Yeah, I share that passion.

It's also…

Yeah. But is there any… since you've been living in China for so long, are there any food in particular you miss from home that you just can't find it or can't really make it for some reason here in China?

Yeah, you know, like Russian product is very different from Chinese one. And I don't know like I never made the research on that like why it's like the taste of something is so different from my country. Maybe it's also the climate, may be of the stuffs they use for growing things. In my country, I think the most things I miss is bread, yogurt and milk, like these three main things I think in China you can find milk, you can find yogurt.

But it is just different, isn't it?

It's so different, it's sweet. We don't usually eat sweet yogurt, we like sweets but it's kind of different from the sweets Chinese people eat. Like for us, sweets, it's like chocolate or cake or something like biscuit, but bread and milk and yogurt should be very sour that you can use it with other foods such as meat, soups. So we don’t like to mix the taste, and I found that the Chinese people like to mix tastes especially if they make some meat, they always like put some sauce, it's kind of between sour and sweet taste and I feel it's kind of weird.

Sweet and sour is a big thing, isn't it? 糖醋 is a big thing.

I find it like really weird taste and sometimes like there's some types of food in China that I can't eat like because it's very weird for me.

I suppose we all have that experience, but is there anything that you absolutely love? I'm sure there are also some dishes in China that you absolutely love.

I like Chinese northern food, it's like东北菜, I love it, 锅包肉.

Is this because it's closer to Russian?

No, I don't think so, but maybe because their climate is sort of the same with Russia like it's cold. So the stuff they use for cooking everything is like the taste is kind of similar.

I see.

And that's why. I've been living in Hangzhou for 7 years and I think here the food, first of all it's kind of oily, I don't know. They put a lot of oil, I kind of don't like it. They have a lot of vegetables, they don't eat that much, they eat fish and some may be seafood, yeah. Because like Zhejiang is near to the seaside.

Honestly, I don't think as a Chinese, I'm probably not going to be very used to the food in Hangzhou as well, like you said it's more regional than national, I suppose. But let's move on from food to drinking.

Now what is the drinking culture like? I think this is a big part of both your culture and Chinese culture, right? Drinking is a big part of it. Is it similar to the Chinese drinking culture do you find?

You know, I would say that there are a lot of misunderstandings about Russian Vodka or like Russian drinking culture. It's like Chinese people think, for example, that for Russian people, Vodka is like high degree alcohol.

Everyday drink.

Yeah, and we also have our own culture. It's not like we have to drink Vodka every day, it's necessary. You drink when you want to drink, right? The same as every country as well.

Yeah.

It's not like somebody's pushing you. You have to drink every day or something. But also, there is a big misunderstanding about Russian Vodka is they think that it's very high degree alcohol like you cannot drink it easily. It's very strong.

Vodka is only 40, right？

Yes. You will find out that actually when you drink Vodka, it's easier than Chinese Baijiu.

I definitely agree.

Because when I was drinking茅台, I was drinking老窖. It's like the two main big brands in China that I think all generations like to drink it, and after drinking just like a cup of it, I feel it's not only that much strong, it leaves the smell on yourself like on your body and in your mouth.

That is true.

I feel that's why I think most of young people even in China, they don't really like this type of drink.

Yeah, I think Vodka, to be honest, I quite like Vodka because I think good Vodka has a very clean taste.

Yes, yes.

Because like Baijiu has a very strong, especially the ones with sauce aroma and all that酱香or whatnot, they really like you said.

Yeah, yeah.

It lingers. But vodka you don't have that strong smell, it is very clear, taste.

Yeah, that's when you drink Vodka, you actually can drink it with everything you eat, in China because you can see that much type of foods, right? Like it can be spicy, it can be sour, sweet… anything.

