Russian For Dummies

Chapter 5: Making a Fuss about Food 105

A simple supper

The last meal of the day is called uzhin (oo-zhihn; supper), and it’s usually eaten with the family around the kitchen or dining room table. Just as with obyed (dinner; see the previous section), soup and a main course are often served for uzhin. Butyerbrody (boo-tehr-broh-dih; open-sided sandwiches) may also be served, and several cups of chaj (chahy; tea) often conclude the evening meal. Some other Russian supper favorites include:

blinchiki (bleen-chee-kee; crepes)

pyel’myeni (peel’-mye-nee; Russian ravioli)

syrniki (sihr-nee-kee; patties made of cottage cheese)

tvorog so smyetanoj (tvoh-ruhk suh smee-tah-nuhy; cottage cheese with sour cream)

Russians believe that breakfast, the most important meal of the day, should be plentiful, while supper should be light. Russian folk wisdom says: “Eat your breakfast yourself, share your dinner with a friend, give your supper to your enemy.” Gosh, with enemies like that, who needs friends? As for suppertime beverages, chaj (chahy; tea) is certainly the most popular drink. A very healthy habit is having a glass of kyefir (kee-feer; buttermilk) before going to bed. Contrary to Westerners’ beliefs, Russians don’t drink alcoholic drinks with supper unless it’s a very special occasion.

Talkin’ the Talk

Syeryozha came home early from school because he has a stomachache. His mother is concerned that it may be food poisoning.

Words to Know

108 Part II: Russian in Action

Going Out for Groceries

If you want to make a quick trip to the produktovyyj magazin (pruh-dook-toh- vihy muh-guh-zeen; grocery store) or spend a leisurely day at the Russian rynok (rih-nuhk; market), you have to know how to buy food products in Russian. In the following sections, we tell you all the different things you can buy.

Picking out produce

Buying produce at a farmer’s market is very common. Russians are convinced that produce is much fresher there than in regular grocery stores. Table 5-3 has a list of some of the more popular produce items you may want to buy:

110 Part II: Russian in Action

Table 5-4 (continued)

Eating Out with Ease

Eating out at Russian restaurants and cafes can be a lot of fun, especially if you know Russian. In the following sections, we go over the different kinds of restaurants you can go to, how to reserve your table, the right way to order a meal, and how to pay your bill.

Deciding on a place to eat

You can find lots of different places to eat out, Russian-style, depending on your mood and budget. If you’re in the mood for a night of culinary delights, with a full eight-course meal, lots of drinks, and live music, check out a fancy Russian ryestoran (ree-stah-rahn; restaurant). Be sure you have a healthy budget and are well-rested, because prices are steep and you won’t be coming home ’til the wee hours of the morning!

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A more affordable everyday option is a kafye (kuh-feh; café), which can serve anything from coffee and ice-cream, to pancakes, to pies. Cafés are usually privately owned and have such interesting names (often unrelated to food) that if you pass one of them on the street, you may not even recognize it as a place to eat! But if you follow that delicious smell under your nose, you may wind up at one of these delightful little places:

blinnaya (blee-nuh-ye; café that serves pancakes)

chyeburyechnya (chee-boo-ryech-nuh-ye; café that serves meat pies)

kafye-morozhenoye (kuh-feh mah-roh-zhih-nuh-ee; ice-cream parlor)

pirozhkovya (pee-rahsh-koh-vuh-ye; café that serves small pies)

pyel’myennya (peel’-myen-nuh-ye; place that serves Russian ravioli)

pyshyechnaya (pih-shihch-nuh-ye; donut shop)

stolovaya (stah-loh-vuh-ye; dining room)

zakusochnaya (zuh-koo-suhch-nuh-ye; snack bar)

Making reservations on the phone

After you decide which restaurant to go to, pick up the phone and make a reservation. And don’t worry. The person answering the phone has probably dealt quite often with customers whose Russian isn’t perfect. He or she will be happy to help you:

If you’re a man, say, Ya khotyel by zakazat’ stolik na syegodnya. (ya khah-tyel bih zuh-kuh-zaht’ stoh-leek nuh see-vohd-nye; I’d like to reserve a table for tonight.)

If you’re a woman, say, Ya khotyela by zakazat’ stolik na syegodnya.

