sounds healthier than arbys!

Cue the irony police.

/great we will have to pay them over time because of how late it is.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM Pork fat!

theolinc: sounds healthier than arbys!

Yeah, I'd not be surprised if the "healthier" part of the pork fat meal was that it didn't come with Coke.

/obligatory

" Annoyed at having to pass a branch of McDonald's on the way to his office in Minsk every day, the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, decided to strike a blow for traditional cuisine.

Annoyed at having to pass a branch of McDonald's on the way to his office in Minsk every day, the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, decided to strike a blow for traditional cuisine."


WTF thats some good ole reporting there

"The chain [SUBWAY] now has more franchises in America than McDonald's"

/i did not know...

HomoHabilis: /obligatory

I so could eat a box of those right now.

approves

I'm not sure if the submitter lives in the states, but thats pretty much a diet compared to major chain restaurants in the states. Its not what your eating, its how much youre eating, and the industry in the states revolves around the largest portions possible.

Irony my ass.

If it is American is it bad, or something like that.

You should see the 'native' food in Russia.
Sausage that's like 50% fat... ham that's even fattier... whole fish so dry & salty that it doesn't need to be refrigeration... lots of pickled things, like mushrooms... hamburger patties fried in oil... all washed down with enough vodka to put Artie Lange under the table.

/never been to Belarus, but I imagine it's about the same
//lost 5 pounds last time I was there
///need to go back for a few months, methinx

>WhyteRaven74

What's the fark is the point of punishing your body if you dont get drunk or high?

What's the fark is the point of punishing your body if you dont get drunk or high?


If he could eat a box of those, I'd say he's probably high already, man

Helios1182

Don't worry, I've been to lots of countries and stupid people like you have absolutely no corrolation with country of origin.

Glass Parking Lot: I'd say he's probably high already, man

zing! well played! :D

howdoibegin: What's the fark is the point of punishing your body if you dont get drunk or high?

I see pancakes and sausage as something divine, not punishing.

I dig the comb-over.

For the same reason you is be commenting.

...potato pancakes stuffed with sausage and fried pork fat

Could somebody post a recipe please?

Hahaha, I totally read that as Burundi.

I was about to express outrage over the severe lack of French translation all up in here about grandmothers and coffee.

"Because nothing says "healthy" like potato pancakes stuffed with sausage and fried pork fat"

Umm... pork fat. I do believe my appetite is healthy.

What is the anatomy of a ham dog?

Having been to Poland, Ukraine, Russia, and the baltics, I can say everything is better smothered in sour cream. Wreaks havoc on the waistline, as does the high-strength beer and vodak.

Behold the porky goodness that is salo, or straight pork fat, excellent as an accompaniment for horilka (vodka):



More of a Ukrainian thing, though

My grandma was from Belarus. One of her things was ox-tail soup. I can find ox tails in the stores if I look hard enough, but nobody ever talks about ox-tail soup.

the difference here is, culturally and traditionally, russians/eastern europeans have a much different take on 'healthy' foods. traditional is healthy and safe, whether we really understand or not.

/russian culture/language major
//half russian

the difference here is, culturally and traditionally, russians/eastern europeans have a much different take on 'healthy' foods. traditional is healthy and safe, whether we really understand or not.

umm... what?

*cue perplexed dog pic*

jamrock

i apologise if my wording is confusing. i'm a bit sleepy :). what i meant is there is a general distrust for foreign food/culture/medicine, etc., and not just a little bit of ethnocentrism at work. even if, per serving, their traditional foods have the same or more fat/calories than a big mac, their foods are seen as 'safe' and 'normal' and 'healthier' in a cultural sense.

not that everyone in these countries are like that, but it is a common sentiment particularily with those of older generations.

As I am a Ukrainian, i'm really getting a kick out of these replies. No seriously, I was born in Lutsk, moved here in '89.

/nothing quenches an appetite like salo, sausage, break and milk.
//and dont even get me started on the potato pancakes.
///The reason i never ate fast food when i was young
\\\\ Ukrainian slashies!

I was born in Lutsk

Is that near Trachembrod?

/ that was a fun movie

glwtta: Is that near Trachembrod

Yep, 30 km away according to Wikipedia.

Salmon caviar is expensive, but a little goes a long way on a piece of bread and some fake butter spread.

I for one would rather eat fried pork fat with the skin on it cut from an actual swine than any of the low-cost chemical cocktails at MacDonald's. and that includes the salads. half the shiat in that place contains ingredients that come from when you centrifuge petroleum.

Lard is healthier than repeatedly overheated, hydrogenated soybean oil gobs of refined white floue and high fructose corn syrup, I'd wager. Some people would not agree.

Wait, the President of Belarus? I swear I've seen him before somewhere. But where...



/Now banned from entering Belarus.
//That brings the count to over 80 countries?

Ictyt,

There is actually a sign in Russian pointing the way to Lutsk. In the scene when they are coming off the highway. The curse words in the movie are also a lot more severe than the subtitles lead on. Movie would have been rated R if translated to english.

You'd need a seeing-eye-biatch to spot that sign for you though.

/or a salo munching saucy babushka to point the way.

I've been to Belarus. Food-wise, no different from Russia, although they are heavier on the salted fish.

As for the country, it's like its in a time warp. It's like Soviet Disneyland. They still put flowers next to their Lenin statues and you still have the two-receipt system when buying items in the store.

But I thought a lot of Minsk was quite lovely. Lots of parks and a riverwalk.

And with Lukashenka's paramilitary troops on every block, it's the cleanest big city I've ever been to.

That's nothing. I went to a restaurant while in eastern Europe and before the meal was searved, given bread and two small pots of spread. One was a french onions spread of some sort and the other was a delecacy call "smolec" (pronounced 'smoletz'.) It was probably the tastiest thing I've eaten over there . It was white and had bits of what looked to be bits of fat and meat from the grille. I found out later after it was tranlated I had smeared lard on bread and eaten it.

Oh God the chest pains were so worth it.

Fatty though it may be, I'm willing to bet anyone that high fat diets of natural food consumed in moderation are better in the long run than processed chemical based food products served up by American mega corps. Partially hydrogenated oils, corn syrup, anything on the label you can't pronounce... which artificial sweeteners haven't been proven YET to be carcenogenic again?

/mmm bacon fat and vodka

ZOMG, very late to the party...

But as an East European now living in the West, getting a kick, etc, and I feel the need to add my $0.02.

Like other posters have said, this has more to do with overall food culture than with absolute fat content. A lot of Eastern European cuisine is very fatty and heavy "winter food", but people generally eat at home more, and prefer more traditional preparation over industrialised fast-food processes.

Also, there is no culture of upsizing. The food is generally very filling as it is, and I can't remember any restaurant or outlet I've ever been to actively boasting that they've got bigger servings than their competitors, or indeed, even giving "upsize" options to their meals.

On top of everything, there is a more healthy food culture and more active overall lifestyle. Snacking isn't a big thing, and the lifestyle is just more active by nature. If you spend your typical day walking to/from work and errands, or chasing streetcars and buses, you just end up with a more active lifestyle than if your physical activity for the day consists in nothing more than walking to and from your garage (and from the carpark to your cubicle).

As always, the issue is more holistic than the simplistic "ZOMG taihs HAS MORE FATZ OH NOEZ!!" approach to dieting and health that's more prevalent the West.