Alive and kicking

To follow up, I'm not dead and my liver seems to be functioning as per usual, according to my personal expert medical opinion. Also I'm taking some bitter pink pills called Mezim Forte before every meal and the seem to help with something. So I'm going to count myself healed. Thanks to all those that showed or felt concern.

A note about the food as perhaps it is the reason my insides were trying to escape

I eat mostly at a canteen where the food comes in options. It's nutritious and mostly palatable even if a bit repetitive.

I can have salad: shredded carrots with spices, shredded cabbage with a light vinaigrette, or julienne beets just plain, and the meat containing, mayonnaise-laden, eggy, pea thing. I avoid the last one and eat the previous three on rotation.

For soup, there is no option. It's the soup du jour which is always very brothy and is usually a Russian schi which generally contains broth and a few potatoes, some cabbage, carrots and onion but it rotates between just plain schi and borscht (add beets), and sometimes it's more broth with rice, broth with potatoes, broth with noodles (pictured), and occasionally broth with sausage.

Then we have the unsalted and unflavored starches: pearl barley, rice, noodles, and buckwheat. Once in a while they have mashed potatoes. Most of these benefit from some flavoring using mild Russian mustard (with horseradish), ketchups of all varieties (I have never seen so much diversity in ketchup in my life--it's all sweet and sometimes spicy), or a bit of sour cream. And salt and pepper.

For meat there is generally roasted chicken or pork or fish, or cutlets made from ground beef, pork or fish. Sometimes there is a stew-like dish with cubed meat and sauce. Like in the States, I rarely eat the meat, but when I do it's always beef.

For drinks I have the choice of kefir (which is I think essentially buttermilk), compote (which is sugared water boiled with either cherry juice or dried fruits, soft drinks and just water. I like compote a lot. But I always have to dilute it with as much water. Kefir is good, but it coats your insides. Also they have the regular hot drinks of coffee and tea. Because I don't drink either but do like warm drinks I have taken to making a drink with a slice of lemon and a spoonful of jam. I call it 'hot jam water'. It's surprisingly good.

One flavor sums up the experience of Russian food: dill. Just like Americans tend to flavor most things with salt and pepper, the Russians prefer salt and dill weed. Don't get me wrong, I love dill. I just didn't realize how many dishes it could be incorporated in and how much it makes everything taste similar.

Anyway, now you are all familiar with my Russian eating habits.

p.s. The pear I save for later, and the desserts are pretty much universal.