Author: Dianna Martirossyan
Soviet culture isn't starts and ends with Kobzon's, Pugachyova's songs, as well as importing underwears from Yugoslavia, and most known absurd thesis, like "There is no sex in USSR". Moreover, USSR had a unique buffet traditions, champaign on the crystal tableware and the "vinegred-olivie" dogmatic salads. It is possible to specify two gastronomic realities. buffets, street food-beverages (kvas, beer, sparkling water, pies, sunflower seeds) and family made firm dishes.
Soviet Union's eating culture had a simple system quite often had include a satire context which we can find in many of that time cinema. For example, the famous quote about egglpant chaviar from the "Ivan Vasilyevich changes profession". The deficit food in the Soviet reality in the film is talking about, which of course was quite difficult to find and very easy to lose. The holiday comedy "3+2" were also includes gastroculturual elements: jelly as unknown and not to trust dish, croutons vs bread, and eggs with sausage as a barrier, and the drinking the dry wine in restaurant like a luxurious thing, because that is not for ordinary people. Tosya from "The Girls" notes that umarried woman is the owner of her own head; "She want halva, she eat, don't want, she can taste other thing".
Nobody trip on taxi to buy a bread ("Brilliant hand"), macarons are not worst to eat during the dinner ("Gentlemen of fortune"), dinning in the cafe is the thing luxurious, to go to buffet is the ordinary process. Georgi Danielia's films including many scenes were the key element is the hidden side of soviet service field. For example, in the film "Afonya" restaurant is the everyday place of enjoy for the those who like drinking, in the film "Mimino", a waiter always in despair due to be without tips. Ilf-Petrov and Zoshenko's novel's adaptations are the satiric take to the visual side of Soviet Union event.
In the "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears" there is no intense gastronomic episodes, but story about barbecue picnic in the scene of train talks about Russian men isn't organized in meat eating, they just gladly replace it with spirt. Therefore, one of the most important qualities of the film's main character man's are that he carefully prepared dinner for his beloved. Foie gras and sushi's have no place in the world of kefirs and bubliks: all things are maximal simplyfied, not expensive and comfortable. American bagles cannot replace batons, korziks and cruasants are not similar too. It's not important actually as cat Matroskin from the famous cartoon said: "Eating sausage to bottom of bread, so more delicious".
