Вобла - русский вызов претцелю

Воблу можно купить на рынке или около станции метро. Каждый, кто провел в России хотя бы неделю, наверняка видел эту популярную местную любимицу, которой торгуют пожилые женщины у метро. Прежде, чем взять одну из них домой, проверьте, хорошо ли ее просушили. Если это не сделали, она может скоро протухнуть. Вы можете предоставить право выбора своему pycскому знакомому, поскольку это довольно сложный процесс с множеством нюансов.

После того, как вы приобрели воблу, а она будет твердая, как камень, вам нужно знать, как ее есть. Прежде всего, постучите о край стола, чтобы сделать ее помягче. Затем открутите ей голову и выбросьте ее. Счистите чешую, начав с головы и продвигаясь к хвосту. Затем возьмите нижний плавник и потяните за него, чтобы распороть живот и добраться до внутренностей рыбы. Это несъедобно, если не считать икры и желчного пузыря.

Далее следует удалить верхний плавник, чтобы облегчить процесс освобождения рыбы от костей - это самая толстая часть воблы и ей менее всего угрожает опасность быть пересушенной. Оторвите ее, начиная снизу. Покончив с этим, тщательно обсосите кости и плавники.

К сожалению, все эти советы не помогут вам получить полное удовольствие от воблы. Чтобы получить полное представление о вобле, ешьте вяленую воблу с большим количеством пива.

EXE1RCISE 13. Translate into English using the parallel sentences as a model. Remember that these messages are addressed to foreigners who need comprehensive comment to understand specific Russian culinary terms.

1. Блины были популярны в России во все времена. Bliny, the Russian counterpart of Western pancakes, are a dish that dates back into pagan times. 2. И пироги, и пирожки нередко подаются к первому блюду. Pirogi, large pies, and pirozhki, individual pasties, are generally made from a yeast-based dough. 3. Мы хотим в Шотландии, на Русский День, приготовить кулебяку. Kulebyaka is a many-layered salmon or sturgeon pie. 4. Малосольные огурцы - самая распространённая закуска. Mailosol'nye cucumbers, literally "half-salted", are delicious and made with exactly the same ingredients as the salted cucumbers. 5. На закуску мы вам обязательно подадим и черную и красную икру. Red caviar, very popular among Russians, is supplied by salmon (keta, gorbusha, semga, sig, the latter most treasured), while black caviar, most expensive, is yielded by sturgeon (sterlet, osseter, sevryuga, the best esteemed is the one supplied by beluga). 6. Настоящий русский чай подают в самоваре. Tea is served from the samovar, a silver or copper urn in which the water is boiled and kept warm. 7. Сегодня на первое пирог с капустой и бульон. Cabbage pirog, or cabbage pie, may sound quite plain yet is in fact a mouthwatering main course as a pirog and fabulous in its pirozhkd form as part of the zakuski. 8. Растегай традиционно подаётся к ухе. Rastegais are delicious circular pies, somewhat bigger than pirozhkii with a little round hole at the top for the gourmet to see the stuffing. Quite frequently it accompanies the ukha fish soup.

EXERCISE 14. Restore the omitted words (the number of asterisks corresponds to the number of letters in the word) Discuss the text. Translate it into Russian.

ON DRINKING VODKA RUSSIAN STYLE

The origins of vodka go 1**** in Russian history some 500 years, and no Russian meal, or indeed Russian cookery book for that matter, would be complete without it. Drinking vodka is inexorably linked with eating in 2**** company. The company is important, as you could not possibly drink vodka alone. The Russians consider that the lowest depth оf depravity, nor do they agree with the Western ways of vodka drinking - all that mixing and blending. They will tell you that vodka should be drunk neat from a 3***** glass, never sipped but downed in one, never served at room tem­perature but chilled thoroughly ;rd served preferably straight from the freezer. A bottle delicately decorated with frost patterns, its con­tents thickened by the cold аnd obscured majestically as though seen 4******* a mystical window, when put on the table laden with zakuski never fails to produce a murmur of approval.

Drinking vodka and enjoying it properly requires a special tech­nique, one simple enough to lean within 5******* yet odd enough to guarantee a sparkle to your Russian parties. There are four points to remember:

1. Relax, breathe in and hold the breath.

2. Down the vodka in one. (Do not hold the vodka in the mouth.)

3. Take a 6******** of zakuski.

4. Exhale slowly.

In this way you get a complex and wonderful sensation; you feel the taste of zakuski on your palate and a little vodka flavor as you exhale through your 7****. This may sound a bit compli­cated at first, but after two or three rounds you will get the knack of it. (Craig, Novgorodsev, The Cooking of Russia)

EXERCISE 15. Answer the questions.

1. What is the origin of vodka?

2. What is vodka drinking always linked with?

3. Do Russians warm or cool vodka before drinking?

4. When should one hold the breath while drinking vodka - before or after drinking?

5. Do the authors find the technique of vodka drinking too complicated to master?

EXERCISE 16. Use these words and phrases in sentences of your own.

for that matter; to be linked with something; eating in good company; to drink vodka alone; the lowest depth of depravity; all that mixing and blending; to drink neat; to serve at room temperature; straight from the freezer; as though seen through a mystical window; a murmur of approval; It requires a special technique; to learn within minutes; to hold the breath; to take a mouthful; a complex and won­derful sensation; to feel the taste of something on one's palate; a bit complicated at first; to get the knack of something.

EXERCISE 17. Taking this menu of a lunch as a sort of mo­del, suggest your own variant for the opening restaurant of Russian food in the USA.

This lunch was offered to visitors to the Queen Elizabeth Hall Concert in November-December 1987

LUNCH

Before or after the concert enjoy a light lunch of Moscow Borshch (traditional Russian beetroot soup), semga blini (Russian pancake with marinated smoked salmon and cream cheese) Kovrizhka medovaya (honeyed spice cake) and a glass of red or white wine.

EXERCISE 18. Translate into English.