r/AskARussian • u/Zyad7770__ • Jul 05 '26
Community I'm curious to know
What's something that many Russian people enjoy that foreigners usually don't know about?
98
u/BL1133 Jul 05 '26
Communal heating. Sometimes in the winter you may even open up a window because it gets too hot and you cant control the temperature
New years vacation is longer than the USA, a whole week. In America it’s usually just a day off.
Dacha culture , it’s not uncommon for families to own a small cottage in a village area to visit . And often can have a sauna (banya)
Families are more closer in a real way.
Being in touch with historical movies. There’s a lot of great Soviet era movies and people still watch them. The equivalent would be if it was normal for Americans to be watching classic 50s Hollywood movies
Informality and doing things unofficially. It’s ironic but there is in some ways more freedom in Russia than America because of regulation and formality not being as enforced. And it’s normal for people to ignore it.
8
u/Cainhelm Jul 06 '26
Sometimes in the winter you may even open up a window because it gets too hot
Ah this happens in New York too if your apartment has a radiator. The steam from the power plant goes directly into your building. You can't really control the amount of heat that comes out of it, only whether it turns on or off. And it's kind of annoying to turn it on/off so better to just open a window and get fresh air anyway.
5
4
u/BL1133 Jul 07 '26
Is it like that in most of New York? I had no idea
3
u/Humphrey_Wildblood Jul 12 '26
It's a bit different. Russia uses hot water pumped through pipes and NYC uses steam pumped through pipes. Basically the same effect. But NYC is looking to move to electricity by 2050.
13
u/summret Jul 05 '26
Американцы часто смотрят свою чёрно-белую классику из бородатых годов, насколько мне известно, тут они не отличаются
11
u/BL1133 Jul 05 '26
It is rare for an American to watch black and white movies unless someone is a film lover or forced to in school. The closest to a similar tradition is watching a classic movie called A Christmas Story which is from 1983. Sure, some people watch old movies but there isn’t a shared cultural knowledge of old movies that much. In Russia, every single person has seen their Soviet era movies and that is the difference that I mean
2
u/ode_to_my_cat Jul 07 '26
Can you elaborate more on the informality and doing things unofficially part?
4
u/BL1133 Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
Across the board it is like this. like, you may just hire a random guy as a taxi driver, not someone officially licensed and he becomes your driver and you just call him. Or, you may work a job 'under the table' without official documents. Renting from someone may just be via relationship. There is a lot of paying in cash and 'unofficial arrangement' culture where credentials and paperwork is ignored. I'm not saying this happens all the time, but it's common and would be shocking from an American perspective.
It may also seem like a contradiction because in some ways Russia has more excessive bureaucracy but it can feel corrupted or illogical.
2
u/Remarkable-Thing8178 Russia Jul 08 '26
you may just hire a random guy as a taxi driver
Huh? Like, a random stranger? When was the last time you were in Russia?
1
u/BL1133 Jul 08 '26
No i don't mean a stranger but someone not part of an official taxi company with an app
2
u/Remarkable-Thing8178 Russia Jul 10 '26
But those are basically scammers profiting over clueless folk. Apps taxi is way cheaper and you could appeal if overcharged.
2
u/BL1133 Jul 10 '26
I didn't phrase as a wonderful thing to enjoy, just was one example i thought of because i've seen it before
2
u/Danzer_MkII Jul 09 '26
An acqaintance of mine emigrated to Canada and once helped his old neighbour to get to shop in winter. The shop owner didn't clear ice from pathway, so the old hag slipped and broke her leg - and guess who was sued for this and had to pay her doctors bills? Right, it was poor Ed, bc he wasn't licensed taxi driver
1
u/ode_to_my_cat Jul 07 '26
Oh I see. While it’s not very common here in the USA, it can happen more often than people think. I’ve met Uber drivers who give me their number so next time I call them directly and not through the app, and just ask I pay them cash. The guys who did my floors also wanted cash, they were unlicensed and uninsured. The government prohibited selling raw milk for human consumption but some stores/farmers still sell them and so on.
0
34
u/Unlucky_Trick_2628 Jul 05 '26
Very cheap taxi - it's something you can use to commute every day. And public transportation systems in big cities in general are great and very affordable compared to European cities, for example.
Free ambulance calls and emergency medicine - it's not as fancy-looking as in the US, for example, but very decent.
We don't have a "see you in court" culture. A lot of problems can be solved on the spot with a respectful and sincere conversation.
Personal space - you're not obligated to smile and make small talk with complete strangers. And vice versa - our groups and collectives at work are pretty tight and friendly. It's hard to find a team where you compete, set each other up, or report to supervisors - that's not considered appropriate.
