summer. The port was designed to look like a ship.

(from ipavlovs@geom.umn.edu)

Text 3

6. Read the following words and learn them by heart:

inspiration – вдохновение

history scientists – ученые-историки

the museum of local lore – краеведческий музей explorer – исследователь

to grant – награждать

depositories – коллекции, запасники to establish – создавать

crafts – ремесла pride – гордость

canvas – полотно, холст

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to exhibit – выставлять, демонстрировать tumuli – курган

jewelry – драгоценности palette – палитра

easel – мольберт

to absorb – погружаться convict – заключенный to astonish – удивлять

7. Read the text:

OMSK MUSEUMS

You can meet the history of Omsk not only on the streets of the city. It lives in the museums, in the inspirational works of artists, actors and history scientists. Omsk museum of local lore is the oldest in Siberia. It was founded in 1878 by the famous Siberian scientists, explorers and public figures: M. Pertsov, G. Potanin and so on.

In 1923 the museum was granted with the best bui1ding of the city the former palace of governor-general. The museum depositories are filled with more than 250000 unique items telling about the history of the land, about its culture and nature.

In 1924 the Vrubel museum was established as the art department of the museum of local culture. Its collection includes paintings, sculptures, works of art and crafts. The pride of the museum collection make canvases by Russian artists: I. Repin, V. Serov,

I. Levitan and so on and so forth. The museum exhibits icons, Siberian tumuli gold, Faberge jewelry.

Five years ago the Kondrati Belov memorial museum of the Peoples Art-

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ists of Russia appeared in Omsk. It is placed in the old wooden house and is the bright example of the city's care for its talented sons – for carpenters who built this house, for its former owner F. Stumpf. In the artist's atelier you can see his palette, his easel with unfinished work of the master.

The Dostoyevsky Literature museum is also one of the city's memorial museums. Today it is the independent scientific-literature center. Here you are absorbed into another world, into the years when Fyodor Dostoyevsky was the Omsk convict, when there appeared Vsevolod lvanov's first works, when Leonid Martynov wrote his books, when in the 60-s Leonid Ivanov astonished everyone with his knowledge of rural life, when Timofey Belozerov wrote his fine children's poems.

8. Fill in the table:

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Text 4

9. Read the following words and learn them by heart:

premises – помещение, здание dweller – житель

outward – внешний auditorium – зд. зрительный зал permanent – постоянный

to estimate – оценивать spectator – зритель

10. Read the text and fill in the table:

OMSK THEATRES

Today the leading city theatre – the Academic Drama Theatre occupies the premises built in 1904-1905 with the money gathered form the city dwellers. During different years Omsk Drama gave to Russia Vladimir Torski, Vazlav Dvorzhetski, Vladimir Rautbart, Spartak Mishulin, Mikhail Ulyanov. The actors of the theatre went abroad to Poland, the USA,

Germany, Japan. The managers of Germany, France, Great Britain, Netherlands, and the USA had taken an interest in the theatre.

The former Operetta Theatre received the status of Musical Theatre in the end of 1981 together with a new building erected in the centre of the city by the project of Moscow architectural workshop. The modern outward appearance, spacious foyers with pictures by the leading city painters, large but cosy auditorium, stage equipped with up-to-date sound and light devices create the special theatrical atmosphere.

It's always animated and merrily at the Theatre of puppet, actor and mask "Harlequin". It's the theatre for the smallest children, and they unlike adults don't

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