Real Market (it's the name, not a fantasy)

I know I've shown you a lot of photos of street vendors, including street meat and typical babushkas selling green onions and apples. Well, I don't want to give you the wrong impression but yes, this is the traditional way that  products were dispersed to the masses, with locally sourced meat and produce being the norm, and people supporting each other by buying from people they know. Well now, there's a new wind blowing... and it's not smelling so great.

I personally admire this locally reinforced supply chain. I believe that the least amount of distance that food has to travel from when it was living until it gets to your plate, the healthier it is; at the very least, the fresher it is. The American food supply chain is very complex and developed. In Russia, they are simply learning how they should create a supply chain, and it's taking over. Reports 10 years ago still showed that at least 50% of consumed food was locally sourced. A few months ago at Russia's 9th Annual Food & Beverage Forum, the key issues still showed a confusion with the current legislation and international supply chain possibilities with program highlights that appear to be focused on wine tastings and other gluttonous events for attendees seemingly on par with Russian business activities. All I am trying to say is that the powers-that-be are still jockeying for position in the real money-maker in Russia, the food supply chain, but the race hasn't been decided yet, and this still leaves us with an opportunity to walk down the street and buy some real food that was grown on a real farm by real people, before big business has put the little guy completely out of business. All that real food contains real sustenance for humans, and I certainly feel healthier when I eat food I've cooked with ingredients I buy this way.

I didn't mean to get up on my soap box, but people often ask me, why Russia, Chad? One of the biggest reasons is because I feel I can explore real food here, where I think it's impossible to do that back in California, even attending farmer's markets there which have become another marketing ploy in my eyes.

With all that said, I want to introduce you to Saratov's most popular hypermarket, Real. It's pronounced [Ree AL] (as in Al Bundy). Real is a sign of things to come. It is the local hypermarket that does so much volume in sales, they can operate on tighter profit margins, and supply fresher goods due to high turn-over. This of course seduces the local customers away from the street markets where prices are higher and quality can be questionable.

All of the food we buy isn't off a street, or in a communal Rinok (market). To be honest, buying food in Real makes me feel safer, although I know that the food is more likely to be genetically modified and processed in conditions that are less likely to be palatable. Real also has many other products than just food. Similar to a Walmart, we can buy a flat-screen television, an inexpensive winter coat, and the latest CD or DVD all at the same place. I have purchased some common kitchen items here while shopping for food.

Usually Real has some kind of promotion going on. For every 240 (around $9) rubles you spend, you get a sticker. It's similar to the old blue books of early days. you collect XX number of tickets and you can turn them in for a new knife, or a piece of jewelry, or something equally eye-catching. I have to admit, I found myself passing up the opportunity to buy some things we needed simply because I knew I could get stickers for the same 1000 ruble purchase at Real, and Veronika would soon have that beautiful new necklace she has her eye on. The point is, they are coming on strong with every marketing strategy and sales pitch that has long ago become cliche' in America.

As expected, the Vodka aisle is long and distinguished. The vodka competition keeps it cheap. A good quality vodka can be purchased here for around $10 a liter. I just bought a couple bottles of good quality Russian vodkas that I'll be bringing back to California as gifts for very reasonable prices.

By the way, the crappy American-made vodka Popov is imported and at least 3 times as expensive as the smooth local varieties.

Since I was here near the alcohol, I thought it might be interesting to show you these great bottles of brandy that I have seen on sale for the last several months. Apparently they are from Armenia, but the bottles are definitely hand-crafted, as I can see each one is unique and different from the next. Yeah I think those are pigs... or maybe they are bunnies, or some kind of hybrid. I get the feeling that by the time you finish the bottle, it will become clear.

My favorite part about Real is fresh bread. They still don't have any sour dough, but they do make French baguettes that  are fresh every couple of hours. I usually go by the bakery right before we are ready to leave and there's usually a fresh batch, still warm and soft waiting for me.

I just had to post this picture because this guy in the military fatigues was complaining to me that I am not allowed to take pictures. I'm such a terrorist. however, it is worth mentioning, there is no freedom like we have in America. There is no supreme court decision that says if it's in public, there is no invasion of privacy (Gritzke vs. Girls Gone Wild). (That one is for you Brenda, thanks for reading.) In Russia, a person or business can tell you not to take photos and they have that right. So basically, I keep my camera under my coat until I need to take a snapshot, especially in big businesses like this where they are expecting spies all the time. When my mother came to visit, she was taking photos in McDonald's and an employee rushed her to tell her to stop taking pictures. Of course my mother doesn't know Russian so she wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but it's a common occurrence, people seem to be afraid of random photography, perhaps a carry-over of the cold war. In any case, enjoy these pictures, I risked life and limb and perhaps exile to a Siberian gulag to bring you these photos from deep inside Real market in Saratov.

