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From Value One, Winter 2007-2008 No. 19 |
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Moscow Representative Office
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60-Degree Annual Temperature Swing |
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| Summer is unusually hot, with many days over 30°C, but it is comparatively comfortable due to the lack of humidity. On the other hand, severe cold continues during winter, and at times the temperature drops to below -30°C! There is a technique needed to start your car on days like these. According to our Russian driver, turning on the electricity and waiting five minutes is basic. If you do not do this, there is a risk that the engine will freeze up and the car will end up immobilized. I have been in such a crisis once and, even though you are inside the car, waiting even five minutes when it is -30°C is pretty tough. It was a stroke of luck that it happened right in front of my house, but just the thought of what it might have been like on a deserted street gives me the shivers. I have followed our driver's advice scrupulously ever since. |
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This Is a Russian-Style Birthday?! |
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| A person celebrating his/her birthday in Japan would be given a birthday cake prepared by others. In Russia, however, that person would buy one and share it with his/her colleagues. Some business partners use their own cabinets in lieu of a banquet table to serve liquor and snacks. When invited to this kind of occasion, toasts are proposed with vodka from just past noon, leaving you feeling rather good by the time you return to the office in the evening. I once went to two birthday parties on the same day-one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Is this the way business is done here, or should I ask? |
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Haircuts in Russia |
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| Caution is required when getting your hair cut in Russia. First, if you just ask for a haircut without saying anything more, you will most likely find the hair on the back of your head completely untouched by scissors. Then, if you ask the barber to cut the untouched hair short, you end up with all your hair looking like freshly mowed lawn. That hairstyle is fairly common among Russian men, and I think it suits them. However, because of the type of hair that I have, that style does not exactly look flattering on me. On top of that, the barber always complains that my hair is hard to cut because it's so stiff and says, "My scissors get dull right away." |
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Hit-or-Miss Caviar Dishes |
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| Astrakhan, on the shore of the Caspian Sea, is a town famous for its caviar. The smallest sales unit here is one kilogram, which costs around ¥40,000. I bought some but had a hard time eating it all. I had about half left over, even after giving some away in the neighborhood, and needed to come up with a brainstorm. I started with the usual canapés, followed by such trial-and-error dishes as caviar atop a rice-and-seaweed roll, pasta, and caviar atop a bowl of rice. Of these, cream sauce pasta with caviar was particularly delicious; the best match was rich cream sauce. However, even caviar gets boring if you eat it every day for a week. Also, you need to be careful about your cholesterol intake in the first place. |
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| As much fresh caviar as you can eat |
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All Sorts of Sights to See in Vast Russia |
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| Whether the permafrost region in the north, bitterly cold Siberia in the east, or resort regions in the south, Russia is above all else huge, and the ability to commune with its vast natural surroundings is the country's greatest attraction. There are many places to see, but Sochi, known as a resort area on the Black Sea coast, will host the 2014 Winter Olympics and should probably be visited once before it becomes famous and gets crowded. |
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| Cheburashka, the Russian Olympic team mascot |
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