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All-purpose bag, grocery shopping and our women
Gotta love my all-purpose bag. It's almost miraculous how many things you can stuff in it. Thus, it is good for various purposes. For example, grocery shopping.
In Ukraine supermarkets bags are not included in the price. You want a bag - you pay extra or carry the purchased products in your hands.
So the cashiers are suppose to ask every customer if he or she wants a plastic (yes, toally not eco-friendly) bag. It's part of the ritual: "hello...do you have a discount card...do you need a bag".
But today, it went like "hello...do you have a discount card...wow...you...don't need a bag" She even said she wanted a bag like that.))
Yeah, it's full of parsley ;) But not only that, otherwise it wouldn't have been so heavy and I wouldn't have been thinking about powerliftig while carrying it home. Good thing it's just a 10 minutes walk.
So carrying my not so light bag home reminded me of what I once read about Ukrainian women on some dating agency website. It said that Ukrainian girls are slender because they walk a lot. 
Well, yeah, probably 90% of women here are fit when they are under 35. But women in their 40-ies and 50-ies no longer fall into that category, even though they still walk a lot. Most of them work and go grocery shopping regularly. But that doesn't help. It's obviously not enough to keep someone in shape.
It seems as though after 35 the importance of regular exercise grows and women who lack physical activity start gaining weight even if their diet remains the same.
I think, what keeps our young women slender is their youth and more or less healthy diet. At least, that is how things were arond here before. Nowadays fast-food restaurants are growing in numbers all the time (some are closing, though). But I believe most people here are well aware fast food is very unhealthy. MSG has only hit our shelves recently, and many families still cook at home.
I don't know if we'll become fast-food addicts like Americans, sure hope we won't, but convenience is quite tempting. Maybe this is the only case when poverty has advantages. Probably, more people would have consumed fast food had they had more money. Not that the junk is too expensive, but still buying cereals and cooking them at home is cheaper and will make you feel full, unlike some hamburger. For example, the cheapest vegetarian pizza is somewhat around 35UAH, while a kilogram of rice will cost half that money, and it will last for more than one meal. So people who are struggling to make their ends meet surely will opt for buying rice and boiling it at home. As you might know, Ukraine is not a wealthy country (excluding a few families in power). So... at least I found one positive aspect to the low wages of our people: it is keeping them away from fattening junk food making them continue to prepare meals at home, as their ancestors did.
More posts from this category: Whole grain pasta and a saladCooking Ukrainian borscht (vegetarian recipe)
 Irina |
25-04-2013
But the use of enhancers, steroids and anti-biotics is getting more common and out-of-control. If Ukraine still does it old school, then yeah, I'd love to try fully organic veggie stuff. Right... I wish. No, there are organic stores here but since a few years ago the situation has been worsening in conventional markets. A microwaved potato can do the trick if people decide to eat starch like pizza, they're better off eating a potato. However I'd stay away from microwaved foods just in case. I make juicy thin-bread lots of veggies and greens pizza with armenian bread that contains no yeast. Really nice. I even think it's healthy. Granted, the veggies aren't loaded with pesticides. As to whether Ukraine is a wealthy country. Maybe there's a bit of confusion in the distribution of wealth, because I know for sure that Ukraine has a lot of resources that can benefit its economy. Oh there's no confusion: the power elite and their ass-kissers don't get confused when they take a bigger part for themselves))) We have resources, but on every level there's somebody who steals them for themselves, their family and those who come in with big bribes. The rest get nothing. One comedian pointed out, that even if they discovered oil in Ukraine, nothing would've changed for an average citizen. Just like Russians hardly see benefits from being gas-exporters. This is a long-ass fuckin comment. Yep, it was :D |
 Steven-Inquisitor
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27-04-2013
Organic stores do exist here, but how organic are they? or how full of BS can they be?