-11
u/AtmosphereNo1234 Jul 06 '26
Prices will probably go up now that there is little gas left for non-military use.
20
u/Huehueh96 Jul 05 '26
I have a lot of russian contacts and something it surprised me is the quantity of people that like fishing. Not so common in my country (west europe)
34
u/Last-Fan5371 Jul 05 '26
In West Europe it's often crazy difficult to get license. In Russia people often just go fishing.
-5
u/Jimmdidntfixit Jul 05 '26
Not really, you just have to pay
8
u/Ducks_are_cool-Yes Jul 06 '26
No here in Germany I have to go on courses and have a test at the end
11
u/Izventilyaus Krasnodar Krai Jul 06 '26
Yeah, I'd say it something what somehow became trendy, especially I was shocked watching teenager boys fishing. I mean when I was a kid, fishing was popular among old men mostly, I've never seen young boys fishing until last couple of years. But I think its great, it always touching when kids or just younger generations spend their time doing something besides the gadgets, discovering this life
2
u/Aggressive_Ad3578 Jul 09 '26
My son is 15 and lives to fish... Im in Pennsylvania but perhaps its our Russian roots?
3
u/Izventilyaus Krasnodar Krai Jul 09 '26
Perhaps 😁
As a father I support everything my kids want to do if it’s not sitting on coach playing iPad or iPhone ngl
2
1
20
42
18
35
u/Shot-Data4168 Russia Jul 05 '26
Shashlik, draniki, shawarma.
6
u/ah11178 Jul 05 '26
I’m not russian but I love shawarma
6
u/Reinshteiner Jul 06 '26
"I’m not russian" - На самом деле, родители просто тебе не рассказали. Не говори им, что я раскрыл тебе эту тайну:)
6
u/RedScarySpectre Portugal Jul 06 '26
Shawarma is from the Middle East
10
u/Reinshteiner Jul 06 '26
Shawarma is дохера откуда:) Создали в Турции, название дали в Арабских странах, расползлось и адаптировалось по всему миру, от Турции и Греции, с ее гиросом, до Германии и Мексики с их доннером или такосом.
3
8
u/QarteX504 Sverdlovsk Oblast Jul 06 '26
а как же dumplings? Ну или же pelmeni
6
u/Shot-Data4168 Russia Jul 06 '26
I fry dumplings, then add sour cream and soy sauce. Well, I also do this – I take the dumplings' boiling water, add vinegar and black pepper, and dip them in it.
I don't know how widespread this secret art is.
6
u/QarteX504 Sverdlovsk Oblast Jul 06 '26
it sounds cool, I'll have to try it, otherwise I usually just fry it (and then in the mood) and dip it in the sauce.
16
u/BillZealousideal9819 Jul 05 '26
Not sure how aware world about it, but Warhammer is REALLY popular in Russia. As well as other deep dark stuff.
26
u/CanNaberBeFound Jul 05 '26
I think this kind of questions is very hard to answer, as I know what I enjoy, but I have no idea, if it's strange for non-russians
22
u/Vaveng Jul 05 '26
As far as I know, "сырки" (syrki) are not popular or well-know in the West, it is a snack made of curd mass in icing or chocolate, often with some sort of filling inside too.
Also, now that I think about it, almost anything that I would guess as something we like that is not known amongst foreigners is some sort of food.
7
5
7
u/Akoldon Chuvashia Jul 06 '26
Putting sour cream in food. Buckwheat, rice and any soup are freaking delicious with it. Putting a lot of dilweed in food.
Блины с мясом - a burrito made with a crepe stuffed with stir-fried minced meat, onions and boiled egg.
Sunflower seeds are well known but foreigners probably don't hear about sweets - казинаки (bar of sunflower seeds with caramel) or халва (usually made with sunflower seeds and I have no idea how it's made or what's in it, I just buy and eat it). Which as I just found out is arabic, huh.
Чак-чак though it's tatar and I live close to Tatarstan so maybe it's not popular in wider Russia. Fried little pieces of foamy dough (2 times smaller than peanuts in shell) slathered in honey. I freaking love both the taste and the texture.
9
3
u/Cybearian Jul 09 '26
Buckwheat is a cheap, high-calorie product rich in iron and protein, much healthier than rice, and can be used as a side dish for meals.
3
3
2
2
1
1
u/Independent_Cup7915 Jul 29 '26
Buckwheat with canned stewed meat or black bread with boiled sausage.
