The foods they made you eat... just once.

[AKguy 1]

What were the foods your Russian SO had you try and what did you think of them?

Fish Eggs... I'd been working myself into a tizzy thinking I would have to eat these when I was there. The day came when she pulled out a plastic bin from the fridge. I saw the large red salmon type eggs in there, coming towards me. She popped open the container and the overwhelming smell of fish engulfed me. The 1st thought that came to mind was fishing, "we use those for fishing!", the second thought that came to my mind was not getting sick to my stomach. I watched her spoon out a heap of eggs, "these are very special in Russia!", then dip it in her mouth. I think I threw up a little in the back of my throat. Then it was my turn. I spooned out TWO eggs and tossed them in my mouth, swallowing them like pills. "Hey! You didn't chew!" she says while laughing. That had to of been one of the worst tasting things I've tried to date.

Kvas. "This is our Russian version of Coke"... the hell it is! It looks like soda, smells like a$$ and tastes like something you add into a baking good. Pass!

Salt cured herring... No, just... no. Fishy, salty, slimy. See my opinion on Fish Eggs.

Pickled Garlic Cloves. I fell in love with these! I think I ate two jars. "Your breath smells like garlic!", "Well your breath smells like fish eggs!"

Borsh. I really liked it!

There were some other odds and ends I tried and must not have hated to remember. Most of the food was good, some of the others... not so much.

Edited May 15, 2009 by AKguy

[1HappyGuy 45]

Caviar is an acquired taste. Some people are like you, "hey, this is bait" while others go crazy for it and complain when the caviar is not firm, large and have the just salty enough taste.

As to Kvas, you probably got a local variety. There are some very nice brands with much better taste. At our house the Kvas doesn't last too long.

I agree that the Salty Fish is just too salty.

My problems arise for direct consumption of garlic, "Honey, you need to eat the garlic with your dinner". and the consumption of pork fat (salla?). And my wife gives me a hard time for cooking a steak with a little fat on it.

Overall, my palate has been treated to a variety of new and really good food. Especially since I don't have to cook it.

[WalkonWildSide 0]

What were the foods your Russian SO had you try and what did you think of them?

Tea! I don't normally drink caffeinated products. She insisted, I drank some.

[AKguy 1]

Tea indeed! Tea when you wake up, tea all throughout the day and then how about some nice hot tea before you go to bed too!

Her family kept asking why I wanted to drink just plain water.

I didn't mean to sound so harsh on the Kvas, this stuff just did not appeal to me at all. I might try another type in the future, though it'll never be a Coke.

[mox 298]

Good caviar doesn't have a strong fish smell. If you were overwhelmed by the smell, it had probably been in the fridge for too long, or it was sub par quality. (and good caviar doesn't necessarily have to be expensive). Also, I've yet to taste a good fresh water caviar, and (imho) black caviar tends to taste better than red caviar. After you find some good caviar, if the strong salty taste is what puts you off, try it on a cracker with some cream cheese, curd, or cottage cheese. It'll take the salty edge off. I don't usually like eating it straight, but I love caviar with cream cheese.

WRT the kvas, agreed with 1Happy. There's some good kvas to be had out there.

When I first met the prospective future-MIL, she and her sister cooked the entire day for me. When I got there, they had loaded up the entire table with everything under the sun. We had a marvelous dinner, and I can't remember the names of most of the dishes. We had the standard fare of borscht, blini stuffed with everything from fish to curd to jam, pirogi, pirochki, chicken kotleta, a number of different kinds of salads, and many other dishes. For desert we had pelmeni filled with curd, topped with a mixture of sour cream and sugar. I managed to have a little bit of everything, and it was all fantastic. They were really worried that their foods were just way too different for me to enjoy, but there was nothing there that I didn't mind eating.

Oh, and for what it's worth, my daughter has a new favorite dessert: spread Nutella on blini, roll them up, put them in a glass baking dish, top with a mixture of sour cream and sugar, then heat on 350 for about 15 minutes. She's tried this with crepes too, but blini is the best.

Edited May 15, 2009 by mox

[Scott and Iryna 2]

How about the Salo?

It's smoked pork fat. Yuck!

My wife loves the stuff, and they all tell me it's healthy. It's pure fat!

Disgusting...

[eekee 182]

Kvas is delicious. I think perhaps she ruined it for you by telling you it was like coke. It's nothing like coke. It's a very lightly alcoholic beverage made from fermented bread. Take it on its own merits, and it's delicious. Expect it to be sweet and syrupy, and you'll be disappointed.

[Ivan in VA 2]

The night of my arrival I was given a warm welcome and treated to a feast. As I stood next to her in the dinning room doorway I spied a gorgeous cake. I leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Wow, now that's a cake." To which she relayed my enthusiasm to all the guest. I was greeted by laughter and a big smile from her. "That's Herring under fur," she replied.

Needless to say mayonnaise is not something I eat a lot of.

