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Did you wifes have any adverse reactions to certain foods and drinks that we americans are accustom to.  For instance did they shy away from drinking water from your tap vs insisting on bottled water.

No doubt, our food is packed full of preservative and is called spicy.
Is there any thing we should avoid.

And what about her childrens.

For the guys married do you find yourselfs eating alot more Ukrainian/Russian meals or is she more in to experimenting with making western meals ?

... in response to For the guys that have brought over a la..., posted by wsbill on Apr 25, 2003

Like Svanos1, my wife is big into making sure everything is natural whenever possible. We eat lots of fresh vegitables and fruits every day. With every meal in fact.

I am not sure if its a trend with Russian women preferring natural foods, but I am pretty sure its adding years to my life.

... in response to Re: For the guys that have brought over ..., posted by DanM on Apr 28, 2003

Part of it is that fresh fruit and vegetables were nearly impossible to get during the winter months when most of our wives/fiances were growing up.  So, in addition to the health reasons, part of the attraction is just the ability to get them all the time.

... in response to Fruits and Vegetables, posted by SteveM on Apr 28, 2003

For my wife and her parents, it was mostly due to the advice of their doctor. He is pretty big on nutrition. My wife said he has been offered teaching positions in the USA so I guess he is fairly good.

... in response to For the guys that have brought over a la..., posted by wsbill on Apr 25, 2003

As far as cooking Russian food, it varies.  Sometimes we go a week or more, but then we have a run of traditional dishes.  One that I have not seen mentioned is garshochki--small clay pots filled with potatoes, meat and vegetables.  Also, the soups really are great--sausage, shchee, and bean/split pea, in addition to borsch.  The salads rate a mention too--Olivier, rice with crab sticks or tuna, beet vinagrette, and baklazhan (roasted eggplant).

She has liked most of what I cook--roasts, corned beef, barbequed ribs/chicken, grilled fish, and meatloaf come to mind.  Eating out, I got luckier than I ever hoped for.  Sushi and other Japanese food is her favorite, which is not surprising for someone who spent two years working in Tokyo.  Chinese and Thai is very popular; Indian, Ethiopian, and Middle Eastern also has gone over well.  Mexican is also on the regular list.

Can't get her inside an Italian restaurant to save my life, though.  Other than an occaisional diner, we don't wind up eating at American places very often, either--one thing that married life has not changed for me.

... in response to For the guys that have brought over a la..., posted by wsbill on Apr 25, 2003

Bottled water only. I think that the chlorine is as bad to them as anything that could possibly be in the water. Plus old habits die hard. It's really no big deal except filling the ice trays is kind of a pain.

My wife loves to try "interesting dishes" when we eat out but at home it's usually good old home cooking (Ukrainian style). No complaints from me there. She has fallen in love with Chinese food, Italian is O.K., but not really crazy about Mexican even though she likes spicy food (the only woman that I met in my search that did).

... in response to For the guys that have brought over a la..., posted by wsbill on Apr 25, 2003

My wife was more interested in trying as much of the food here as possible, things that she hadn't been exposed to there.  She is pretty open minded, and came to really enjoy Chinese, Indian, Korean, and Japanese food.  She doesn't realy like Vietnamese foods, nor Mexican food, but most of the other Russian and Ukrainian immigrants I have met enjoy Mexican food.  Our American salads are something unexpected for them.  We have make a trip to the Russian deli periodically to get some smoked fish, sausage, Kefir, and Pelmini, or whatever else.  I get the craving for borsht now and again, and she prepares a "Russian" dish so often...  I'd say it's about half and half.  Many foods she found too spicy, but she is getting accustomed to it.  As far as the water goes...  well, I prefer bottled water also, just because tap water tastes nasty.

... in response to Re: For the guys that have brought over ..., posted by oneiroknight on Apr 25, 2003

There is a reason for it to taste nasty-----it is. Check the "federally" acceptable limits on municipal water----especially "toilet paper" content. I am going to switch back over to my well and invest in a ozone generator.