Inside the market is a hot deli counter. usually it only consists of cardboard pizza slices and rotisserie chicken parts. But they do have sandwiches which consist of a slice of meat and a slice of cheese with a piece of lettuce and tomato on a kaiser roll.

Sandwiches have not been very popular, and I can't find them anywhere else. I usually buy one of those French baguettes I was talking about and make a super sandwich of my own.

Chickens usually aren't individually packaged, however they are very fresh. We bought a chicken today that was just brought out of the box. That's where chickens come from these days, right? 80 rubles a kilo is currently $1.29 a pound. That's a really good price, we went back just 2 days later and  it was 89 rubles per kilo, and still considered a good price. I couldn't help but remember the 69 cents a pound I paid in California on sale about a week before I came to Russia. Well, these aren't California chickens, I don't have to worry about them tasting funny.

Of course Russian chickens lay Russian eggs, funny how that works. I will say that eggs taste better here... they actually have flavor. A nice, rich, fresh, clean flavor. I haven't made any hollandaise sauce yet, but it's definitely on my list. Remember the eggs I bought on the street a few days ago for 36 rubles ($1.27) for 10? Well, as you can see, they deal in bulk here at Real, but they aren't any cheaper. I will stick to the local farm-laid eggs.

Meat products are also in no shortage. This isn't the great famine that a lot of Americans associate Russia with. Perhaps this paradigm came from the Siege of Leningrad in World War II, but as far as I can see, no Russians are starving and this new food supply chain is supplying more Russians with more products in more places than ever before.

You will notice the beef shanks in the back of this picture for 189 rubles per kilo ($3.04 Lb.). I bought 2 of these for osso bucco which Veronika has been telling me she loves almost as much as she loves me, so I had to make some. Watch for tomorrow's recipe.

Pork has equally mysterious cuts, although I can buy baby back ribs and pork chops frequently at a good price. Apparently meat with bone attached is usually much cheaper than meat without bone because Russians feel they are getting ripped off paying for bone. Sounds fine to me. Hopefully it will take them many more years to understand that the bone means more flavors.

Real has a very extensive fish aisle. They do have some fresh fish, usually salmon that has been freshly cut into steaks and fillets. They even have a tank that has living fish, mostly fresh water, river fish or some flown in from further away. I keep wanting to take one of these containers of clams home to make some clam chowder with, but I guess I am still secretly hoping I will find fresh, living clams somewhere. I guess I should realize that's not going to happen anytime soon.

We approach the vegetable section and I can get packaged cilantro and dill and parsley, but not much more than that in the way of fresh herbs. I'm grateful for the 3 I can get since I use them often, and the flavor is usually great. Those 3 simple herbs can really add depth to so many recipes.

I love to make salads. Not Russian salads, but I mean vegetable salads, with iceberg lettuce as the main bulk of the salad. 59 rubles for a small, light head (you usually want to find heads that seem heavy for their size) means over $2.00 for a head of lettuce. I still buy it, but use it sparingly. Super sandwiches, home cheeseburgers, and the occasional vegetable salad. I still love my Ranch dressing on salads, so watch for that recipe soon.

Fruits and vegetables are really plentiful. The problem is watching the prices. I have had to pay $3 a pound for leeks before I realized it.

Oranges, lemons, apples, cabbage, and carrots are all very plentiful. I can usually find specialized vegetables at Real too. I call them specialized because you need a small personal loan to buy any of them. Avocados, asparagus, and leeks all top the list as the most expensive vegetables I have ever wished I could have. I mean nearly $8 for a small bunch of asparagus. Still, no artichokes, that's mostly a California crop, but you can buy marinated artichoke hearts in a small jar for about $30. I am glad to see these vegetables actually in Real, it means that as they become more popular, they will come down to a reasonable price. I just hope that it's not only me that will be buying them to increase their popularity.

One of the differences in procedure is that when you take your fruits or vegetables, it is up to you to weigh them and put a price on the bag. In America, each check-out cashier also has a scale that weighs fruit and vegetables. Even Real doesn't have that. You need to bag your fruits or vegetables, take them to this centrally located station of touch-screen scales and enter the product, which then automatically spits out a price tag for what you have. It's painless enough, but I have to wonder how many times people price the cheap tomatoes when they actually have the expensive ones in the bag.

On the other side of the produce department is a wall of dry products you can bag and weigh according to the amount you want. These are dried cereals that people eat as snacks. There is dozens of them to choose from, I assume with varying flavors. I haven't tried them yet, I don't quite see the attraction.

