Useless information thread

[SoBad]

Pickled herring can be a very powerful zakuska tool in combination with fresh borodinsky bread. As a little boy, I used to think that herring was naturally salty. Ethnic tensions escalated in Moscow in the 90s when rumours spread that Vietnamese migrants all over the city were frying fresh herrings, rather than consuming them pickled and chilled.

[Mike Bulgakov]

Originally Posted by SoBad

Pickled herring can be a very powerful zakuska tool in combination with fresh borodinsky bread. As a little boy, I used to think that herring was naturally salty. Ethnic tensions escalated in Moscow in the 90s when rumours spread that Vietnamese migrants all over the city were frying fresh herrings, rather then consuming them pickled and chilled.

Maksim Syrnikov is an exacting researcher: if he wants to discover how whitebait was fished in the northwestern Belozero region for centuries, he spends days out in the boats with the local fishermen. He was appalled when the editors of one of his cookbooks, unable to find whitebait in Moscow, substituted dried Chinese anchovies in a photograph, and he is still deeply embarrassed about it. As a self-appointed guardian of authentic Russian fare, Syrnikov has a problem: Russians don’t hold Russian food in particularly high esteem. When they eat out, they favor more exotic cuisines, like Italian or Japanese. The tendency to find foreign food more desirable is a prejudice that goes back centuries—to a time when the Russian aristocracy spoke French, not Russian—and it was exacerbated by the humiliating end of the Cold War and Russia’s subsequent opening to the West. Russian food is pooh-poohed as unhealthy and unsophisticated. Among the many things that annoy Syrnikov is the fact that a good number of the despised Russian dishes aren’t even Russian. “I did an informal survey of eighteen- to twenty-five-year-olds in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and asked them, ‘Name some traditional Russian dishes,’ ” Syrnikov said. “What they named was horrible: borscht, which is Ukrainian, and potatoes, which are an American plant.” He insists that real Russian food contained no potatoes, no tomatoes, few beets, and little meat. Instead, there were a lot of grains, fish, and dairy, as well as honey, cucumbers, turnips, cabbage, apples, and the produce of Russia’s vast forests—mushrooms and berries. Because of the climate, little of this was eaten fresh; it was salted, pickled, or dried for the long winter. Most of Russia ate this way until the twentieth century. By exploring the Russian food that existed before potatoes, Syrnikov hopes to help Russians reacquaint themselves with the country’s agrarian roots, torn up during seven decades of Soviet rule, and to convince them that their national cuisine can be just as flavorful as anything they might find in a sushi bar. He spends his time travelling through the countryside in search of old recipes, trying them himself, and blogging about his experiences. He has written four books, including an encyclopedia of Russian cuisine and a cookbook that ties food to the fasts and feasts of the Russian Orthodox calendar. He makes frequent television appearances and conducts master classes all over the country, instructing everyone from restaurant chefs to hobby cooks in the ways of the Russian peasant kitchen.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2...6fa_fact_ioffe

When traversing the Baltic Sea, a Swedish smörgåsbord can be enjoyable, even on a Finnish ship.

[SoBad]

Yes, this is a familiar phenomenon, but I submit that it has nothing to do with food, but issues of race and social class rather. The city is full of “Italian” and “Japanese” restaurants with nauseating and expensive food. You can have far superior Russian or Uzbek food at 1/10 the price at the corner of any market, but the social phenomenon described in the article has little to do with food, right…

[Mike Bulgakov]

Originally Posted by SoBad

Yes, this is a familiar phenomenon, but I submit that it has nothing to do with food, but issues of race and social class rather. The city is full of “Italian” and “Japanese” restaurants with nauseating and expensive food. You can have far superior Russian or Uzbek food at 1/10 the price at the corner of any market, but the social phenomenon described in the article has little to do with food, right…

In my opinion, people in Russia, especially Moscow, have been far too concerned with brands and trends since the early 1990s. Instead of choosing what they like, too many people make choices based on what they perceive as what they should like.

This is true everywhere, but there seems to be an element of insecurity in Russia that makes people more apt to choose the trendy brands, clothes, or restaurants, instead of making an independent evaluation.

[Mike Bulgakov]

Politiets Efterretningstjeneste, an incompetent agency of fools. Did they get it right this time?

Professor given five-month sentence for spying

Peter Stanners
May 31, 2012 - 15:30

A Finnish university professor has been sentenced to five months in prison for spying following a trial held behind closed doors, from which even the verdict was not released.

Timo Kivimäki, 49, a professor of international politics at Copenhagen, did not expect to be found guilty under the ‘mild’ anti-spy legislation.

”I was expecting to be let off,” Kivimäki told Ekstra Bladet outside the court. “[The domestic intelligence agency] PET alleges that the diplomats I was in touch with were spies. I just thought they were ordinary diplomats.”

Several Russian diplomats left Denmark after the start of the spy case, and according to Ekstra Bladet, Kivimäki’s lawyer, Anders Nemeth, had attempted to have them return to act as witnesses.

Nemeth would not comment on this claim however.

