When my oldest was still at his Russian-run preschool, he came home one day and told me he had eaten "fish eggs" for lunch. "Don't you mean chicken eggs?" I asked. "No, not yellow eggs," he replied. "They were brown." A check with the school's director the next day revealed that she had, indeed, served the kids a bit of caviar for lunch, which she extolled for its healthful properties.

Me, I've never been much of a fan of the stuff. Price was--and is--one big reason, but being the eco-freak that I am, I was disinclined to add demand to a market that has been seriously... more

We got a bit carried away at a cranberry festival a few weeks back. So I've been on the lookout for recipes that use them in new and interesting ways. But I was pretty surprised when, reading my favorite Russian cookbook for something else, I came upon recipes for not one, but two Russian cranberry desserts, kissel and klyukvenniy muss.

I had always thought of cranberries as being uniquely American, but it turns out that there are several different species of cranberries, and they can be found across almost the entire Northern Hemisphere, which,... more

If you live or work in New York City and you want to get involved in a new philanthropic effort for Russia's orphans, head to the Times Square area today or Saturday.

St. Malachy's Church/Actors' Chapel Square is hosting a two-day exhibition and sale of art work created by orphans in Saratov. The church is located at 239 W. 49th, which is between Broadway and Eighth Avenue. The exhibit will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. There will be a piano concert from... more

Today's look at Russian food is for Steve and Stefanie, the proud new parents of boy born in Novosibirsk. You may remember that Steve was the creator of the snowsuit swap I wrote about back in September. He and Stef had just made their first trip to Novosibirsk and were expecting a winter court date. They went back for trip two last week and are now a family of three.

I can't post a glass of Champagne on this blog (except... more

It's December, which means, in the world of Russian art, dance and music in America, that it's time for The Nutcracker.

There are performances of the ballet set to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's music all over the United States. I turned up 10 performances in Florida alone, at the Palladium Theater at St. Petersburg College, the Emma Parish Theater in Titusville, the Van... more

When I was still working in big media and a bizarre story would cross the wires, someone would invariably shake his head and mutter, "You just can't make this stuff up". So it is with a story that appeared in The New York Times yesterday.

Apparently, nostalgia for the Soviet Union is so strong in Russia that fashion designers there are incorporating its iconography into their clothing lines. The New York Times... more

I don't know how Russians do it, but I can only cook Russian food when the temperature dips. I've been in Russia during some of the warmer months, and I've eaten at some of the surf-side restaurants in New York City's Brighton Beach neighborhood during summer trips to the beach. But try as I might to eat those lovely beet and cucumber salads, and crisp plates of smoked fish, warm-weather dining means a Mediterranean menu to me.

Winter is what Russian cooking was made for.

And so, beginning today, I'm going to crack open the recipe box every Monday to give... more

I'm pretty dogged about keeping my kids connected with the culture of their birth country, Russia. We plant and cook Russian food, read Russian stories and follow the occasional Russian celebrity. But sometimes, immersing yourself in Russian culture also means looking beyond the Earth, which is how we wound up at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum... more

Today, according to my trusty Google Calendar alert, is Unity Day in Russia. Hmmm. I'm reasonably conversant in Russian holidays by this point, but Unity Day had me stumped. And so I invite you to follow me into a bit of research into Russia's newest holiday. Well, sort of.

Unity Day was only celebrated for the first time two years ago, but it is ostensibly based on something that happened nearly 400 years ago. Two Moscovites, Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky, led an uprising that chased out Polish and Lithuanian troops who had invaded the city. Russians call this... more

When you think about the words "dance" and "Russia", chances are your mind draws up two images: The Nutcracker or the Moiseyev Dance Company. If it is the latter, then today is a day of mourning. Igor Moiseyev, the Bolshoi-trained dancer who turned humble Russian folk dances into an art form, died yesterday in Moscow at age 101.

Media reports say that Moiseyev had been in failing health for some time. His last public appearance was last year in Moscow for his 100th birthday.

According to an obituary in Russia... more