Cultural Differences

[slim 1,525]

This is going to be the "official" Russia Forum Cultural Awareness thread. Post about little things that are different between U.S./FSU couples. Could be widely-held superstitions, could be something small that you or your S/O do.

[slim 1,525]

I'll start us off......

Tapochki.

For those that don't know, tapochki are little slippers, could be flip-flop type sandals, could be like grandpa's old house shoes, maybe even the fluffy pink Hello Kitty snuggly ones that are popular for 12-year-old girls in Asia... but you MUST wear them in the house instead of your "outside" shoes.

You've all seen the T.V. shows where the Japanese family walks into the house and the first thing they do is take off their shoes..... well, Russians do that too. Get used to it. And, don't forget, or else you may end up on your hands and knees with a towel and bucket full of hot soapy water!

[CityCat 0]

I'll start us off......

Tapochki.

For those that don't know, tapochki are little slippers, could be flip-flop type sandals, could be like grandpa's old house shoes, maybe even the fluffy pink Hello Kitty snuggly ones that are popular for 12-year-old girls in Asia... but you MUST wear them in the house instead of your "outside" shoes.

You've all seen the T.V. shows where the Japanese family walks into the house and the first thing they do is take off their shoes..... well, Russians do that too. Get used to it. And, don't forget, or else you may end up on your hands and knees with a towel and bucket full of hot soapy water!

Correct!

Tapochki are very important!!! A house has to stay clean no matter how hard guys try otherwise!

[russ 1]

I'll start us off......

Tapochki.

No shoes upstairs in the bedroom. Shoes are okay in my office on the first floor. Shoes in the second floor livingroom/kitchen are optional (but usually no). I prefer to wear socks instead of tapochki - otherwise my toes get cold.

Superstitions.

I don't believe in them, though everyone in Russia seems to. Looking in the mirror if you forget something in the house - I never do this.

[Satellite 1]

Tapochki.

My guess on the rationale:

1. Russia is very dirty outside. This is not Germany or Austria where residents wash their sidewalk and pathway with soap.

2. It is very cold in Russia.

Take these two away, and the cold and cleanliness argument goes away.

We aren't crazy about "тапочки" either, but we do take our shoes off and run around in socks. Unless of course it really cold. But both being raised in that culture we both have them in the closet. So we only follow the shoes off in the house rule, with exceptions when you are late and need to run back into the house for something quick.

[russ 1]

So we only follow the shoes off in the house rule, with exceptions when you are late and need to run back into the house for something quick.

Do you have a mirror by the door for this case?

It isn't just the sidewalks that are dirty in Russia. The cleanliness of common areas of apartment buildings is appalling and continues to amaze me. I doubt they have ever been cleaned. Ever. Not that they were ever clean to begin with.

Mops do not seem to exist in Russia either. Rags wrapped around a stick. Americans are far more likely to pay a maid to keep things clean. (I haven't won this yet, but I do miss it.) I remember how jealous I was of my friends at Univesity in the UK - they even had their dorm rooms cleaned for them!

[Nancy2015 2]

We live in California, and there's no need for tapochki here, cause there's hardly ever any mud on the streets. We never change shoes in the apartment. But if we lived in, say, Maine, it would be stupid not to take off your shoes when you enter the apartment, especially if you have carpets. It's just common sense. I also come from a family where everyone was crazy about cleaning - kinda like Mr. Monk, obsessive-compulsive. My mom cleaned our condo and house every day, sometimes twice a day - and that included moving furniture and cleaning underneath with soap, and vacuuming. She also made me wash my hands before and after meals, and after I touched anything. She washed everybody's clothes every day, after we've worn them just once And she made me where tapochki all the time too.

Obviously, this crazy stuff affected me pretty badly, and I ended up absolutely hating cleaning I don't clean at all, I can't stand doing it. When I lived alone, my place was a disaster, and my friend used to come by and help me clean. Thankfully, now I have my hubster who cleans and cooks, and makes it all a home

Okay, enough of that What else?

My husband has to have TV on all the freakin' time. It's an individual thing, not a cultural, but it's a huge difference between us, because I don't watch TV at all (except for movies).

There are some Russian foods my husband has never heard about - like buckwheat or tvorog. He's also not as crazy about salami as I am And he likes peanut butter - I find it utterly disgusting.

I don't know - I don't think there's that many differences between me and husband - I can tell you that I definitely don't care about black cats or mirrors at the door, neither does he Most of the differences we have are individual, just like with any other couple, and they have nothing to do with where we come from. I'm having a hard time thinking of anything cultural except for food

[Nancy2015 2]

Mops do not seem to exist in Russia either.

Where in Russia did you go that you didn't see mops? You come to conclusions based on some limited exposures to Russia that you had, probably in some dumpy places. If I judged America by the neighbourhood I live in, I'd tell you that it's all poor, dirty, people live on welfare and women don't work and have 5 kids at the age of 20. It would be true for my area, but not for the whole country.

