(Pop Science)

“In America, you have a job. In the Soviet Union, job has you!”

(an old joke)

The Soviet Union had a number of products that today might seem unusual or even strange. Some of them were the result of shortages, others were the result of experiments by the food industry.

Today, such products are not found in  present-day supermarkets (perhaps for the better).

One of the most common habits I have noticed in our society is eating everything with bread. This applies not only to our grandparents’ generation, but also to our parents. In some families, my generation was even taught to eat everything with a slice, or better yet, two slices of bread.

All this adoration of bread is explained by several facts:

• Availability and cheapness. Bread was one of the most accessible and cheapest foods in the USSR. This made it an important source of calories, especially for people with low incomes.
• Shortage of other products. In Soviet times, there was often a shortage of meat, vegetables, and other products. Bread helped to satisfy hunger and provide the necessary energy. Why was there a shortage? Because only the top brass of the government could live well and eat normally and nutritiously. The second and even larger problem was the artificial famine, which the authorities organized more than once in Ukraine. These were tragic events in 1933 and 1947…

As for me, I broke up with a loaf of bread once and forever, because our relationships were too crumbling 🙂