What does ГОСТ mean?

I noticed the abbreviation ГОСТ everywhere in the supermarket from the first few days I arrived in Ulyanovsk. That was in September. I’m not proud of how long it’s taken me to Google what that actually stands for, but who cares. We’re here now! So what is ГОСТ and why is it written on all kinds of food packages?

Pelmeny

Canned meat

Sweetened condensed milk

ГОСТ is an abbreviation for Государственный стандарт, government standard. I’m sure anyone who’s noticed it written on so many different kinds of products came to this conclusion eventually, but even so, now you know for sure! Aren’t you satisfied?

Приятного аппетита!

Incoming posts of questionable quality in honor of my grandmathar

I have been avoiding my blog, but I have NOT stopped writing 🙂 I weeded a folder of about 300 poems I’ve written and set aside some I might try to publish. I started a separate journal for writing about what’s going on in the world and my place in it. I’ve started roleplaying with my best friend – and for those of you who treat “roleplaying” as if it’s a dirty word, stuff it. Call it “shared story writing” if you prefer.

I’ve loved working on all of these projects and even some stories and journals I’ve been writing on the side. But here I am again, updating my no-fun blog. And it’s all for YOU, Gram.

My grandma is really cool. She sometimes colors her hair purple and has an impressive history with both dating and motorcycles. Hummingbirds are her spirit animal. Her current occupation is Protector and Spayer/ Neuterer of Stray Cats.

My grandma said she wants to read about what I’ve been up to and see pictures. I’ve been up to a lot and have a lot of pictures (though not many good ones), so I’m going to have to take some liberties here. Usually I put more effort than I care to admit into my not-so-cool blog posts, but if I’m going to cover everything Gram wants to read about, I’ll have to stop trying to be interesting and hope that the pictures speak for themselves. The fact Gram is the lone member of my intended audience really does take the pressure off, though. 🙂

So here I go~

I wrote this post in December and forgot to publish it because I am awful and nothing matters

DEAR U.S. AMERICANS,

If you’re looking for something to read over the holidays, you can download Bulgakov’s Master and Margarita for free as a PDF. Or you can buy a more readable ebook version OR find it in stores — I would be surprised if BAM and big stores like that didn’t stock it. But how can you say no to free?!

Master and Margarita is satirical, deep, hilarious, and fantastical; it is adored in Russia; and it is easier to read than the other few Russian masterpieces that Americans might know by Dostoesvky or Tolstoy. Read it, then go online to read about the references and history you may not have caught the first time around. Or ask a knowledgeable person (cough :D) to fill you in. Having accomplished that, you will understand why manuscripts don’t burn…

Here are some keywords to get you interested in the story: Moscow, Faust, talking cat, checkered, naked witch, skull chalice, censorship, literary elite, Pontius Pilate, snaggletooth, love, sin …

It’s a shame that Russian literature is so understudied in the US, and it’s something that I have to answer for whenever I meet a new person who’s curious about Americans. What Russian literature do Americans read? If I were to be honest I would answer: Wrong question, friend; most Americans don’t read any of your literature at all.

So do your part to defeat the stereotypes about murica-centric U.S.A. and crack open a Russian novel this winter.

(If you want other recommendations I’ll do my best to hook you up :*)