4 ms·

Yes, indeed, the "магазин" or the "гастраном" :) I also still remember the experience of having to bring a 3 liter pickle jar to buy milk from a barrel on wheel

by x0054 11y ago

Yes, indeed, the "магазин" or the "гастраном" :) I also still remember the experience of having to bring a 3 liter pickle jar to buy milk from a barrel on wheels. It's funny because sometime we would see the barrel pull up, but we wouldn't know what they were selling. Could be mil, could be beer, could be kvas (not sure how to translate). We would rush in, because what ever it was, it's better than nothing ;) I also remember a really funny story from my friends dead about his visit to Cuba. He went there in the early 80s, I am guessing. He went there with a delegation on some kind of diplomatic mission. Up on arrival he bent over to pick up his bag, and, as luck would have it, ripped his pants. Now, as you might imagine, being a proper Soviet and all, he was only traveling with that one pair of dress pants. So he asked their translator if there is any way they could go to a store of some kind to purchase another pair, before his fancy diplomatic meeting. So they went to the store, supposedly the main fashion store in the center of the city. When asked, the clerk told them: "Oh, no, we haven't had dress pants in for at least 3 weeks." My friends dead, desperate, asked: "Well, what about just needle and some thread?" Clerk: "Well, we have thread, but needle? Hmm, we haven't had those in years now." Eventually they ended up finding a seamstress who fixed the pants, but it was all very hush hush, because it was a crime for her to offer a private service, or for them to solicit it. Yeah, so communism rocks indeed :)

brc 11y ago
So I'm genuinely curious - what's your attitude towards socialism and communism now?
- zbraniecki 11y ago
  you're kidding right? People who lived through it don't find it funny... As my mom always said "Communism is such a great idea, but they should test it on mice first".
  - brc 11y ago
    Not kidding, genuinely intersted. I think you have answered the question. The reason for asking is occasionally I read about stories of people who are sad that they no longer live in a communist country. There was a movie made about that storyline as well. I always thought that - given the mass movements of people after the borders were opened - everyone would have seen it as a gigantic waste of years of their life and would hate the very mention of it. But I've only met a handful of people who lived under communist regimes and usually they don't want to talk about it.
    - x0054 11y ago
      I only lived through the tail end of it, I was borne in Kiev in 1984 and moved to US in 1996. Politically I am libertarian, very much so. I think every one should do their own thing, marry who they want, smoke what ever they want, and take care of them selves and their family, and not expect the government to do anything for you. Maybe I am wrong, maybe I am just swinging too much in the other direction after communism, but it is what it is. My parents are largely the same, they hate communism, hate Russia, and would never want to come back to communism. My grandfather was a Military Colonel, but on the medical side, he was a Doctor. I guess he could be considered a "party" man, but he hated the party and the government. He loved his work, and cared deeply for the soldiers he was helping, but he couldn't stand the communist party. He was incredibly happy to see the day Ukraine became independent. My grandma, on the other hand, loved the communist party. She was always well taken care of by the system, and she thinks communism is awesome, or at least that's what she says. In reality what she is missing are the good days, when she was younger, had lot's of friends, and had a generally good life. She never experienced the really horrible side of the Soviet union, so she only has good memories. That said, if I was to ask her if she thinks I would be better of in a communist state, he answer would be "God NO!" She is a realistic woman. She knows intellectually that the Soviet government was evil, but their current situation in Ukraine is very bad as well, and she can't help but be nostalgic.
V-2 11y ago
It's so awesome, why didn't all these Western fans of it flock in while they still could is beyond me ;) > Could be mil, could be beer, could be kvas (not sure how to translate) Kwas seems to be just "kvass" in English. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kvass https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kvass It's more popular further to the East (than Poland), still I remember we'd brew it at home back in the day, as a little boy I liked to pretend it was beer Speaking of beverages, everyone from the former Soviet bloc surely remembers these machines :) http://img.interia.pl/biznes/nimg/1/k/Woda_saturatora_5343875.jpg http://img.interia.pl/biznes/nimg/1/k/Woda_saturatora_534387... https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Saturator_1968.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Saturato...
usaphp 11y ago
It's called "Гастроном" not "Гастраном"
- x0054 11y ago
  Thanks, yeah, no Russian spellcheck here, and it's been so long, not that I was ever good at spelling :)
austenallred 11y ago
For what it's worth, that's how a lot of people get their kvas/milk today in eastern Ukraine. At least in the smaller cities I lived in (Gorlovka, Makyevka).

by x0054 11y ago

brc 11y ago

So I'm genuinely curious - what's your attitude towards socialism and communism now?

zbraniecki 11y ago
you're kidding right? People who lived through it don't find it funny... As my mom always said "Communism is such a great idea, but they should test it on mice first".
- brc 11y ago
  Not kidding, genuinely intersted. I think you have answered the question. The reason for asking is occasionally I read about stories of people who are sad that they no longer live in a communist country. There was a movie made about that storyline as well. I always thought that - given the mass movements of people after the borders were opened - everyone would have seen it as a gigantic waste of years of their life and would hate the very mention of it. But I've only met a handful of people who lived under communist regimes and usually they don't want to talk about it.
  - x0054 11y ago
    I only lived through the tail end of it, I was borne in Kiev in 1984 and moved to US in 1996. Politically I am libertarian, very much so. I think every one should do their own thing, marry who they want, smoke what ever they want, and take care of them selves and their family, and not expect the government to do anything for you. Maybe I am wrong, maybe I am just swinging too much in the other direction after communism, but it is what it is. My parents are largely the same, they hate communism, hate Russia, and would never want to come back to communism. My grandfather was a Military Colonel, but on the medical side, he was a Doctor. I guess he could be considered a "party" man, but he hated the party and the government. He loved his work, and cared deeply for the soldiers he was helping, but he couldn't stand the communist party. He was incredibly happy to see the day Ukraine became independent. My grandma, on the other hand, loved the communist party. She was always well taken care of by the system, and she thinks communism is awesome, or at least that's what she says. In reality what she is missing are the good days, when she was younger, had lot's of friends, and had a generally good life. She never experienced the really horrible side of the Soviet union, so she only has good memories. That said, if I was to ask her if she thinks I would be better of in a communist state, he answer would be "God NO!" She is a realistic woman. She knows intellectually that the Soviet government was evil, but their current situation in Ukraine is very bad as well, and she can't help but be nostalgic.

V-2 11y ago

It's so awesome, why didn't all these Western fans of it flock in while they still could is beyond me ;) > Could be mil, could be beer, could be kvas (not sure how to translate) Kwas seems to be just "kvass" in English. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kvass https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kvass It's more popular further to the East (than Poland), still I remember we'd brew it at home back in the day, as a little boy I liked to pretend it was beer Speaking of beverages, everyone from the former Soviet bloc surely remembers these machines :) http://img.interia.pl/biznes/nimg/1/k/Woda_saturatora_5343875.jpg http://img.interia.pl/biznes/nimg/1/k/Woda_saturatora_534387... https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Saturator_1968.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Saturato...

usaphp 11y ago

It's called "Гастроном" not "Гастраном"

x0054 11y ago
Thanks, yeah, no Russian spellcheck here, and it's been so long, not that I was ever good at spelling :)

austenallred 11y ago

For what it's worth, that's how a lot of people get their kvas/milk today in eastern Ukraine. At least in the smaller cities I lived in (Gorlovka, Makyevka).