Christmas will be here, sooner than is realized. Russians don't celebrate Christmas as we do or when we do, but this year I hope to put on my apron, roll my sleeves up and roast a duck in my small Moscow kitchen. Last year, I got a frozen duck that was the runt of the litter and rather on the small side. I got it from Auchan, that big supermarket chain that is all over Moscow. I was ill after eating it. I am not so sure that Russians follow strict food safety regulations when unloading trucks at the supermarkets and they may let them defrost and then freeze them again for sale. I hope to find a butchers here in Moscow and cook a good meal that Jamie Oliver would be proud of. I plan to stuff the duck, make roast potatoes and make a tasty meal for my family and friends. This will be our second Christmas in Russia.
Our oven is white and an old gas one, that would have looked new in the 1970's. It takes ages to heat up and cooks very slowly. I also hope to buy a real Christmas tree this year but have yet to find out where to buy one. I am sure my kid will end up under it when he tries to climb up it, but it would be it feel more like Christmas here. Last year, I worked at a school in Moscow. They asked me to teach on Christmas day and I stupidly agreed. One student turned up, I got home at ten. I left the school two months later, it was an unpleasant experience teaching English in Moscow, but that is the subject of another post, at another time dear reader.
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Hope you're able to find your duck...I think you're on the right track going straight to a butcher. Last year I cooked Thanksgiving and a Russian friend helped me by buying a turkey straight from a butcher.
ReplyDeleteI didn't have a hard time finding a tree either as they seemed to have a wide variety at many big stores. It was difficult finding small strings of lights though but my friends somehow located some. Hope it all works out! Look forward to reading about the results!
Hi interculturalist I may just cook chicken. Fresh ducks are hard to get and expensive or frozen or dangerous, so I may re think my Xmas menu.
ReplyDeleteThere is a huge butcher shop at the Dorogomilovskiy market. It's a short 5 minute walk from the Kievskaya metro station. I haven't yet bought any meat there, but I plan to. I visited it a few weeks ago and they have everything: every possible fish, fowl, and quadruped, and the butchers are there on site, ready to cut anything to the customer's liking. They have fresh geese, ducks, etc.
ReplyDeleteThanks anon, I take a look but I would be a bit worried about hygiene.
ReplyDeleteI would be too. Sometimes even proper hand washing policy is not followed by many :(
ReplyDeleteD.