According to the press release from the city court in Glostrup, Kivimäki was found guilty of handing over documents, including the CVs of four employees at the Center for Military Studies, to Russian diplomats during his many meetings with them between 2002 and 2010.

Kivimäki was also found guilty of attempting to hand over a list of student names along with the CV of the head of the Center for Military Studies. He was found with these documents in his possession when he was arrested in September 2010.

The court implemented so-called ‘double-closed doors’ in order to protect Denmark’s relationship with Russia after recommendations from both the Justice and Foreign Ministries.

The case’s secrecy has now been appealed to the Supreme Court, whose ruling is expected to set a precedent in future spy trials.

Kivimäki was critical of the conviction and questioned PET's agenda.

“The court has believed PET’s paranoia,” Kivimäki told Ekstra Bladet. “The intelligence agency wants the population to believe that the country is full of spies and terrorists so PET can get more resources.”

Kivimäki is a Finnish citizen who has lived in Copenhagen since 1999. According to the press release from the court, his research at Copenhagen University focused on establishing peaceful methods for resolving conflicts.

“The defendant explained that he hoped to be able to affect the politics of the foreign country [Russia] through peaceful means and that he had acted alone," the court's press release stated.
http://cphpost.dk/news/international...entence-spying

[SoBad]

Originally Posted by Mike Bulgakov

In my opinion, people in Russia, especially Moscow, have been far too concerned with brands and trends since the early 1990s. Instead of choosing what they like, too many people make choices based on what they perceive as what they should like.

This is true everywhere, but there seems to be an element of insecurity in Russia that makes people more apt to choose the trendy brands, clothes, or restaurants, instead of making an independent evaluation.

I agree with your observations – appearances have been playing a far greater role in that city than in any other melting pot of the world perhaps. There is a wide range of social strata and immense pressure on the people in the middle to assert their association with the London-schooling Greek-vacationing class rather than the penniless thousands that come off the trains from Minsk and Dushanbe every day.

Bottom line – stay clear of pizza and sushi in that town…

[Rock Strongo]

This post has been erased.

[SoBad]

Originally Posted by Rock Strongo

This post has been erased.

Why has the post been erased? Now you need to cover up the cover-up

[tusharlovesrafa]

Where Is Sentinel??

[Mike Bulgakov]

Originally Posted by tusharlovesrafa

Where Is Sentinel??

Training with Roger in Dubai, preparing him for the 2013 season. This forum is much more entertaining with Sentinel, so hopefully Roger will let him post here soon.

[stringertom]

Originally Posted by tusharlovesrafa

Where Is Sentinel??

Please tell me his fear of abduction by an extraterrestrial was unfounded!

[TennisLovaLova]

Anyone notice this: on every watch pic it's ALWAYS 10:10, always...
Why?

[SoBad]

Originally Posted by Mike Bulgakov

Training with Roger in Dubai, preparing him for the 2013 season. This forum is much more entertaining with Sentinel, so hopefully Roger will let him post here soon.

The ongoing distortions in spacetime continuum are conducive to population shifts into parallel universes.

Originally Posted by TennisLovaLova

Anyone notice this: on every watch pic it's ALWAYS 10:10, always... Why?

[Rock Strongo]

Originally Posted by SoBad

Why has the post been erased? Now you need to cover up the cover-up

This cover-up has been erased.

[stringertom]

Just saw ancient episode of The Rockford Files and a non-speaking role of an asylum attendant was played by Cliff Klaban (John Ratzenberger)...he was a dweeb before he perfected dweebism on Cheers. I did like his take-off on Charles Kuralt that aired for a while on cable (was it called Made in America?)

Just noticed...Cliff Klaban; Charles Kuralt...pretty eerie, eh???

[Dedans Penthouse]

Originally Posted by stringertom

Just saw ancient episode of The Rockford Files and a non-speaking role of an asylum attendant was played by Cliff Klaban (John Ratzenberger)...

"That's uh.....that's yer basic type nutjob therah Sammy"

[SoBad]

Originally Posted by Rock Strongo

This cover-up has been erased.

It won't be easy to cover up this erasure now.

[Mike Bulgakov]

Originally Posted by Rock Strongo

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Originally Posted by SoBad

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Originally Posted by Mike Bulgakov

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[Mike Bulgakov]

It is not a good idea to take a leisurely swim in the Liffey. Also, if a criminal gang tells you, "You're going to sleep in the Liffey tonight!", it probably will not be a good night.

[SoBad]

Originally Posted by Rock Strongo

This post has been erased.

Originally Posted by SoBad

Why has the post been erased? Now you need to cover up the cover-up

Originally Posted by Rock Strongo

This cover-up has been erased.

Originally Posted by SoBad

It won't be easy to cover up this erasure now.

Originally Posted by Mike Bulgakov

....All knowledge of the cover-up must be forgotten.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rock Strongo
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Originally Posted by SoBad
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Originally Posted by Mike Bulgakov
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i agree - there is clearly no need to anticipate frivolous allegations of knowledge of a cover-up at this point, since the alleged erasure of the original cover-up operated to merely cover up a cover-up of something that obviously never needed covering up to begin with... i concur with your fresh-start approach here...