... in response to Re: Re: For the guys that have brought o..., posted by Lynn on Apr 26, 2003

Just make sure you use a floride rinse for your teeth.

What is the Ozone generator for ?

Electric pump is what I use.. LOL.

... in response to Re:   Well water is what I drink..., posted by wsbill on Apr 26, 2003

Water purification---no chemicals---and it oxidizes all the harmful germs and bacteria, to say nothing of making your water taste great! You should do some reading on it. It's one of the best kept secrets in the medical field as well. If you are interested in that aspect, do not, I say do not read anything on any site that the gummit has anything to do with or the AMA for that matter, they are biased and you will see why if you go to this site;

http://www.geocities.com/ojoronen/OZ.HTM

It is a long read with a lot of links, but well worth the time. As I understand it, this has been used very successfully in eastern Europe for many years. Why isn't it mainstream here? In 1933 there was put forth mandates that medical treatments not involving "drug base treatment" to be shunned by board certified physicians. After all, if people aren't sick, why would we need doctors and drug companies?

... in response to Re: Re:   Well water is what I drink..., posted by Lynn on Apr 26, 2003

Being a water treatment professional I can address the ozone subject with a little background.

I have worked in several WTPs that used ozone as a PRIMARY disinfectant. The main advantage to using ozone is that it does not react with compounds in the raw water to form cancer causing byproducts such as trihalomethane (chlorine does). However it leaves no residual to protect from bacterial contamination in the distribution system therefore all public water systems are required to maintain a chlorine residual to the farthest reaches of their distribution system. Chlorine is added after the treatment processes to remove suspended and dissolved solids from the water so that the formation of THMs is lessened (not eliminated).

Ozone is only a disinfectant and does not "treat" the water aside from oxidizing some phenols and changing the radicals of some disolved metals to get them to precipitate more easily.

The use of ozone in wells (ground water as opposed to surface water) is not usually done except in some cases of high manganese content. It is very expensive to purchase and operate. It leaves no residual to react against bacteria that cause taste and odor problems in your pipes such as those that convert iron and sulpher compounds.

If you have taste/odor problems in well water, ozone is a poor choice for treatment (although there are many salesmen out there who would love to sell you a system). If you have a bacterial problem such as e.coli, you need the dig a new well into an uncontaminated aquafier.

... in response to Re: Ozone, posted by Rags on Apr 27, 2003

My use of ozone would be a point of use system. Iron and maganase are present, but not to big of a problem. I plan to use the ozone treated water for drinking only.

... in response to Re: Re: Ozone, posted by Lynn on Apr 27, 2003

[This message has been edited by Rags]

That might work OK. You could get some precipitate but it should taste better if your taste problems are phenol based. I would see if you can get a "test" unit installed to check the results before buying.

For taste and/or precipitate problems and a limited use such as drinking water use only, an activated carbon canister and filter cartrige would be a better (and cheaper) option.

This is not really the intended use of ozone unless you have a well that is contaminated from ground water runoff or phenol intrusion. If your well is sealed and the aquefier is not contaminiated by runoff or seepage you should have no need for an oxidizer type disinfection system.

BTW, ozone has been used here in the US since the 40's. It's definitely not the "new" technology that many chemical and WT salesmen would lead you to believe. It has fairly recently (1980s) become more widely used in SURFACE water treatment (even though it is very expensive) because of mandates to lower THM (identified carcinogen) levels. I would say that it would be an extreme rarity to find it used in a well system but, these guys will try to sell you anything. I'd be certain of the results before I put any money down.

... in response to Re: Point  of use, posted by Rags on Apr 28, 2003

Thanks for your imput. Actually disinfection is not my main interest (although it's a good perk), I am planning on buying a cold plasma generator (no nitrogen oxides output)large enough to use with a personal sauna cabinet and another smaller unit to ozanate drinking water just before use. Actually, I'm looking more toward a unit that will produce medical grade ozone--it's looking like 1,800---2,500 bucks for a good one, but it has a tranferable lifetime warantee.

... in response to Re: Re:   Well water is what I drink..., posted by Lynn on Apr 26, 2003

Long read there.  It's gonna take some time to figure it all out.  So how does one ionize their water?  The article says put the North pole inward.  That doesn't make much sense to me...