Microwaved potatoes, My apologies for not pointing out that my comments are in response to habits of those who are sucked into the pop-culture of ready-to-eat and microwavable. If people are too lazy to bake a potato, a microwaved one still beats a large daily dose of artery clogging cheese pizza. If you're the one making the pizza, by all means, that's a different story of course. No one calls their baby fat, hah!. Distribution of Wealth I was more like "confused" because I wasn't sure whether I could touch abuse this topic while being unaware of if there would be some sort of a consequence or not, (in reference to organized establishments). But of course, some countries with resources seem to satisfy those in power, brown-noses, and their relatives, maybe belittle the rest of their people too. Sucks that favoritism scales heavier in many regions around the world. Juicy Bread?? You lost me here...How's bread Juicy? Is this something usual or extraordinary  Do people drink coffee or tea there? what's the norm? |
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Irina |
27-04-2013
Fine, I'll show you what I'm talking about. I call it pizza but it's not quite one. And not a simple sandwich eaither. But anyway, it's reeealy good.
I usually put more greens but this was all I had this time. The bread becomes crispy. And the whole thing is juicy because of a layer of tomatoes. Yum. After such a lunch ... who cares about the distribution of wealth! Do people drink coffee or tea there? what's the norm? We drink both. I don't think we drink too much of either but I can't be sure. |
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Steven-Inquisitor
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27-04-2013
Maybe distribution of lunch then, I really like the way it looks
Yes you can call it pizza maybe. Pizza used to be an extremely thin slice of flat bread, a hint of olive oil, some olives and a bit of cheese. yours is layered, looks great.  What kind of cheese are you using in it? |
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Irina |
28-04-2013
cool :) i'm using the salty kind of cheese, semi-soft, if there is such a term for cheese. but I've used different kinds and it tastes great with anything)) maybe it's just me |
Ukraine feeds many countries, I'm not sure if the source food there is altered. But the use of enhancers, steroids and anti-biotics is getting more common and out-of-control. If Ukraine still does it old school, then yeah, I'd love to try fully organic veggie stuff.
There's always a choice, but a price comes with it too, and often it's fraud, partially organic, but still altered.
As for Americans being addicts to fast food. It's not addiction, it has become a part of American culture in the early 1950's, when the consumer culture was rising, along with the influence of film and television that defined to young minds what it is like to be in America, how life is. The first drive in restaurant royce haily's pig stand opened in Dallas, followed later in the decade by White Tower, the first fast-food company to create franchises. Ray Kroc's McDonald's opened its first outlets in Illinois, and southern California in 1955. Five years later, there were 228 McDonald's franchises spread throughout the nation and abroad. Making the golden arches the most recognizable symbol of food in the world. Large supermarket chains. catering to customers with cars, just like the movies portrayed how society is like or what they wanted people to believe society is like.
Blah blah, Media is a huge influence, pop culture, movies...people copy and pick up and develop habits. nowadays it is more to the convenience of many individuals, In American standards, fast food is often cheaper, and eating unhealthy foods costs more than vegetables and fruits. Cola is often cheaper than milk, twinkies are cheaper than a box of strawberries, and they don't go bad as fast.
So reasons are many, they differ, but in many cases, it is what became a part of American culture, and the other side of the coin is the low cost of unhealthy food that contain large amounts of sodium and sugar.
It's really a mess, little difficult to address all the reasons in one paragraph. But, with the internet and
knowledge and awareness offered everywhere, I see no reason why people shouldn't stop giving a shit about staying fit more often, it is achievable through determination. A microwaved potato can do the trick if people decide to eat starch like pizza, they're better off eating a potato.
As to whether Ukraine is a wealthy country. Maybe there's a bit of confusion in the distribution of wealth, because I know for sure that Ukraine has a lot of resources that can benefit its economy.
Back to food...
One must try to eat in moderate human portions anyway, nourish our bodies when we're able.
Otherwise,
This is a long-ass fuckin comment. What an apocalypse