Fistashki (pistachios) and other nuts are quite popular in Russia, especially to eat with beer. There is even many products that are simply called "eat with beer". These unsalted, raw cashews are priced at $8.19 per pound. I guess drunk people don't notice the price.

The frozen food aisle has many bins of various products. I hope I will never be tested on what they actually are. It appears that anything can be breaded and frozen, then sold to the general public. I would guess that back in California, an open-air bin like this would never pass health codes, especially without at least a sneeze-guard, but here I think people actually buy this stuff. Hey, I can't be too critical, if I didn't know how to cook, this might be an attractive option. I think it's the Russian version of a TV dinner.

Russian salads are both enigmatic and enticing to me. It seems that Russians can make salad out of almost everything, and they do. Most look extremely tasty, but I have to remember that salad doesn't always mean vegetables. The most popular Russian salad, especially for New Year's Day is Olivie salad. It's a potato based salad with corn, peas, and bologna in a mayonnaise base. At Real they sell every kind of salad that you can imagine, and again, since there is high turnover, the price is reasonable and the freshness is obvious.

I have to admit, I don't recognize what all the salads are that they are selling, but there is always a long line at the counter where these salads are sold. I think I should be more adventurous and take a few of these home to test.

This was a big shocker. Bacon. Well, sort-of. This is not a cured or smoked meat at all like we are accustomed to in America when we buy bacon, however it does look like pork belly that is thick cut to resemble bacon. Maybe they don't have it right yet, but it looks like they are heading in the right direction. As soon as Russians get the taste for real bacon, there's no looking back. I've been seriously considering opening a bacon and a peanut butter shop. (no, not together you freak, hmm... maybe.) There are certainly specific American flavors that I can't wait until they become more available here. I must say, that Real has been the place I have seen some of these firsts. The prosciutto and salami pictured here was exactly 3 slices of prosciutto and 8 slices of salami priced at $7.93. Like I said, these specialty flavors are still extremely expensive, but it is encouraging that they are starting to enter the marketplace. As they gain popularity, they will surely come down in price.

Konfetti. Sweets. All Russians I know live on them. Sweets are more popular than air. One of my friends who is a size zero swears that she will not eat any food all day just so she can eat a sweet cake or candy. 

I don't know if that would be possible for me, but I do know that almost every street has a bakery or shop selling sweet cakes and amazing looking confections. So of course, Real should be no different. There is a huge variety of cakes and sweet things to eat here. I normally pass them up, but it was definitely worth a picture.

When checking-out in Real, and most stores, you are left to bag your own groceries. There is no boy struggling through a Summer job between his junior and senior year in high school. There is no retired man looking to stay busy. You buy your grocery bags and pack your own groceries into them. Yeah, that's right, you have to pay for your own bags. Actually, I think it's a pretty good idea. If we paid for grocery bags back in California, there would probably be less waste and more people using reusable bags. Save the environment, every little bit helps. 

Real has quite a few mini-businesses in the front. Everything from sushi to books can be bought here. I have even been known to buy a piece of jewelry in these little shops in the front of the mega-hypermarket. In any case, it's smart. There is even a simple guy standing in a cardboard booth near the front door selling coffee as you go out to (or come in from) the frequently freezing temperatures outside.

I don't know what you've been thinking, but I do know that when I first started traveling to Russia 16 years ago, I had some pretty strong paradigms of my own. Many of them did prove to be true, but I will say with all certainty, that today's Russia is much more progressive than I ever thought before. I can only imagine what Americans think about Russia that still remember President Reagan's speech asking president Gorbachev to "...tear down that wall". Well my friends, today there is no wall, and Russia is running into the future. I wonder what the next decade will bring. While I wait for it, I am glad that stores like Real are starting to spread across Russia because with the ingredients I can find here, I can create more of the delicious American Flavors.

Anya's Birthday 2011 - Russian Birthday Traditions.

Well, it happens every year whether we want it to or not - birthdays. It's even true in Russia. I know you have all heard me say that everything is different in Russia and birthdays are no different (wait, that's a conundrum). The point is, even birthday traditions follow a different set of rules than the customs I am used to in America.

Yes, there is the normal family celebrations but when going out with friends, here's the deal: the person whose birthday it is, invites their friends out to dinner or dancing, or whatever. Then the person whose birthday it is pays for everybody who comes. So to be invited is really an honor. That person wants to spend their birthday with you so much that they are even willing to pay for your meal or whatever you do that evening. It's pretty flattering.