... in response to But are there ozone water treatments in ..., posted by John K on Apr 26, 2003

[This message has been edited by Lynn]

What section of that site did you see the reference to the North pole?

To answer your question, ozone is often used by municipal water treatment plants as a first step in purification as it is 2000 times more effective than chlorine.

To ozanate your drinking water it is as simple as the unit on this site;  http://www.aqua-ozone.com/purify.html

And this is just one of many, just the first one I saw. One of my friends uses a ozanator on his hot tub instead of chemicals.

The medical profession will only allow it to be used as therapy for "research". Do a little more reading, just a little more wool that has been pulled over the public eye.

... in response to Re: But are there ozone water treatments..., posted by Lynn on Apr 26, 2003

The water taste great straight out of well.  Even though you gotta go outside and use the water pump to pump it out of the ground.

Make no mistake about it... it taste great, even if the outhouse right next to the pump ../

... in response to For the guys that have brought over a la..., posted by wsbill on Apr 25, 2003

My wife is pretty picky about food also.  If it isn't still 'warm' she calls it 'synthetic'.  I'm exaggerating, of course.  But my step-son loves his school here (so far), but was shocked at what they offer kids to eat!  He referred to the 'potator rounds' as 'plastic potatoes'.  My wife generally thinks that anything packaged in a box and ready to cook is 'synthetic'.  What she is referring to is mostly 'preservatives'.  She thinks that just because it isn't listed in the ingredients doesn't mean it isn't there.

I will say that one thing the Ukraine has all over us here is their excellent choice of 100% fruit juice.  I love the peach, cherry, and multi.  I had her bring as much as she could when she came.

Also, I'm planting a garden now and she brought her own seeds for everything.

A little joke where I work... when I was visiting her the first time back in November, I asked her for some margerine.  She said 'oozhass!' (which means 'horrors!') and told me I must eat butter.  She then told me that when she comes to me she will make me fresh butter every week.  I started laughing and asked her 'where are you going to get the cream?'.  She answered, like it was obvious, 'Stevie!  From cow of course!'.  I cracked up laughing.  I told my friends at work about this, so now they ask me every week 'Steve, have you bought your wife a milk cow yet?'  This is hillarious to me!

... in response to Re: For the guys that have brought over ..., posted by svanos1 on Apr 25, 2003

and call it your pet... put it a rope around it's neck and tie it off in the middle of your yard and wal-la..instant lawn mower and milk producer.

... in response to For the guys that have brought over a la..., posted by wsbill on Apr 25, 2003

Hi

Have not yet got me loved one over, but I know in my country many ladies from Russia, etc. tends to buy ecological foods. (only natural fertilizer, no pesticides, no preservative and no GMO stuff).

... in response to Ecological food, posted by 104gummiand on Apr 25, 2003


Ain't nothin like love an home grown tomatos.....or so the song goes.

Actually there is a very thriving private commerce in raising and selling range grown livestock and foul in some areas. But most Americans do not realize where their foodstuff comes from or how it gets to the table. To them, it just appears on the shelf at the grocery store.

Preservatives are a good thing, at least for the funeral parlors, less embalming fluid ;)

... in response to Ecological food, posted by 104gummiand on Apr 25, 2003

My wifes mum buys it in the general store in the village near the dacha.

There's really not a market for artifial fertilizer or pesticides as they cannot afford them when growing their own produce at the dacha.

My wife told me that as a little girl she was sent into the vegetable garden to collect the colarado beetles from the potatoes.

... in response to Chicken sh!te, posted by Pordzhik on Apr 25, 2003

Are you saying they'd use these little critters as fertizler?  You do know lady bugs are a good bug to have on your plants say like tomatos because they eat little micro bugs...so you don't want to be killing them.

I'll have to check on that Colorado Beetle, and what it's use for.

... in response to Re: Colarado Beetles..., posted by wsbill on Apr 26, 2003

Stop 'em eating the tatties!