I was taken to an "authentic" Italian restaurant (I'm Italian) and found the pizza to have mayo and not sauce. This was an interesting surprise. I never have liked caviar but I did find some served on my flight that wasn't bad. That goes the same with the herring.

Oh Gee, the dark chocolate with plums and apricots stuffed with nuts: for joy, for joy! Also had some little cookies that were like biscotti but tasted like ginger and had cherries inside. The sweets there are very mild compared to America.

The real shock was when I fixed her and her mother breakfast: egg over easy on toasted bread with melted cheese on grilled ham. They were amazed at the egg and acted like the prep was a deep secret from the Illuminati.

[Brad and Vika 129]

Salo is actually pretty good as a pre-drinking prep food. Ukrainian restaurants serve it with samagon sometimes when you start dinner to promote a calm stomach.

I agree 1,000% on the stinky, nasty, salty fish.

Pizza with Mayo and oysters on it - not as bad as it sounds, but drinking heavily helps.

Herring-under-fur, fish pie, fish eggs, and other seafood delights are best taken with vodka.

Wait.... is there a pattern here? MUST I consume heroic amounts of adult beverages when eating my lovely wife's favorite fishy treats (or even to watch people eat salty fish)???? Is that wrong????

[john & jean 37]

yea well at least you guys are not frowned upon for refusing to try balut. it is a sixteen day old duck embryo that is steamed to kill it. they crack open the shell, suck out the embryonic fluids then eat it.

oh hell no. I cannot even watch..........no amount of adult beverage will change my thinking,nope aint happenin

Edited May 18, 2009 by john & jean

[Brad and Vika 129]

yea well at least you guys are not frowned upon for refusing to try balut. it is a sixteen day old duck embryo that is steamed to kill it. they crack open the shell, suck out the embryonic fluids then eat it.

oh hell no. I cannot even watch..........no amount of adult beverage will change my thinking,nope aint happenin

I have tried balut - having spent time in the PI years ago. I once bet another American that he couldn't eat 20 of them. He did, and puked them up right outside the doorway of the bar My recollection is that they are not as bad if you get young ones, but the more mature (feathers etc.) are rough.

[john & jean 37]

yea well at least you guys are not frowned upon for refusing to try balut. it is a sixteen day old duck embryo that is steamed to kill it. they crack open the shell, suck out the embryonic fluids then eat it.

oh hell no. I cannot even watch..........no amount of adult beverage will change my thinking,nope aint happenin

I have tried balut - having spent time in the PI years ago. I once bet another American that he couldn't eat 20 of them. He did, and puked them up right outside the doorway of the bar My recollection is that they are not as bad if you get young ones, but the more mature (feathers etc.) are rough.

you are one tough azz!! or a very drunk azz dude!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Okiebollweevil 0]

Kvas is delicious. I think perhaps she ruined it for you by telling you it was like coke. It's nothing like coke. It's a very lightly alcoholic beverage made from fermented bread. Take it on its own merits, and it's delicious. Expect it to be sweet and syrupy, and you'll be disappointed.

Sorry eekee, raised on the real thing and Kvas just doesn't cut it. didn't much care for curds or carpa, (too many small bones) don't much care for borscht, love the cherry jelly except for the pits. Pevo was great. Cavair? No thanks.

[eekee 182]

Kvas is delicious. I think perhaps she ruined it for you by telling you it was like coke. It's nothing like coke. It's a very lightly alcoholic beverage made from fermented bread. Take it on its own merits, and it's delicious. Expect it to be sweet and syrupy, and you'll be disappointed.

Sorry eekee, raised on the real thing and Kvas just doesn't cut it. didn't much care for curds or carpa, (too many small bones) don't much care for borscht, love the cherry jelly except for the pits. Pevo was great. Cavair? No thanks.

Trust me, nobody likes Coca-cola more than I do--it's hard for me to keep from drinking 2 L a day--but I still like kvas. It took me a long time to warm up to it. I think the part where Russians mess up in getting Americans to like kvas is that they introduce the beverage with the idea that it's kola po-nashemu, and then Americans come into it with preconceived notions. Think of it instead as "Children's Beer."

I have not tried any Russian foods I haven't wanted to try. You can sit there with a fork in front of my face going, "NA! NA!" for as long as you want, but it won't change my mind.

[Brad and Vika 129]

yea well at least you guys are not frowned upon for refusing to try balut. it is a sixteen day old duck embryo that is steamed to kill it. they crack open the shell, suck out the embryonic fluids then eat it.

oh hell no. I cannot even watch..........no amount of adult beverage will change my thinking,nope aint happenin

I have tried balut - having spent time in the PI years ago. I once bet another American that he couldn't eat 20 of them. He did, and puked them up right outside the doorway of the bar My recollection is that they are not as bad if you get young ones, but the more mature (feathers etc.) are rough.

you are one tough azz!! or a very drunk azz dude!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not even close That's why I bet that the other guy couldn't eat 20 balut. I knew for sure I couldn't do it.