Now here's the rub: gift-giving is also customary in Russia just like back home. Generally gifts given on a birthday sort-of compensate the birthday person for their expense of the night. So make it good.

Last year, on Anya's birthday, it was my first experience being invited to a Russian birthday, so I had absolutely no idea about all of this. It's always been my custom that when going out with somebody on their birthday, they are not allowed to pay for anything. Usually the group that goes with the birthday person contributes extra money to the bill to pay for the birthday person's meal and festivities together. That's in addition to small gifts.

Last year for Anya's birthday, I made a traditional 2-layer yellow cake with chocolate-ganache filling and chocolate cream cheese frosting. I brought it to the restaurant with us expecting to do the traditional candles, singing happy birthday, and diving into that thing as a group. My girlfriend, Veronika, and I also brought some really great flowers, champagne and Veronika did a portrait for Anya on her birthday. In addition to this, I was expecting to pay for Veronika and my meals plus a good portion of Anya's expenses that night. I was shocked and a little embarrassed when the group would not let me pay for anything at all at the restaurant. I would not have ordered that extra flask of vodka if I knew it was on somebody else's bill. I certainly would have brought better gifts if I knew I wasn't allowed to also help pay for the birthday girl's night as part of her gift.

Anyway, it all worked out. Anya saved the cake and took it home. Later she said many compliments about it, so I was pleased that she enjoyed it.

This year, I must confess, I didn't remember Anya's birthday and since I had just gotten back to Russia a few days ago, I got a last-minute invitation. I was dealing with my visa registration problems when she called, so I had very little time to pick up gifts and certainly no time to cook something special for her. Our group of friends seem to really enjoy when I cook, especially something sweet, so unfortunately I was going to have to disappoint them this time.

Veronika and I did however do some shopping on our way home from the visa fiasco. We picked out a beautiful potted flower which I hope will bring enjoyment for a long time instead of the traditional cut flowers that die in a few days. I could never understand the tradition of giving cut flowers. It's like saying, "here, I bought something for you to watch die". Or maybe it's sending the message that yeah, here's a reminder that your birthday is a celebration of our mortality, so here's something you can watch decay for the next several days so you won't forget you are going to die too someday. I prefer giving potted flowers. If they die, the person killed it themselves. OK, maybe that's not a nice way to put it... what I meant to say is that I prefer giving potted plants because they will provide beauty and enjoyment for years to come. In addition to the potted flower, we also bought a bottle of Anya's favorite champagne and Veronika picked out a beautiful silver bracelet for Anya.

This year, we didn't go to a restaurant. Instead, we went to Grand Michelle. This place does have a restaurant, and a night club, but the cool place is in the bowling alley. I have noticed that bowling is a sport for the elite around here. It's not cheap, but more than that it's just something new and cool around here. Back in California, bowling alleys recall the images of middle-aged, nacho-eating, beer-stained-shirt wearing, receding hairline comb-over stylin', wanna-be hustlers trying to escape their number-crunching, cubicle-dwelling, boss-hating lives for a few hours. Besides, bowling is the only sport where you are supposed to be drinking. Well, here in Russia, it's new, it's fresh, and it's for the elite. And actually, it is pretty fun.

Anya invited us to go bowling for her birthday, and it sounded like a great night out. The bowling alley does serve zakuski (appetizers) along with a quite extensive menu and of course, alcohol, so it would be a good appetizer night of fun for us. The appetizers consisted of cut cheeses, fruits, and meats. There was feta cheese, and a couple local Russian cheeses on a plate with some grapes. It's been a long time since I had grapes with seeds in them, but these were the real thing. Do you ever think about small things like that? I've been eating seedless grapes for so long, it never even occurred to me to be careful not to chew the seeds in this grape.

The fruit plate had sliced bananas, grapes and sliced kiwis. The kiwi was great, very tasty. All the fruits looked fresh, a nice change from some of the fruit I've been seeing from the street vendors lately.

The meat plate was filled with various meats. The best I could guess, there was a cured pork like ham, a sausage similar to salami, a dried salami, and of course there was a plate of yazik (that means tongue). My friends finally talked me into trying a piece of tongue. It wasn't bad, but I didn't really like the texture. Although I try to keep an open mind about food and trying new things, I just couldn't get the image out of my mind that I was eating a cow's tongue. When Julia ate a piece, I told her that it was like she was kissing a cow. I understand many people in the world love tongue, I'm just going to have to find a way to cook it myself with more flavor and a change in texture before I try it again.

left to right: Veronika, Anya, Sasha, Zhenya, Julia

This night was also the first time I had seen my friends since I returned to Saratov. I arrived only a couple days ago, and we were all busy with our various daily tasks, so Anya's birthday was the first chance to see each other. It was great to see the gang again, and I am looking forward to our usual Friday night get-togethers.

