Lunch with a Russian Family

[Fox Island]

Has anyone had lunch with a Russian Family?

[VinTek]

Has anyone had lunch with a Russian Family?

 

Yup. For me, it was the highlight of our trip. I still correspond with the daughter (the only member of the family who speaks English) today. Her mother (our hostess) was a retired ballerina.

[jontalley]

What did she serve? Did she have other guests there besides you?

[VinTek]

A salad, a chicken dish similar to Chicken Kiev (wasn't called that, since Chicken Kiev is a Ukranian dish) and a very nice cake that I would have sworn was from a high-end bakery if she hadn't told us that she'd baked it herself. I was skeptical until I found out later from her daughter that she is a very accomplished baker.

 

As for the guests, there was me and my wife, another couple (we were a 4-person tour group), and our guide. Both our guide and the daughter acted as translators for us. There was supposed to be a grandmother there too, but she was out babysitting some other grandchildren at the time. I was told by our guide that the previous week, there was only the mother and the grandmother, as the daughter was out studying for final exams. I was sorry to have missed the grandmother; my understanding from our guide was that she was a real character.

[mare s.]

We too had lunch with a family and it was one of the most memorable parts of a memorable trip. Just the other couple on our tour (there were four of us) and our guide were present. The family consisted of the mother (a former engineer and now a schoolteacher) and a friend of her sons. The son and daughter-in-law, who live with her couldn't be present. She served a salad appetizer, soup, chicken, potatoes, and a wonderful dessert. She spoke English quite well (the young man didn't, but she and our guide interpreted) and it was extremely interesting to hear her views on politics, life in St. Petersburg, and her work. St. Petersburg was such a whirlwind of rushing around from one tourist spot to another and one gilded palace after another, that it was especially nice to be able to take a couple of hours away and meet real people and connect with them. If you have an opportunity to do this, I think you'll be glad you did.

[Boo's Mom]

Do they live in apartments?

[mare s.]

the family we visited lived in a small two bedroom apartment...quite cramped by American standards but apparently typical in St. Petersburg. Our hostess showed us how she is redecorating and updating her apartment and she went to a special effort to make the dining table (which she put up in her living room) attractive...and her cooking was yummy! We took small gifts from the US to give to her and I think they were much appreciated.

[VinTek]

Do they live in apartments?

 

The family we visited lived in an apartment.

[Boo's Mom]

OK... I thought so.

 

Thanks !