Anyone who has ever read Russian literature knows that Russian has the wonderful capability of taking an ordinary name like Aleksander and turning it into a plethora of nicknames. Sasha, Shurya, Sanya, Alex. They all mean Aleksander. However, diminutives can be made from many words, not just proper nouns. I first realized the full scope of this power when we visited Lake Baikal and were sitting on a cliff overlooking the lake, with our eyes peeled for fresh water seals (or nerpa). A man who was with us on our tour easily took the word nerpa and made it into nerpochka, his own special seal-call. I was impressed at the speed with which he was able to call the nerpa by this adorable name. And a little jealous, because English really does not afford the opportunity for these diminutives.

Nerpochka. Source: www.owasia.ru

There is a big difference between purchasing two pieces of pie and purchasing two whole pies. Most people would think this is apparent. In fact, it should be basic. However, when I decided yesterday morning that it was the perfect morning for пирог, the delicious Russian pie-like pastry that is a distant cousin of the British pasty, I thought that the very kind woman behind the counter would somehow realize that there was no way I wanted to eat two whole pies by myself. I was wrong. After informing me that they were out of apple (my first choice), she told me that they had a delicious four berry pie fresh out of the oven. This sounded wonderful to me. Then I made the fatal error. I decided that perhaps one piece was not enough and ordered a second. But, instead of asking for «один кусочек» (one piece) I proclaimed that I wanted «пирог с яблоками» (apple pie). I meant that generally, I wanted a piece of the apple pie.

A few minutes later (after disappearing behind the counter to retrieve my pies), the waitress informed me that she would wrap my pies up in boxes. I thought that was slightly strange, seeing as there really should not have been that much pie to wrap up, but nodded enthusiastically. The pies appeared in their beautiful boxes. I gulped nervously. Clearly there was way more pie in those boxes than I could eat. However, unwilling to admit defeat, I paid for my pies (which were quite a bargain!) and headed home.
The story continues. I had planned on saving the pies to share with my classmates. But that pie was calling my name. It was so warm and smelled delicious. I could not help myself. I dug in to the four berry pie. The fresh berries dripped down my fingers, the soft crust crumbled in my fingers, and that was it. For the rest of day I dreamt about that pie. We went out to the ballet, returned, and I was still thinking about it. Dinner came and went. The pie was sitting in my room. I thought, “just one more piece.” That was a mistake. An hour later, the pie was devoured. Sure, I had a bit of help from my trusty friends Dilara and Lera. But really it was a solo effort.

Good thing I made that mistake and bought two so the rest of our group could have some later! For anyone interested in sampling some of the pies (if you happen to be in Moscow) or for those back home who want to browse the options (apparently you can order online, although I do not think they deliver to the U.S.), here is a link to the cafe’s website.