... in response to Re: Colarado Beetles..., posted by wsbill on Apr 26, 2003

I thought that you were "the" gardener here. She was collecting the beetles to kill them so they wouldn't eat all the leaves off the potato plants, thus killing or at least stunting production. Those wonderful poisons that we ingest here also take care of these beetles----isn't that comforting.

... in response to Re: Re: Colarado Beetles..., posted by Lynn on Apr 26, 2003

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2204.html

... in response to Re: Re: Colarado Beetles..., posted by Lynn on Apr 26, 2003

Get some dishwashing soap and put it in spray bottle (1-2 tea spoons) and the rest water.

Soak the leaves with this spray....bugs do not like the taste of soap.

Works great... pesticide free.

... in response to Re: Here tell her to do this, posted by wsbill on Apr 26, 2003

WOOT !!!

Thanks for the tip wsbill!

I'm going to bring a spray bottle and give Luda's family this tip for their garden at the dacha, which was infested with colorado beetles when I visited them in 2001. I spent an afternoon in the hot August sun, helping them pick off these little pesty beetles.

I'm going to be a hero when I show them how to remove the beetles with your method !!!

-Deckard

... in response to cool!, posted by Deckard on Apr 26, 2003

Just it is a pesticide that you sprinkle on the leaves, but bugs don't like it either.  You might double bag it in your suitcase.

From what I'm reading these beetles are some really tough critters..

So tell your family to check to make sure it will do the job, these bugs my just ignore the soapy taste.

Somewhere I have read 'stink bugs' which put off a stinking smell for the bugs are a pretty good inhibitor to these beetles as well.

... in response to Re: Take some stuff called SevinDust as ..., posted by wsbill on Apr 27, 2003

Try planting marigolds in the garden----bugs nor wabbits like them.

... in response to Re: Here tell her to do this, posted by wsbill on Apr 26, 2003

I've heard this recipe:

Take Fels Naptha soap, stick it in a old nylon and soak it in water for a day or so.  

Pull out the nylon with the soap residue in it, and then stir chewing tobacco into the water.  Let it set for a while.

Strain out the tobacco and spray the mixture onto the plant.  Supposedly the Fels Naptha soap gives the bugs the equivalent of diarhea and the chewing tobacco is the equivalent of getting them drunk.  Once insects get a taste of that, they're not supposed to bug you anymore...

... in response to I've heard something similar, posted by John K on Apr 26, 2003

and they were recommending using "Bt = Bacillus thuringiensis"... whatever that is.

I'll hack out what the book sez.  BT, is marketed as Dipel or Thuricide. This bacterium must be sprayed on a regular weekly basis, as new growth occurs to protect all surfaces.  It is active only upon ingession by the caterpillar or cutworm.  The larve are paralyzed so they stop eating a few hours after spraying.

The bacterium is harmless to mammals, fishes, birds and leaves no toxic reside in the enviroment.

... in response to Re: Colarado Beetles..., posted by wsbill on Apr 26, 2003

I havent read all the posts so maybe it is covered somewhere else but I get the idea from my wife that colorado beetles are a BIG problem in Ukraine and are a major pain ... eating the potato crop... and are not a welcome visitor from the usa... my wife is a good gardener and makes great "green borsht" using sorrell... also makes great borsht from beets as well...

Keith

... in response to Colarado Beetles... OH NO!!! lol, posted by keithandkatya on Apr 26, 2003

I bought some last year at Lowes and am growing it in a window box, but they don't have it available for planting this year.  I was hoping to plant a couple of more boxes for when Marina comes home...

... in response to Where are you finding sorrel?, posted by John K on Apr 26, 2003

My wife is the gardener in the family... I think she bought the seeds from home depot- kate says look in august for seeds in florida... she planted our current crop I believe in september so it has been awhile...

Keith

... in response to Chicken sh!te, posted by Pordzhik on Apr 25, 2003

and uses them for fertilizer, worm husks I think he calls them...I've also seen in hydroponic catalogs bat poop as fertilizer.  

http://www.wormsway.com  get one of these guys free catalogs and send them to your relatives.