And if you drink Vodka with it, you don't really mix taste that much so you don't feel some weird tastes, right? But in China like, for example, 白酒or老窖I know that also I must say it's a cultural object like it's a cultural thing in China that there is a long history of making Chinese Vodka. It's like a historical thing, but I think for now because our world is so international and, I hope to use some of my country things, good things, to recommend to other countries that they can try. And it also depends on them if they want to choose or not. It's not like I'm going to push on people, right? But I always say you just try and then you'll see like…

You might like it. It might be very different from what you thought.

Yeah, that's true. You might like it, because recently I'm going to graduate from my master degree because it's like one month and after one month I'm going to be graduated and I'm hoping to stay in China to work and do… like make some cultural exchanges and also business between Russia and China.

Actually, actually have some Bilibili productions. Some of your B站videos, they are actually about cultural comparisons, a lot of them are about cultural comparisons.

And you mentioned Vodka as well. I do have a question, though. Now, when people drink Vodka in Russia, do they drink it neat, without anything? Or do they actually mix drinks? It's like everyone knows Vodka, you mix like screwdrivers, for example?

Okay. Originally, you don't have to mix Vodka with anything. It is the same as Baijiu or 老窖. It's like the same way of drinking. You don't have to mix with anything, but because young generations we love to experiment. As me myself, I would love to make some cocktails then drink it like in its own way, like its original way. So I think Vodka is perfect not only for drinking itself in original way, but also to mix and make cocktails.

As a base.

Yes, it's clean. You don't have to think what you have to put there. You actually can like put some juice fruits or like make different cocktails and the taste will be wonderful because it will not affect its cocktail taste.

Yeah. Exactly.

Because it's clean.

It's very different with Whiskey. Whiskey has a very distinctive taste you have to sort of cover it.

It's very different, yes.

Very interesting. Another thing about drinking. I hope you don't think I'm stereotyping, but people do say things like, I've been warned because I like to drink from time to time, for example don't drink with Slavic people because they really can hold their liquor you won't be able to handle it. Is that true? Can people really… do the people really have a high tolerance for alcohol, would you say?

No, no, no. That's really like the main stereotype about Russian Slavic people all around the world. I think. I always try to use the most funny way to show to people that Russian people actually is not that much drunk-addicted people like alcoholics, right?

Because in my country also we need to consider the climate and the regions we live. The weather, usually, it also affects people, not only food. Drinking also minds, mentality.

For example, there are some people, they feel that like in my country the winter takes around 5 to 6 months a year.

Half a year.

It can be snowing, it's like half of the year. And sometimes people they need refreshing or have fun or something, so they use alcohol when they gather with friends having fun, everything is like releasing their stress.

But at the same time, I would say that we don't have that much addicted people to alcohol, we like drinking, but we never make it: okay I have to drink it every day I need to get up in the morning and drink like few grams or something, No.

Because if there are some people doing that considered to be addicted like it's an addiction to alcohol. Even in my family, like my dad, my mom, actually my mom, she doesn't like drinking, but sometimes she was like drinking with us when we were gathering with friends everything. My father also drinks just maybe on the weekends or when he has some parties or I don't know like gathering with someone.

So when after coming to China I found out that there are a lot of Chinese people, they really can drink.

We have a big drinking culture as well.

Yeah, it's not like you drinking every day as well or you like very addicted. But the way of drinking it's like for me it’s considered to be crazy. I was looking at people and they were drinking like I don't know like 3, 4 bottles at once and I'm like…

Almost like competitive drinking.

Yeah. And like why are you so hurry to drink? You come to enjoy, enjoy slowly like drink a little bit, sip, don't hurry, why do you hurry so much? And they’re like drinking more and more and don't eat. The main problem also when you drink, you have to eat something.

True.

It doesn't have to be the main food it may be some snacks or something like that, but when you don't eat as actually also harms your health, it's not good for your stomach.

That's for sure.

I just wanted to say that in comparison between Russia and China, I think Chinese people drink more than Russian in my opinion, really.

You also mentioned climate, right？You said. Because Russia is very cold and throughout most part of the year, so people do drink sometimes just like to warm themselves up.

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