[1HappyGuy 45]

This looks like fun. I laughed about the slippers at the door and yes, there are sets of slippers at my door now. But, remember it is our custom in America to wear shoes throughout the house. That is a cultural difference.

With my wife it seems that she needs to have fruit juice that doesn't come from concentrate. I don't see much of a difference except the price. Ouch, fresh juice not from concentrate is much more expensive.

I am also wondering if they get better information about our foods that we do, or if it is just government propaganda (over there) about their foods. My wife is convinced all of our foods are somehow contaminated with hormones, toxins and other unhealthy bacteria. She is constantly criticizing the quality of the food we buy and goes to extraordinary steps to insure we have healthy foods. I want to believe that our food is safe and healthy and wonder if anyone else has this experience.

[russ 1]

Where in Russia did you go that you didn't see mops? You come to conclusions based on some limited exposures to Russia that you had, probably in some dumpy places. If I

I was actually suprised to notice this at fairly high-end, expensive places in Moscow. Just my impression and opinion, I could be wrong. Also at stores here roughly similar to Target.

[John W 1]

This is going to be the "official" Russia Forum Cultural Awareness thread. Post about little things that are different between U.S./FSU couples. Could be widely-held superstitions, could be something small that you or your S/O do.

My fiancee won't drink anything with ice in it or very cold drinks in general as she KNOWS this will give her a cold. Also most Russian/Ukrainian women won't drink water out of the tap (faucet) even if it is completly safe city water.

[John W 1]

This looks like fun. I laughed about the slippers at the door and yes, there are sets of slippers at my door now. But, remember it is our custom in America to wear shoes throughout the house. That is a cultural difference.

With my wife it seems that she needs to have fruit juice that doesn't come from concentrate. I don't see much of a difference except the price. Ouch, fresh juice not from concentrate is much more expensive.

I am also wondering if they get better information about our foods that we do, or if it is just government propaganda (over there) about their foods. My wife is convinced all of our foods are somehow contaminated with hormones, toxins and other unhealthy bacteria. She is constantly criticizing the quality of the food we buy and goes to extraordinary steps to insure we have healthy foods. I want to believe that our food is safe and healthy and wonder if anyone else has this experience.

Except of the bacteria, she is correct, our food is mostly garbage which is the main reason along with lack of execise that we are so fat in the US. Hydrogenated oils and everything has fattening corn syrup in it here. I told my fiancee that I would show her what foods are safe to eat when she comes and it really is a PITA to shop healthy.

[Nancy2015 2]

Where in Russia did you go that you didn't see mops? You come to conclusions based on some limited exposures to Russia that you had, probably in some dumpy places. If I

I was actually suprised to notice this at fairly high-end, expensive places in Moscow. Just my impression and opinion, I could be wrong. Also at stores here roughly similar to Target.

They do mop the floors at the stores, and they tend to do it throughout the day, especially in winter when it's dirty as hell. Otherwise evryone would be buried in the mud!

My wife is convinced all of our foods are somehow contaminated with hormones, toxins and other unhealthy bacteria.

That's weird. Maybe she means fast food and pre-made stuff from the frozen section? If so, then it IS unhealthy! (but I still love it!! ).

[Nancy2015 2]

Also most Russian/Ukrainian women won't drink water out of the tap (faucet) even if it is completly safe city water.

I don't know - maybe there's good water in Ohio, but if you pour yourself a glass of tap California water, you will see a lot of scary white residue in it, and no one in this world will ever convince me that it's safe to drink. My husband doesn't drink tap water either - we filter it before we drink.

[russ 1]

I am also wondering if they get better information about our foods that we do, or if it is just government propaganda (over there) about their foods. My wife is convinced all of our foods are somehow contaminated with hormones, toxins and other unhealthy bacteria. She is constantly criticizing the quality of the food we buy and goes to extraordinary steps to insure we have healthy foods. I want to believe that our food is safe and healthy and wonder if anyone else has this experience.

We don't drink the water here without boiling it. American food is far more likely to have hormones, pesticides, fertilizers, etc. It probably has less bacteria, as so much of our food is packaged/pastuerized. What is worse for you? Who knows. Most bacteria isn't bad for you anyway. As for the hormones/pesticides -- it is the dose that makes the poison.

US Produce (tomatoes are a good example) is generally made to transport and store well, and have a high yeild. Taste and quality are not as good. We go to a farmer's market when possible for this reason at home. Growing vegatables here is very common.

My American opinion about the healthfulness of food - covering everything with gallons of mayonaise is probably worse for health than the small dose of hormones and toxins. The life expectancy of Americans is much higher than Russians. 75/81 to 59/73 (source: CIA) - men live 16 years longer in the States, which I guess is good for your health.

I prefer the taste of fresh orange juice. Living in Florida, it is cheap ($5/gallon).

Mushroom gathering is a common thing here, and I've heard so is mushroom poisoning...

I ate a 1 meter long sausage last night. I'll be ready for a break from the sausage soon.