We bowled and talked and laughed for a few hours and had a great night. We drank a few bottles of wine and of course ate some good zakuski.

The girls were doing really great at bowling, certainly better than me, but Sasha was knocking down strikes consistently. I guess they have all been practicing since the last time we played together.

The bowling alley had only 6 lanes, and each lane is rented by the hour. I remember in a different bowling alley we went to a couple years ago, we got cut off in the middle of a game, just as I was bowling a strike too. Here at Grand Michelle, that wasn't a problem. We played until our 'reservation' was finished and we didn't have any problems with them kicking us off the lanes.

It is a little funny to me though, they have a guy whose sole job is to make sure nobody walks onto the lanes with street shoes. I have my own bowling shoes from years ago when I did play in a league in Santa Barbara. They still fit, and I'll probably use them a lot more here in Russia than I will in California so I packed them in my luggage on one of my trips out here. The security guy was ready to wrestle me to the ground before letting me onto the lanes until he saw that my shoes were actually black bowling shoes. Not the fashionably-challenged, multi-colored footwear everybody else has to wear.

However, one problem with having your own shoes: people expect you to bowl like a professional, and I'm no professional bowler. In any case, I always have fun spending time with my friends, and if I get a strike or two in there while bowling, bonus.

I want to mention that Anya, Julia and Zhenya have all been friends since childhood. Sasha is Zhenya's husband and really a great man. I feel lucky that they have included Veronika and I in nights like these. It's really great to have good friends. Now, if I could just work out my visa problems, I wouldn't have to leave so often and I could settle into a normal lifestyle here. Oh, and when Zhenya heard about my difficulties registering my visa, she offered to help by going to her local registration office and trying to register me there. It's a really generous offer, and she has helped me out in similar situations so much in the past, I'm lucky to have good friends.

To update you on my visa difficulties, I got a call this morning from the regional registration office again saying "Come in tomorrow and maybe we can help you." So I called Zhenya immediately who was waiting in line at her local registration office, and asked her to not try to register me, just-in-case it would cause more confusion and problems. The phone call I received was from another big boss in the first office that we went to. And this call was after the yo-yo effect I had yesterday when the biggest boss said I should be registered for 30 days, but then called later and said only 2 weeks. Now what is this call, implying that they will register me for the 90 days my visa is valid for? I told Veronika that probably this lady just wants to meet us, to see what all the talk is about, curiosity, but we should go anyway because who knows what can happen.

Veronika and I went to the office and explained the whole situation. Many times the lady sounded like she was going to help, and even made a couple phone calls while we were sitting there. I feel sorry for the people waiting in line behind us, we took a long time inside. However, it became clear that this lady was angry that the people at the office who registered me for the 2 weeks. They didn't take money from me as punishment for breaking the rule (or maybe just because having an American nearby means you should take his money), and she told me that I should go back to that office. She didn't say it exactly like that, she tried to imply that if I go back to that office, maybe they could register me for 90 days, but she couldn't guarantee anything. In any case, she said that while I am there I should pay 3000 rubles since I broke the rule. This whole time I've been trying to ask them what rule I broke and show them that I didn't break any rule. They don't care, just want my money. I realized we were not going to get anywhere with this lady when she asked me if I was a terrorist... 3 times.

After I told her that I am only interested in the culture and local cuisine here in Russia, with possible plans of someday opening an American restaurant here locally, she actually laughed at me and asked what flavors I could bring, cheeseburgers? We already have McDonald's. I was simply amazed, and realized this meeting was going nowhere. Time to leave. The lady reminded us to go to the other office who might be able to help us which I interpreted as please go pay us 3000 rubles ($106).

We came home, and I went online and found my plane tickets. I will be returning to California on April 4th. I would like to stay in Russia until June like my visa says I can, but I guess the local registration officials are too afraid of the strange American terrorist who has been coming here the last 3 years. I told them I didn't come on a terrorist visa (or tourist), it's a normal business visa like I've used many times before. Anyway, everything happens for a reason, at least I'll be in California for my mother's 60th birthday party. Yup mom, I said it... on the internet... 60!! I wonder if we'll go bowling.

Red-Tape Russia Strikes Again.

