January 18, 2022

The Fight for Dumplings


The Fight for Dumplings
Certainly a controversial subject. Flickr user Gourmandise

Good news, kids: you might finally be able to have pelmeni at school!

During a recent meeting of the Moscow Oblast regional government, governor Andrei Vorobyov inquired with indignation as to why pelmeni are not given to children in schools. Minister of Education Ilya Bronshtein replied that it is a matter of public health. Bronshtein suggested that the issue must be taken up with Rospotrebnadzor (the federal service responsible for consumer rights), as (according to him) the popular dumplings pose a health risk that other foods do not.

Vorobyov handled the situation sternly; he demanded that this unthinkable situation be corrected. "What's wrong with pelmeni? It's a reasonable desire. We all went to school, we all wanted pelmeni. Why are there no pelmeni?"

The issue was closed when the chief sanitary doctor of the region promised to work on adding pelmeni to the menu in the near future.

Fortunately we adults can have as many pelmeni as we want.

 

You Might Also Like

School Lunch Gourmet
  • December 24, 2021

School Lunch Gourmet

An annual Russian competition to decide the best school cafeteria cook in all the land was held recently.
Something Worse Than Detention
  • November 12, 2021

Something Worse Than Detention

An abandoned crypt found on a Russian school's property takes the phrase "bored to death" to a whole new level. 
Get Them Vacs A-Rollin'
  • June 16, 2021

Get Them Vacs A-Rollin'

“The main condition is that the first shot of the vaccine must be administered between the 15th and 25th of June 2021 at the vaccination points of the Ministry of Health of the Moscow Region. For this purpose, you can choose any drug: ‘Sputnik V,’ ‘EpiVacCorona,’ and ‘KoviVak.’” – On June 13, Governor of Moscow Oblast Andrei Vorobyov announced a lottery to win a new apartment.
Pelmeni, Rogue Rivers, and Military Bands
  • April 29, 2021

Pelmeni, Rogue Rivers, and Military Bands

In this week's Odder News, a military band delights a kindergarten class with songs from cartoons, Russian food might be able to make it in New York, and a Moscow nurse has had enough of this pandemic.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955