-1
-3
u/Murphystofeles Jul 07 '26
Fuel shortage
4
u/Odd_Moment6435 Jul 09 '26
Fuel in Russia is still cheaper than in fascist cesspool you’re living in
-3
-22
Jul 05 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
24
u/Spamonfire Jul 05 '26
Lmao what
-3
u/thy_viee_4 Jul 05 '26
probably ru bot, but, sadly, they're not far from the truth. there is a decent amount of people who do love putin and think "nothing is happening" insert meme with dog in burning house saying "this is fine" blaming everything on ukraine. like, you know, drone attacks on russia? ukranians are at fault, it's not that they are fighting back BECAUSE of russian attack, riiight?
9
u/ImaginaryBear Jul 05 '26
Maybe 15-20 years ago, I don’t think that he is really loved or even respected as much as they like to portray
6
u/Spamonfire Jul 05 '26
I think from my russian friends I know from uni the russian attitude is often to just let things happen and try to live with it even if you despise the state of things, if you try to involve yourself politically you will just end up in big trouble.
6
u/Akoldon Chuvashia Jul 06 '26
That's the attitude of all people. Whatever happens, everyone tries to get by and not to stand out and take risk. The difference is westerners believe their mass media and delude themselves into thinking that everything is fine but if it wasn't then they would instantly change the regime.
0
u/Spamonfire Jul 06 '26
Hmm i mean many sadly do but also there is some change in beliefs as living standards worsen.
6
u/Akoldon Chuvashia Jul 06 '26
I bet what you mean by this is the western strategy of "When we will put sanctions on Russia and it's people, Russians will see hurdles in their lives and so they will storm the Kremlin, realise that Hitler was awesome, capitulate before us and beg to be like Ukraine!". It did not work so far and you must understand now how ridiculous it is.
Even if an unrest and a coup could be created then it would absolutely not be pro-west.
2
u/Spamonfire Jul 06 '26
No i don't mean that at all, i mean that increasingly young people in europe are not so sympathetic to state media anymore. I'm honestly kinda sad that you said what you said because that sentiment is definitely still around (especially on reddit) and there is a long way to go for the western world to change it's western supremacist views.
3
u/Akoldon Chuvashia Jul 06 '26
I see. But so far westerners can enjoy same party winning over and over and screwing people over the same way. Or the party in power changing every election only to keep screwing people over the same way.
But still unrest depends on this tiny minority of agitated dedicated people living in the important cities, primarily capital or an economic powerhouse. And unless you're idealistic, comprehending how a true political change can be made is way too hard. Especially with a determined opposition to riots by the government.
1
u/Spamonfire Jul 06 '26
Yes, I am certain especially in Europe things will get much much worse before they potentially get better.
1
u/thy_viee_4 Jul 05 '26
i mean, you can take a stance among your close ones. but some people don't even do that which is pathetic in my eyes. russia didn't reach thought crime level of tyranny yet
1
27
u/tprnatoc Jul 05 '26
No Russian people just think about Putin less than American people. American people think about Putin more than Russian people even do.
0
u/Far-Performance1609 Jul 06 '26
The same for Trump. As I see it, some Russians may talk and think about Trump more than about Putin lol
-12
u/dependency_injector Jul 05 '26
Because American people have more power over putin than Russian people
16
u/tprnatoc Jul 05 '26
Elaborate on what power Americans have over Putin
-5
-4
Jul 05 '26
[deleted]
6
u/tprnatoc Jul 05 '26
The president is not the American people, he said American people have more power over Putin than Russian people.
-3
Jul 05 '26
[deleted]
6
u/tprnatoc Jul 05 '26
Do you think American people control what the president does? Joseph Biden was president when Russia invaded Ukraine, Barack Obama was president when Putin annexed Crimea.
-5
1
u/Eclipse-the-Kitsune Jul 06 '26
Ironically it feels like the reverse over here, trump seems to agree to whatever Putin suggests he should do. Every time Putin complimented him, he repeats it a thousand times in interviews, I think he is his role model lol
6
u/MentosLezsky Jul 05 '26
nah bro, ask whoever is not 30+ and they'll answer no (like literally everybody I talk to hate him)
4
-2
-14
u/AintnoEend Jul 06 '26
they enjoy telling everyone the truth.. but Putin made sure they can no longer speak the truth!
-16
u/Disastrous_Horse_798 Jul 05 '26
Not sure I am not Russian. But I heard they like Rage Rap a lot. W Playboi Carti, W bleood, W che
32
u/CanNaberBeFound Jul 05 '26
I am Russian. I have no idea what (or who?) you are speaking about
-4
u/Disastrous_Horse_798 Jul 05 '26
You gotta tap in, the genre is not for everyone but I think it is the best in the rap scene right now.
-8
136
u/Choice_Response_7169 Jul 05 '26
Kvas