The View from Moscow

Some brief observations:

My host father likes to smoke his Chesterfield lights on the toilet. I don't know why - there is no ventilation in the bathroom or anything like that. Maybe it's just a nice place to sit and think. And the toilet is right next to the washing machine, so you can do your laundry at the same time. And who ever said the Russian way of doing things was inefficient?

Also, my host mother, while a decent housekeeper, seems to take a lax approach to food safety. I'm convinced there are things growing in the refrigerator that have fond memories of the Brezhnev era. Perhaps I should interview them.

Sushi is THE thing in Moscow now. I haven't had any, nor will I, as I suspect it will have an eerie glow to it...

But then again, I've eaten so many beets, potatoes, and grease-laden "food" in the last week that maybe I will eventually break down and get a "dable chizbooger" at "Macdonaldz" (think of Borat's accent and you're not far off the mark).

Oh, and I've already bought 3 new Lenin busts.