Can I ask you something? How come the Russians never smile? I’ve never seen them smiling.” “They’re at work. They're Russians.” "Is it normal for them to eat

Can I ask you something? How come the Russians never smile? I’ve never seen them smiling.” “They’re at work. They're Russians.” "Is it normal for them to eat without talking to one another?” “This is their job. They get 20 minutes to eat.” “Yeah, but they never smile. Are they happy?” Are the Russians happy? Is anyone happy? Can one ever truly be said to be happy? I am tempted to go full Slav on Conor, to explain to him how we are all just grains of dust suspended in the howling void, searching for meaning in the fleeting moments before we are yanked back to the oblivion from whence we emerged, naked and screaming. But for all his faults he's just a kid stuck spending his summer microwaving Yorkshire puddings for difficult people. I take pity. “Russians are formal. It would be weird of them to act relaxed on duty. They are all smiling on the inside.” -- https://idlewords.com/2018/12/gluten_free_antarctica.htm https://idlewords.com/2018/12/gluten_free_antarctica.htm