Колобок: The Little Round Bun

Колобок is a Russian Folk Tale of a little round bun trying to escape being eaten by various characters. The following is a translation of this beloved tale.

Once upon a time there lived an old man and an old woman who were very poor and had nothing at all to their name. And they kept getting poorer and poorer till there was nothing left to eat in the house, not even bread, Said the old man:

"Do bake us a bun, old woman! If you scrape out the flour-box and sweep out the bin, you'll have enough flour."

So the old woman scraped out the flour-box and swept out the bin, she made some dough and she shaped a little round bun out of it. She then lit the oven, baked the bun and put it on the window sill to cool. But the bun jumped out of the window and onto the bench outside, and from the bench onto the ground, and away it rolled along the road!

On and on' it rolled, and it met a Rabbit coming toward it.

"I'm going to eat you up, Little Round Bun!" called the Rabbit.

"Don't do that, Fleet-Feet, let me sing you a song instead," said Little Round Bun.

"All right, let's hear it!"
"Here it is!

"I was scraped from the flour-box  
And swept from the bin
And baked in the oven
And cooled on the sill.
I ran away from Grandpa,
I ran away from Grandma,
And I'll run away from you, this minute I will!"

And off it rolled and away. By and by it met a Wolf coming toward it.

"I'm going to eat you up, Little Round Bun!" called the Wolf.

"Don't do that, Brother Wolf, let me sing you a song instead."

"All right, let's hear it!"

"I was scraped from the flour-box
And swept from the bin
And baked in the oven
And cooled on the sill.
I ran away from Grandpa,
I ran away from Grandma,
And I'll run away from you, this minute I will!"

And away it rolled.

By and by it met a Bear coming toward it.

"I'm going to eat you up, Little Round Bun!" called the Bear.

"Don't do that, Brother Bear, I'll sing you a song instead!"
"All right, let's hear it!"

"I was scraped from the flour-box
And swept from the bin
And baked in the oven
And cooled on the sill.
I ran away from Grandpa,
I ran away from Grandma,
And I'll run away from you, this minute I will!"

And away it rolled and away!

By and by it met a Fox coming toward it.

"I'm going to eat you up, Little Round Bun!" called the Fox.

"Don't do that, Sister fox, I'll sing you a song instead."

"All right, let's hear it!"

"I was scraped from the flour-box
And swept from the bin
And baked in the oven
And cooled on the sill.
I ran away from Grandpa,
I ran away from Grandma,
And I'll run away from you, this minute I will!"

"Sing some more, please, don't stop!" the Fox said. "Hop onto my tongue, I can hear you better."

Little Round Bun jumped onto the Fox's tongue and began to sing:

"I was scraped from the flour-box
And swept from the bin-"

But before it could go on, the Fox opened her mouth and - snap! -she gobbled it up.

Born in the USSR

Recently, the Stetson's Russian Club hosted a music night which showcased a variety of Russian songs, ranging from the Soviet Era to more contemporary tracks. The attached song, "Born in the USSR", is a personal favorite of mine. The song is a throwback to Soviet Russia and is the counterpart of Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A.". Singer Oleg Gazmanoz provides the main vocals of the song, showcasing a wide variety of his vocal talents. I hope that you all will find this catchy song as enjoyable as I did.

Russian and English lyrics

Шашлы́к- Russian Kebaps

As the name suggests, this dish is a form of shish kebab, although the Russian version is served with chunkier portions of lamb, beef, chicken or salmon, and served with an unleavened bread, Russian pickles and a sometimes spicy tomato sauce. 

Шашлы́к Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 Leg of lamb (de-boned)
• 1-2 Large yellow onions, or any sweet onion, Diced.
• 2-3 Lemons, just the juice.
• 3-4 Tablespoons Olive oil
• Fresh ground pepper
• 2 Teaspoons of salt (or more to taste)
• 2 Minced cloves of garlic

Directions:

1. Trim most of the fat from the lamb and wash and dry it. Cube the meat into 1 ½ inch cubes
2. Place everything listed above in a large mixing bowl and give it a good stir.  
3. Put everything in a gallon zip bag and put in the fridge overnight.
4. Pull bag out an hour before you grill. Fire up your grill to HOT.  500+ degrees.
5. Put the meat on skewers with a little space between each piece so it will brown on all sides. Coat the grill with cooking spray or and oil soaked cloth first to prevent sticking
6. Depending on the heat, cook for about 5 minutes and then rotate until browned on all sides.
7. When they’re brown (10-12 minutes over high heat) , use a knife to check if they’re pink (not red) in the center.  
8. Get a thick metal or ceramic pot and pull the meat off the skewers and put them right in the pot and and immediately cover it to prevent the meat from becoming too dry.
9. Try to time this as close to the eating time as possible.  
10. Add a little more salt and pepper to taste  and dig in.

Lebedushka – A Russian Dessert

Lebedushka is a two layer gelatin dessert, with the first layer consisting of a creamy ricotta mixture, with the top layer being fruit and a flavored gelatin.