I arrived safely in Saratov after waiting nearly 2 months for my visa to enter Russia. However, the visa is actually a 2 step process. Now that I am here, I am required to register my visa. This is not as easy as it sounds. It's not like simply going to the office and saying, "OK I'm here"

Last year when I was here in Saratov, I made an arrangement with a private school that was in the same building where I was living. They provided me with a 1-year educational invitation so I could apply for a 1-year student visa. This was great because the normal business visas I've been using changed a couple years ago. Now, on the 1-year business visa, you can only stay for 90 days, then you must leave the country for at least 90 days before you can re-enter for another 90 days. This creates obvious problems for renting a flat and living normally. This situation with the school was mutually beneficial. When they heard that I took classes at UCSB for TESOL teacher training (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), they insisted that I teach an English class in their school.

Teaching English in that private school was interesting, and the students are really great but it certainly wasn't any kind of income. $6 an hour, 4 hours a day, 2 days a week - less than $50 a week isn't going to pay the bills, and it was not even worth my time, but the students really made the experience enjoyable, so I did it.

Anyway, last November when I reminded the school that my visa would need to be renewed in January, everything seemed fine. However, the director of the school dragged her feet, and it forced me to fly back to California to await a new visa. I booked a round-trip ticket and gave myself 3 weeks of processing time. I would leave January 28th and return February 18th. The director of the school decided until after I purchased my ticket that she would have the papers by February 24th, and my girlfriend would send the documents to me in California. Over a month to prepare the invitation, when last time it took less than a week. OK, no problem. But I had to do something about my return ticket. I calculated a generous 7 days to send the documents to me using Pony Express (similar to FedEx), 2 weeks to send my passport with the invitation to a handling company I have used several times in the past who takes them to the Russian Embassy for me, and another couple of days just to be safe. I rescheduled ($151) my return ticket to Russia on March 18th. I had to reschedule the ticket before the date I was scheduled to return so that I didn't simply lose the ticket, otherwise I would have waited until I had my documents in-hand.

February 24th comes and no documents. February 28th and there is still no invitation. In California, I am calculating the days before my flight and I see that I do not have enough time now. Those extra few days lost again made all the difference. So, now I'm stuck with the decision to reschedule my flight again (until when who knows), or to use the company I am using for my visa processing for visa support also. I decide to pay the $364 visa support + $24 FedEx fee so that I don't have to drag this out forever and wonder what's going to happen. However, this means that I can only stay for 90 days. No problem, we are planning to come back to America for Summer anyway. I will just have to leave a week or two earlier than originally planned. No problem, it works.

The last time that I was in Saratov and tried to register my visa which I had gotten through this visa support company, I had some big difficulties. Russian bureaucracy is an enigma. You need to have your passport, immigration card you got at the port of entry, any documents with your name, your boarding pass from the flight that brought you to this city, your 6th grade locker combination, and a lock of your hair certified and signed by a government approved geneticist just so you can be allowed to go stand in the next line to see the person who will tell you what you should do next so you can get done what you were told you had to do by today. And that's if you are lucky enough to get to the window during the 2 hours they are working that day, but be careful, they take a 2 hour lunch break in the middle of that 2 hour work day.

I'm not bitter, really. it was actually a little fun being Russian and politely snow plowing through the crowd of people who were apparently in-line. Lines in Russia are very different than the nice, polite line etiquette in America. In America we have personal space even when standing in a line. We leave a nice buffer in between us and the person in front of us, just-in-case they decide to pull a crazy-Ivan and spin around, flailing their arms all around or something. Who knows exactly why this buffer has become common, but it is, and any less space given makes all involved uncomfortable. In Russia, it's like Nascar. Rubbin' is racin'. If you leave enough room between you and the person in front of you for another person to fit, somebody will certainly move in there. Even if there isn't enough space, people will politely elbow and seemingly innocently end up in front of you while looking the opposite direction. I'm 6'3" (190cm) and quite big. I can play this game well, kind-of. Believe it or not, it's the little old ladies (babushkas) who play this game the best. I could never compete.

Anyway, the problems I had last time registering my visa was that the company who actually invited me was from Samara, another city entirely. The agency I used for visa support said that I would not have this problem again, they would supply me with a letter asking the local registration office to register me in Saratov. But, they needed a copy of my immigration card to write it. So, when I landed, I took a photo of my immigration card and emailed it to them. Fortunately, they prepared the letter and emailed it back in time. Since everybody must register within 3 days of entering the country, there was a time issue.

My girlfriend also needed to come with me to show all her documents and register that I would be living in her apartment. So much red-tape it's unbelievable. So by this time, I had jumped through quite a few hoops to perform for the Russian bureaucracy, with more hoops anticipated.

As we walked towards the regional immigration office, we passed some interesting things I wanted to show you about life in Russia. It is very common for people to be selling anything on the streets as you walk from place to place. Here is a vendor selling a variety of nuts and dried fruits. Amazingly, when the rain or snow starts to really come down, it doesn't effect them much.