... in response to Re: actually I know a guy that raises wo..., posted by wsbill on Apr 25, 2003

You've got some gems in that favourites list of yours!

... in response to WOW!, posted by Pordzhik on Apr 26, 2003

Friggin' scary, hmm?

Most of the 'South' is very sane & principled regarding: FREEDOM.

Simple people have that 'god-given' right to be: 'gem-esque', if they so desire *wink*.

For freedom & Mel's next flick: 'The Passion' (which seems to be stirring up so much hatred - from Hollywood & it's natural allie's (Brussels included) et al)!

Best to you,

Vaughn

... in response to For the guys that have brought over a la..., posted by wsbill on Apr 25, 2003

I've found with Marina, food out of a box or can tends to be looked down on and avoided at all costs.  She doesn't like mac and cheese, unless it's the real expensive stuff.

Still there are a few exceptions.  She will eat chili out of the can once in a while, but I mix it with salsa to give it a little zing.  Hot Pockets pastries pass muster, along with Microwaveable Chicken Cordon Bleu and Chicken Kiev.

One thing that she's found over here that she absolutely loves is barbeque.  I was grilling barbequed ribs over the coals practically every weekend, while she was here.  We have a deal; I grill them and she cleans the grill afterwards.  I think I get the better end of the deal there.  :-)

Marina does enjoy hamburgers and pizza, but our budget curtails buying such foods, except occasionally.  Also, we tend to watch our weight pretty closely, so even when we can afford it, we rarely splurge on pizza or burgers.

Things she doesn't care for are brocoli and spinach.  They're new foods and she isn't a vegetable fan to begin with.  Almost every cake we buy at the grocery store fails to meet with her approval, so it usually gets thrown out.  Peanut butter is also far from her favorites list.

Of course, every lady's taste is going to be different.  This is simply my wife's preferences.

... in response to My lady's tastes, posted by John K on Apr 25, 2003

my wife and daughter detest peanut butter too. But my wife, also Maryna, loves just about everything else. We eat fish, sushi, chicken, pork, beef, pasta and all types of veggies and salads. We also love pizza, but there aren't any good places near us, so we stock up on DiGiorno when they are on sale.

... in response to thats funny, posted by Stan B on Apr 25, 2003

Check this two links out....

I highly recommend this salad!
It tastes great!! On everything I put it on.
http://www.seedsofchange.com/garden_center/product_details.asp?UID=2003042515094764&item_no=S10729&q=+craquante

And here are some organic recipes, which I have just came across...enjoy.

http://www.seedsofchange.com/organic_foods/organic_recipes.asp?UID=2003042515094764

All of my produce is pesticide free and grown hydroponically.  It's just so easy to do and have it year round.

... in response to Re: Organic food recipes and gardeners, posted by wsbill on Apr 25, 2003

wsbill,

You mean you can grow your tomatoes year round? What about in the winter with the decrease in sun hours - do you kick on grow lights then?

... in response to Re: Re: Organic food recipes and gardene..., posted by thesearch on Apr 25, 2003

Two High Pressure Sodium lights: a 400w & a 1000w light in the green house to simulate a longer day.   It's really nice in the dead of winter as there aren't any bugs to fool with, now as spring arrives I'm getting some critters.

... in response to Re: Yep, I have two HPS lights, posted by wsbill on Apr 26, 2003

Lights as they're principally designed for plant growth (different UV lights) vs HPS which are designed for crop product/blooming and fruit development.

Hey and my tomatos taste like real garden fresh tomatos!  I tellya I got about 150 lbs I gotta sell tomorrow other wise they'll be getting to ripe and I'll have to throw them away.

Tell your wife I'm throwing away perfectly good tomatos!  Just because they're a bit overly ripe... However I do keep some so when I'm hawking them on the side of the road people can taste a sampling of them.

I generally sell them for .50-.75 each, extremely cheap for a hydro tomato...  As soon as the lettuce gets going (had to relocated them outdoors - too hot in greenhouse), I'll sell the lettuce for .50 a head.  Compared to the store bought $1.29 (no tax on the side of the road either, ha)

But in my remote area of Tennessee people are just cheap, so I shoot them some great low prices since they'll know where to go when they want something.

