Food is probably the last thing on your mind when you are getting ready for marriage with a Russian woman. Many guys worry about more significant issues such as the language barrier or the process for obtaining a visa, and neglect something as banal as food.
Food, no matter how trite it sounds, should not be neglected. Food is not the same everywhere, so in order for both of you to avoid food-related culture-shock, you need to know what to expect. Trying to decide what to eat for dinner may not be as important as trying to decide how soon to have children, but it can certainly make your adjustment to each other and to each other’s cultures easier and smoother.
Nine Russians out of ten hate typical American food, so it is better not to take your Russian wife out to Burger King. Most newly wed Russian women (including myself) are shocked at how many preservatives are in certain American foods. Bread with 30 ingredients is still a big wonder to me since when I bake my own bread (which is 15 times better), I use only 4.
American juices are way too sweet for Russians and most Europeans and I still wonder why in the world there is high fructose corn syrup in every bottle (unless you buy 100% natural and organic). Many Russians (women and men) complain that food is too sweet overall, (even the one that is not supposed to be sweet, such as meatballs), that fruits and vegetables are tasteless and that half of the stuff in stores is fat free. We have a couple of Russian friends, who just moved to the U.S., who drink half-and-half instead of milk. They say that whole milk tastes like water and I actually agree.
I beg you to never ever buy a cake with bright green, pink and blue frosting for your Russian wife. I have yet to meet a Russian person who can eat that stuff.
If you don’t want to shock her too much, buy organic foods and drinks and avoid buying frozen dinners and fast food. If her English is decent, I suggest that you let her do the food shopping. However, you need to help her find stores with natural preservative-free and organic food. When I came here I was not even aware that such stores exist and I spent a number of days in melancholy and nostalgia for Russian food.
By the way, if you think you can’t afford organic, keep in mind there are ways to buy it cheap. We buy all our fruits and vegetables in an Arabic market, where prices are twice as cheap as in the supermarket and produce is much better quality. For spices, butter and rice we go to local Indian Mart, and for meats and juices we visit the Polish store. Most stuff (with the exception of produce) is imported from foreign countries and has very low content of preservatives (if any), is healthy and very tasty.
You can also hit local farms or co-ops for dairy and fruits and vegetables, which will save your money and make your Russian wife very happy.
I have to admit that I still can’t get used to American food and when we go out to parties with chips, soda and Budweiser (which most Russians don’t like either) I have trouble squeezing all this stuff in to me in order to be polite.
I found a way to keep my stomach happy by preparing meals at home and thankfully, my American husband, is in love with Russian cuisine, which is mostly what I am making now. Stay tuned for my next article where I will write about what to expect from Russian food.