Here are some apples for sale. The cheap ones are about $1.40 a kilo (2.2 lbs). It looks like she has some parsley for sale too. These probably all came from her orchard (maybe just a few trees) in a nearby village.

The weather is not especially great right now. It's in-between the good seasons in my opinion. The snow is still around the streets but it's dirty and starting to melt. It's still cold enough it isn't going anywhere fast. As a matter of fact, just as I wrote that my girlfriend said, "Wow, it's snowing outside, such big snow". And yeah, there's big flakes coming down. I guess it will renew the coverage here. In a few days it will just be more mud I guess.

Along every street there are mobile vans and trucks where people sell just about anything out of the side or back. Here is one selling various fruits and vegetables. Prices range from about 50 cents for a small bunch of cilantro to $3.50 for a kilo (2.2 lbs) of cucumbers. The prices are actually cheap right now.

A nice truck for baked goods. They sell things like cabbage-stuffed bread rolls, jelly donuts, fruit tarts and cakes. They don't actually bake inside the truck, there's no kitchen in there like some do, but they take food from the local bakeries and resell it here.

I am always amazed how people find anything. Here is the entrance to the official government office for this region where we needed to go to start my visa registration process. There is absolutely no signs in most places we go. It is quite common for people to ask strangers on the street for directions to places nearby, and people are always polite and helpful with answers.

Being a big man, I notice things like this more often than most I guess, but when we were told to go upstairs to the main floor to find out about my visa, I laughed a little. Here is the stairs in the government office where we were. I hate to use the phrase so much, but in America, this looks like a lawsuit waiting to happen. It's more vertical than it looks in the picture. Coming down I had to walk sideways so my feet fit on each stair.

Official police car parking lot.

Walking around the city is a pleasure. It's certainly more common to walk around here than it is back in California. Around every corner can be some interesting piece of 1000 year-old architecture. This church is actually brand-new, only 6-7 years old, but created in that old-style architecture.

Near this church was another gathering of street vendors. This one is selling textiles: blankets, sheets, socks, shoes, house slippers. I am sure all of this stuff is imported from China, and then resold on the streets. This is how some people make their living. I don't know how they will survive in the future Russia where hypermarkets and shopping malls are already popping up everywhere.

Do you want some beets, apples, or onions? Looks like she only has one cabbage head left so you better hurry. I always wonder how they end up with the products they do. I mean why not sell semi-related items if you only have a limited selection. Maybe today we will sell cabbage, mayonnaise, and carrots; tomorrow will be onions, potatoes, and sour cream. Just an idea. I'm sure there's a reason behind it. I should stop and ask why one of these times. Notice they always have a scale nearby to measure out your purchase (and a heavy thumb) when you are ready.

This one never ceases to amaze me. Chunks of meat out in the open air for sale. Health inspectors would have a field day if I decided to do this on the streets in Santa Barbara. I wouldn't doubt it if a mob started picketing my table. Even animal-rights activists screaming in my face, the local news coming down for a special report, even a presidential candidate hopeful coming down to show he's tough on crime. Crime? What crime? Actually when you think about it, around here the ambient air is colder than it is in your refrigerator at home. There's not a lot of germs and bacteria that thrive in temperatures like this. Remember that delicious porterhouse steak you paid $60 for at the restaurant last week? That was dry aged, hung out in cold air, in the restaurant's refrigerator (not frozen) for at least a week. At least this stuff is fresh and I know it. This guy probably killed his cow this morning or late last night to chop it up and bring it here to sell. Admittedly, I'm still a little scared of street meat, but if I see a good piece, I'll consider it.

We continued our walk to the office where I needed to register my visa. The one we went to before of course told us we needed to be at a different office for my exact purpose. Waste disposal is important in any community. I took this picture just because I wanted to show that yes, we have garbage disposal too, but it does look different. These dumpsters usually service a few of these Russian-style apartment houses. Placement of the dumpsters is strictly for convenience of the trash truck driver who comes empty them. No consideration is given to aesthetics or even proximity to the access doors of the apartment buildings themselves. Near our flat, people sometimes simply throw their trash near a neighbor's yard to avoid the inconvenience of walking all the way to the dumpster. It makes me smile about typical neighbor arguments in America; "look what your dog did on my lawn!" None of that here, there really isn't any sort of beautification efforts that I can see.

The beauty really lies in the history around here. I really enjoy seeing a beautiful piece of architecture that it seems most locals don't even notice. This stone work must have been done by some master craftsman decades ago. I definitely appreciate his efforts today.

