Borscht and other side effects of watching the Americans

I think watching the American is totally getting me into things Russian, even though practically nothing they do on the Americans is Russian. I mean the scenes at the Rezidentura yeah. But What do I mean about things Russian. I mean Phillip eats Borscht while at a KGB safehouse or whatever they call it and I'm like, "huh what the hell is Borscht."  had to Google it. I mean I know I had heard of it before. But honestly, I think I heard of it in some 1980's SNL skit making fun of it and how gross it was.

This isn't the first time food was mentioned or alluded to on the show. The first time was the Caviar which Stan Beman uses, seemingly to test Phillip beacuse he suspects he is Russian. Phillip pretends to hate it while eating it with chips and beer. Later he eats in the proper way with Elizabeth. There was also Vasilli teaching Nina the proper way to make tea.

The only reason why I had any diea what the hell they were talking about was because in Philly, this past Christmas Grace and I went to a Russian store near the old Philly house. I don't know if it was always there or not. But I don;t think I had ever been there. One of the main things we got there wer the Kinder Surprise eggs.

We had happened to see Tea as well. I didn't know Russian Tea was a big deal.

In fact, even though this show, The Americans, is about the KGB, it is done in a better way I think. I mean I don't know what someone Russian would think of the show at all.

But let's see the other shows I watch, whether it is Madame Secretary or the new Jack Ryan movie or some stupid action movie I saw. Really when Asians complain that they are the only safe group to make fun of... it's not true. Russians are. Part of this may be because Russians are white and a minority and we have a rivalry with the Putin.. all at the same time.

I mean watch despicable me. I recommended that movie to a Russian American friend of mine for her child to watch... and then the next day after I thought about it I had to quickly recant and warn her... I mean maybe she doesn't want her kid watching a movie where the stereotypical villainous accent is a fake Russian accent.

Then the adult shows are even worse. Okay they are talking about Russian Gangsters or KGB or whatever, that's a normal part of the movie. The bad guys just happen to be Russian. That didn't get me. What got me was when they were showing the Orthodox Church to somehow be some sort of cesspool of money laundering or organization of evil like Specter or Fu Manchu or whatever. I mean it was pretty bad and I'm not even Russian.

Anyway, I think I'm going to have to try Borscht, and maybe read some Russian novels. It's true I've never read Anna Karenina or anything famous. Why? Why does it take this spy show to want me to even look at that stuff? I don't know.

Another side effect is that tonight's show was the second one to get me emotional. The first was when Elizabeth meets her mother and kneels before her. I'm just saying there is some similarity between that image and stuff you see in some Chinese culture. Not the newer younger families. It's got nothing to do with how I myself was raised obviously... well come to think of it even on my white side I did see my mom kneel before my grandfather like that... once... but then in the next sentence she was rip shit and calling him a dope and told me not to go near him. (I think my grandfather had suggested that I simply take the Peters name and forget the Cheung name since my father had passed anyway. He had a point actually, if that's what he was thinking. I mean maybe it's not even what happened. I was so young and only heard snippets. But I think it was something to do with the fact that I could pass for white and that I would be less confused if I just picked a side as it were, and why not pick the side with family here and the one that has more power in this country? Again My mother did not respond well though. But I digress)

Anyway I was emotional when Elizabeth kneeled before her mother. And then tonight when Martha talked about being alone in Russia by herself, just like before she had met Clarke.... it was so sad. They play the show again. Their playing it again right now. And I'm sort of watching it again I guess. I'm pretty into this show... and for good reason. It's a good show.