... in response to Re: Organic food recipes and gardeners, posted by wsbill on Apr 25, 2003

n/t

... in response to For the guys that have brought over a la..., posted by wsbill on Apr 25, 2003

Mine insisted on drinking bottled water for the first six weeks, now she she fills a glass direct from the tap.

I've finally got her out of the nasty habit of leaving cold tea in the pot and topping up with hot water even after several hours ugh! She still refuses to take milk and sugar with her tea.

The only canned foods we buy now are those tinned tomatoes I use for Italian recipes and caviar and other fish. She took a while to get used to frozen foods.

She's still experimenting with ingredients as our local supermaket has far more range than anything she could get in Ukrainian markets.

She has taken well to English cooking, I do all the exotic stuff about twice a week. Galoopsie and borsch and the home made soups are the only Ukrainian food we eat nowadays, we are not able to buy Ukrainian kolbassa sausage here.

I wouldn't say that there's anything to really avoid as taste is a personal thing. Your lady will be amazed at the range in your supermarkets and will need your help in choosing ingredients, esp, for the exotic recipes. Her favourite takeaway is good ol' cod and chips wrapped in paper bought from the seaside.

www.thefoody.com for English and Irish recipes since Roman times.

BTW. When we are out in restaurant, pub or club she always likes me to choose a drink or cocktail new to her, as back in Ukraine it's all just vodka and beer.

... in response to Re: For the guys that have brought over ..., posted by Pordzhik on Apr 25, 2003

Bangers and mash? ,  ...just kidding!

... in response to Re: For the guys that have brought over ..., posted by Pordzhik on Apr 25, 2003

before making soup from those things you find inside chickens that my mum used to feed to the cat.

... in response to She waits til I'm out of the house, posted by Pordzhik on Apr 25, 2003

I agree with you about the leaving the house when my wife cooks her chicken giblets....it is not a pleasant smell!

My Russian wife prefers my barbeque also...we buy a lot of fresh fish and I prefer it grilled, she asks for it often.

Apparently chineese food is quite expensive in Moscow, so when my wife arrived here she loved trying all the different Asian foods here in California...Mexican food is one of her favorites because they offer many dishes with shrimp.

One substitute we have found to a Russian dish...Pelmini...is to use chineese pot stickers...also known as Asian dumplings....very tasty with the proper sause..

My stepson only ate mashed potatoes and steemed rice when he first arrived two years ago. He would not eat meat, mostly due to his terrible teath...could not chew without pain. His teeth are in perfect health now and feels no pain so now he eats everything....he is not unlike any American kid now...still will not eat green vegetables!

... in response to For the guys that have brought over a la..., posted by wsbill on Apr 25, 2003

Gotta laugh at the question...
The wife was "boiling" milk just a few weeks ago for the baby over a year now so I ask her you still giving formula to baby???
She didn't know whole milk was "pasturized" and answers everybody "always" boils milk for small children ;-)...

Everything "leftover" use to end up as borche(soup) but "she" was the only one to eat it...
Her pelmeni and monte is a treat now and then but she has learned a lot of basic different dishes just by us stopping by a diner now and again(something many RW don't do before coming to USA is to eat "out" now and again...I suppose their economy dosen't allow for it...

Going to the market and purchasing food for the whole week was something that took some getting used to for her in the beginning...No animals outside and no outdoor markets around the corner...However,all types of imported fruits and vegtables available all year long was quite a "treat" in the beginning...

Thank God there "isn't" a bottle of Vodka on the table for "each" meal...

Now...If she could only learn how to "make" money as easily as she has learned to "spend" money....Some things are "universal" in every country....

... in response to For the guys that have brought over a la..., posted by wsbill on Apr 25, 2003

ggg

... in response to Very little FSU type food (BORING) - she..., posted by Stevo on Apr 25, 2003

I'd like to hear the kinds of food she was preparing you and how did you tell her to be creative with her cooking?

What is favorite ?