I wish these old buildings were maintained better. Most are in various stages of decay, and I doubt they will last much longer without attention, and who will give the attention? In any case, these are simply great. If they survive, it will be due to the incredible work by the people who built them.

When we got to the right registration office, My girlfriend had to run to another office to create a document saying that she was allowing me to stay in her flat that she knew they would ask for. Yes, another document. She left me there to do the line-dance with all the other people there trying to get to the same window as I needed. Finally we handed off all my documents, including the letter from the company asking to register me in this city, and was told I couldn't be registered. Really? I have been jumping through hoops for almost 3 months and, no?

I was told that I should be registered in the same city where the company is that invited me. That company had no office in Saratov, so I am not allowed to be registered in Saratov. The lady behind the counter said that she had been called about me exactly, the American will come soon and you should not register him. This gets a little too complicated to go into, but the lady that called, who is an important boss in the immigration service, is also a friend of the school director who was too late getting my new invitation to me. There is no other way this lady would know exactly which regional office to call. Soap opera stuff, maybe I should write something entertaining about the politics around here. Apparently, I have become more famous than is good for me.

In any case, I was given a 2 week registration, instead of the 90 days my visa is good for. So I was happy, because I didn't break the 3-day rule of getting registered. If I broke that 3 day rule a second time (a couple years ago we had issues, but that's another story) I would be immediately deported and banned from re-entering Russia for 3 years. So, two weeks, fine, at least it buys some time.

While we were waiting for the registration documents, we were approached by a guy who overheard what was going on. I won't go into detail what he said, but let's just say he let us know about some other things regarding the lady that called to block my registration. We decided to go to another office, which hierarchically is above the office where we were. It's the office that controls all the regional offices. My girlfriend called to see if we could speak to somebody with power there and found out that the big boss there rarely sees people, but as it turns out, he would see people the next day.

We decided to go meet with him and when we explained the situation, he said that he knew I was here legally and that I should be given registration for 90 days, not 2 weeks. Remember, this isn't even about having a valid visa... I have a good visa, I just need to register it. So the big boss, which is 2 bosses higher than the one who called to block my registration, said we should go see his right-hand man, and he would fix the problem. We went, everything was nice handshakes, all is good, and away we went. I would pick up my new registration documents tomorrow, because somebody else needed to prepare it and they were not in the office.

On our way home, we took one of the mini buses. It seats 10, but is fairly comfortable, and gets you there quick. 12 rubles (42 cents) gets you were you need to go.

I should mention that at the bus stop is one of these food vendors, though this is slightly different than what I've shown you before. It's an actual chicken rotisserie. They roast dozens of chickens at once, and for 170 rubles ($6.00), you can have one bagged up to take home. They also sell different sauces and lavash which is similar to tortillas but tougher, thinner, much larger, and not so tasty.

The street we walk down to get to our flat from the bus stop also has a lot of these street vendors. Some with surprisingly good deals and fresh produce.

There is also of course always somebody selling socks and other various clothing items, at rock bottom prices. It's always funny to me to see underwear laid out on a table for all to see.

Even though these kiosks and street vendors don't seem to agree with my cultural paradigm of sanitation, I just have to keep telling myself that if they were killing off customers with what they were selling, they'd go out of business, right? Most of the stuff is dried or cured somehow anyway.

Though no matter how much I convince myself it's safe, I don't think I could ever buy dead fish out of a bucket. Alive... maybe, but already dead, sorry. Is it cold fish soup already?

We did however buy some eggs from this kiosk. I am not exactly sure why the different prices - I guess it is based on size. But it seems like a strange difference in prices to be based simply on size. From 32 rubles ($1.13) up to 44 rubles ($1.56) for 10 eggs. Yeah, not 12, 10. So I guess I have to change my habit of referring to eggs by the dozen. We bought some brown eggs and continued home.

Want some pickles? This lady had some already bagged up for sale, and seemed very anxious to sell them. I don't know exactly what flavor pickles she was selling, there are so many different types here in Russia, I don't know what the normal pickle is here. I still have not found a great tasting dill pickle here, but I have some ingredients and I think I will try to make some dill refrigerator pickles soon.

One last stop at the market closest to our flat to buy some butter and a couple things for dinner then we finally got in out of the cold and relaxed.

The phone rings today, "According to the rule we can't register you for 90 days, only 2 weeks". Back to the drawing board. There's always a bigger boss somewhere. I'm checking flight options for the eventuality that I will need to go back to California a lot sooner than I had planned, and the ticket prices are not looking favorable. We have a birthday party to go to tonight so I'll have to dive into this problem more later. More to come about the Russian Red Tape and this Californian's battle through it.