(ya khah-tye-luh bih zuh-kuh-zaht’ stoh-leek nuh see-vohd-nye; I’d like to reserve a table for tonight.)

When you say ya khotyel(a) by, you’re using Russian subjunctive mood. It’s one of the easiest things in Russian grammar. You just use the past tense of the verb + the word by. (For more on forming past tense, see Chapter 2.) Instead of saying the word stol (stohl; table), Russians like to use the diminutive form stolik (stoh-leek; Literally: little table) when making restaurant reservations.

If you want to reserve a table for tomorrow, just replace the phrase na syegodnya (nuh see-vohd-nye; for today) with the phrase na zavtra (nuh zahf- truh; for tomorrow). If you want to specify a day of the week, use the same preposition na + the day of the week in accusative case. (See Chapter 7 for the days of the week.) So if you want to make a reservation for Saturday and you’re a male, you say Ya khotyel by zakazat’ stolik na subbotu. (ya khah- tyel bih zuh-kuh-zaht’ stoh-leek nuh soo-boh-too; I’d like to reserve a table for Saturday.)

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When the waiter asks you Chto vy budyetye zakazyvat’? (shtoh vih boo-dee- tee zuh-kah-zih-vuht’; What would you like to order?), just say Ya budu + the name of the item you’re ordering in the accusative case. (On forming the accusative, see Chapter 2.) For example, you may say something like: Ya budu kotlyetu s kartofyelyem i salat iz pomidorov. (ya boo-doo kaht-lye-tih s kahr-toh-fee-leem ee suh-laht ees puh-mee-doh-ruhf; I’ll have meat patty with potatoes and tomato salad.)

The waiter may also ask you specifically Chto vy budyetye pit’? (shtoh vih boo-dee-tee peet’; What would you like to drink?) To answer, you simply say Ya budu (ya boo-doo; I will have) + the name of the drink(s) you want in the accusative case. So, if at dinner you’re extremely thirsty (and aren’t the designated driver), you may say Ya budu vodku i sok i butylku vina. (ya boo-doo voht-koo ee sohk ee boo-tihl-koo vee-nah; I’ll have vodka and juice and a bottle of wine.) For details on the accusative case, see Chapter 2.

Waiters and waitresses don’t take your drink orders before you start ordering meals; expect to be asked what you want to drink at the end of your order. Moreover, when the waiter asks this question, he’s asking about alcoholic beverages. Water or soda with your meal isn’t as common as it is in the West. As a matter of fact, many Russians believe that one shouldn’t chase food with water or any other beverage because it interferes with food digestion.

When you say Ya budu + the food or drink item, what you’re really saying is Ya budu yest’ . . . (ya boo-doo yest’; I will eat . . .) or Ya budu pit’ . . . (ya boo- doo peet’; I will drink . . .) The verbs yest’ (yest’; to eat) and pit’ (peet’; to drink) force the noun coming after them into the accusative case, because it’s a direct object. When you order, you skip the verbs yest’ and pit’, but they’re implied. (On uses of the accusative case, see Chapter 2.)

When you’re done ordering, you should say Vsyo! (fsyo; That’s it!) Otherwise, the waiter will keep standing next to you, waiting for you to order more.

Having handy phrases for the wait staff

In this section, we include some helpful phrases you may want to use when ordering or receiving a meal or drinks.

If you’re a vegetarian, the best way to ask about vegetarian dishes is to say:

Kakiye u vas yest’ vyegyetarianskiye blyuda? (kuh-kee-ee oo vahs yest’ vee- gee-tuh-ree-ahns-kee-ee blyu-duh; What vegetarian dishes do you have?) Note, however, that being a vegetarian in Russia is still seen as a very bizarre habit.

Imagine that you’re a vegetarian and you’re sitting in a restaurant waiting for the vegetarian dish you ordered. Instead, the waiter puts in front of you a steaming, juicy beefsteak with potatoes. What do you do? Before that waiter is gone, say Ya eto nye zakazyval/zakazyvala! (ya eh-tuh nee zuh-kah-zih- vuhl/zuh-kah-zih-vuh-luh; I did not order this!) (Use zakazyval if you’re a man, and zakazyvala if you’re a woman.)