Ingredients

2½ tbsp unflavored gelatin
1 cup water
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 (3 oz) packages flavored gelatin (such as strawberry, raspberry, strawberry-kiwi, etc.)
2-3 kiwis
1 pint strawberries (or any other berries)

Directions

1. Pour the water into a shallow bowl. Sprinkle the unflavored gelatin over the water. Set aside for about 5 minutes for the gelatin to bloom( you will know what this means when you wee it). Place the bloomed gelatin mixture in the microwave for 1 minute. Do NOT boil. Set aside to cool.

2. Place the ricotta cheese, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla extract into the blender. Blend just until smooth.

3. When the gelatin mixture has cooled for about 5 minutes, add it to the ricotta mixture and blend to combine.

4. Divide the ricotta mixture among 6 individual cups. Chill in the refrigerator until the mixture sets, 1-4 hours. The longer the mixture to sets, the thicker it will become.

5. When the ricotta mixture has set, prepare the flavored gelatin according to the package instructions. Cool for 10-15 minutes. Peel and slice the kiwi and slice the strawberries. You can use many combinations of fruit and berries for this recipe. Place the kiwi and strawberries on top of the chilled ricotta layer. Pour the prepared flavored gelatin over the fruit and the ricotta layer. Chill until set, 1-4 hours. Garnish with more fruit or whipped cream.

Recipe

Islands of Conflict

The Kuril Islands

Located between the Japanese island of Hokkaido and the Russian Kamchatka Peninsula, the Kuril Islands are an archipelago consisting of 22 main islands and separate the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. With a combined area of 6,000 square miles, the Kuril Islands are hardly considered major land masses, but have nevertheless become major conflict in Russo-Japanese bilateral relations. Specifically, the conflicts over the Kuril Islands are centered on the southern islands of Kunashiri, Iturup, Shikotan, and the Habomai rocks. Both Russia and Japan are in dispute over the sovereignty of the four islands, with both nations citing history and past treaties as support for their claims. Various factors have influenced Russia’s foreign policy regarding the disputed islands including the overall benefits of the islands, domestic opinion, and international environment. The conflict over the Kuril Islands is a classic example of centrifugal forces within the context of Russian foreign policy.

The Influence on Russo-Japanese Relations 

The effect of the Kuril dispute on Russian and Japanese relations can hardly be understated. In the Putin era, poor Russia and Japanese relationship directly correlates with the stalemate over the Kuril Islands. The dispute over Kuril Islands is a classic example of a centrifugal force affecting foreign policy. Japan and Russia would both benefit from resolving the Kuril issue but the previously discussed factors are major barriers to a bilateral agreement. According to one article, “The never-ending dispute over the Kuril Islands is of disadvantage to both Russia and Japan: the resolution of the dispute would allow Japanese investment to improve the economy and living standards in Russia's far-flung province. For Japan, settlement of the issue would help weaken bumptious far-right groups that have the potential to complicate domestic politics and spark international crises.”[1] The possibility of a major eastern economic partner in Japan is seen as a major benefit to Russia and can act as a counterbalance to Chinese influence. Although the issue remains currently unresolved, recent developments have shown signs of a positive turn in Russian and Japanese relations.

---

[1] Anthony Wohns, "Island Warfare," Harvard International Review 34 (2013), no. 4: 8-9, http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=28d0fb87-141f-4708-b113-455b23325387%40sessionmgr114&vid=2&hid=114

Current Events: An Impromptu Meeting

Two days after the terrorist attacks in Paris, world leaders met in Turkey for the Group of 20 Summit. During the proceedings, President Obama and Russian President Putin had an informal meeting

The meeting was closed to the press, but Pete Souza, the White House's official photographer, posted a photo of the world leaders, flanked by National Security Adviser Susan Rice and a Russian aide, leaning into the discussion.

American and Russian officials say President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin traded views on Syria's civil war and broached the tense topic of Ukraine during the impromptu sit-down Sunday. The U.S. also says Obama and Putin agreed that Syria needs a political transition led by Syrians, preceded by negotiations mediated by the United Nations and a cease-fire. Obama and Putin have long been at odds about whether Assad can maintain a role following that transition.

The meeting may signal new developments between U.S. and Russian relationships and may lead to greater degree of cooperation between the two nations.

Links
Obama And Putin Have Impromptu G20 Meeting
Presidents Obama & Putin Have Impromptu Talk

A Thawing of the Cold War

The selection of Mikhail Gorbachev as General secretary of the Soviet Union ushered a new era in Soviet and American relations. His policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika signaled that the Soviet Union is changing dramatically. Together with President Ronald Reagan, Gorbachev would sign the landmark INF treaty which would scale back the nuclear forces of both nations. These developments, along with the increase dialogue between the two nations, would lessen Cold War tensions.

The picture above perfectly captures the climax of this monumental development. It depicts Reagan's visit of Red Square during the Moscow Summit of 1988. In the picture Gorbachev tells a Russian child, "Shake hands with Grandfather Reagan."