Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	Wait. Is he talking about the salty fish? Depends	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-06-17 17:04:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	Gentlemen, you just need to leave behind your preconceptions, bite in, and enjoy the gustatory euphoria as the succulent juices flood your mouth and your taste buds shout for joy. Insert vomit emoticon here.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-06-17 14:46:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	OMG! Brad, imagine that he and his wife will BOTH be eating that stinky fish!!!!!!! At the same table, in the same room! They say that the strongest marraiges are ones where husband and wife share everything.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-06-17 05:32:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	I just want to know who voted for salty fish and were they serious or just being a smart a$$? No doubt one of the bona fide Eastern Europeans that post here	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-06-16 18:39:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	Breakfast any one?	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-06-16 07:17:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	I'm not smart enough to post photos so here's a link - http://viewmorepics....9654&i=37839566 Neither am I apparently. Here is another attempt.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-06-15 13:33:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	And on a cultural note: Let's see some more food pics.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-06-15 06:52:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	And on a cultural note: Let's see some more food pics. Edited by Brad and Vika, 15 June 2010 - 06:48 AM.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-06-15 06:46:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	I like Salo. I am just weird like that. Is it just my fiancee and her friends or do all Ukrainians when using ketchup and mayo pour it on alot. She really smothers whatever she is eating when she is using them. Yes - there is a tendency to use lots of "sauce" with anything. You see people in restaurants in Ukraine literally smothering pilmeni with sour cream, for example. You can't even see the food. My fiance, Ukrainian pours lots of mayo, ketchup and any sauce available to meat or potatoes too ) I have a question :)When I was visiting his family in Ukraine, we were having always for breakfast heavy food, lets say rice with chicken, or pasta with meat and onions. Is that usual? I had a funny, crazy experience because of this, which includes 3 hospitals and a crazy mother in law jiji:S Vika also tends to eat strange stuff (by my standards) for breakfast. No way I am going to eat fish, or anything with garlic or onions that early	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-06-15 06:43:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	This is mostly good stuff folks! I can see that my survey was nowhere near as robust as it could have been. Vika took a look at it, and judged that borscht would win because more Americans know the name than anything else, and it is most common. I like many of the dishes I listed (and some I didn't) both hot and cold. Any one else have an opinion?	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-06-14 18:24:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	Brad, Did you try any "???? ?????????" (Salmon Caviar) while you were there? I thought I'd hate it but I actually love the stuff! Tanya served it on crusty bread with butter ... Yummy! Yeah .... the stinky fish ... I can live without it. Tanya called it: "Fish in a fur coat" or something like that. (it sounds even LESS appealing with that name!) --Tom Yes, I have tried and enjoyed them. Vika buys the fish eggs at our local Russian store pretty often. We are close to an accord with the stink fish. I definitely can't tie myself down to one thing but the soups and salads are really good. I honestly don't know what you guys mean by the stinky/salty fish unless you're talking about pickled herring which I do definitely like, especially under a fur coat. In my experience, the wonderful thing about Russian cooking is the simple reliance on fresh vegetables. Most dishes gain their flavor from the proper mixture of beets, onions, mushrooms, cabbage, peppers, carrots, garlic, and potatoes with some cucumbers, tomatoes and fresh dill mixed in. Pickles also have their place. It's so simple but really fantastic. Pelmeni can be good but they are only great with the right sauce and seasonings. There is quite a bit of bad pelmeni to go around. Although I've never drunk a drop, I really do like the beer cheese. It's great for snacks. I enjoy Vika's Pilmeni, but not so much the frozen stuff from NY. You know, the kind sold by the bag that says "authentic Russian"? Oh one more thing I really enjoyed there: Shashlyk. We had the marinated pork kabobs cooked on a wood fire on a day we went mushroom picking. What fun!! (BTW, Now I know just enough about mushrooms to get myself in trouble!) I think shashlyk is kind of a generic name for barbeque kebab, but I woun't swear to it. As meat and veggies go it is not one of my favs.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-06-13 11:42:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	Anyway, my favorite is some kind of meat and cheese baked turnover thing we have for breakfast (Dunno what it's called). Love it! I think that is the aforementioned blini. Discrepancy to my list duly, and sadly noted.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-06-12 14:34:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	I should have added blini too, and draniki. Now that it is breakfast time I remember them better And Gary, the salty fish was a joke Edited by Brad and Vika, 12 June 2010 - 07:10 AM.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-06-12 07:09:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Eastern European Cuisine	Sorry in advance for any poorly spelled dishes. Feel free to add something by post if I missed your fav.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-06-11 17:45:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	If you have an accent	I thought the familiar term was "Green Mountain Boys." There you go	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-05-08 19:48:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	If you have an accent	It is Vermonters if you are an angliphone. Vermontois (Vare-mon-twah) if you are a francophone. Or Vermontaters if you eat too much or talk too much.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-05-07 19:00:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	If you have an accent	Are you sure Vermonters is correct and not Vermontians? Vermontites, clearly.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-05-07 05:24:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	If you have an accent	The Arizona law is based on settled law. A police officer can require ID if there is probable cause. There are many laws regarding both misdemeanors and felonies to allow cops to require ID...right down to jaywalking. If a cop just grabs someone and asks for ID, he has a lot of reasons to do so. But if it truly is for no reason, then it won't stand. I will give most cops credit for being smart enough to handle this ID issue cleanly. The real genius of the law is it's passive qualities. I'm sure some illegals are already making for the border to avoid jail time. As for the catapult idea...well, it does make for swift justice. The legal problem in my mind is when the stop is found to be without sufficient cause, but they caught an illegal in the process. No citation or crime (i.e. jaywalking), but another problem was uncovered. In my opinion it works the same as a Tarry stop. You get pulled over for a failing to yield, the cop smells weed when he gets near your window. He gets you out of the car and finds guess what on the seat? In removing the bag, he finds an unregistered pistol. Now you have three problems, not just one. But if you beat the original charge on cause, you can have the rest thrown out too. Tough problem if you you aren't legally here. Even if they can't charge you - they have to deport you. So the identity and documentation issue has to be legally separated somehow from the other stuff by law - like Arizona is trying to do.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-05-01 13:19:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	If you have an accent	I am not a lawyer, but it sounds like you need to be acting in a way that fits this bill...prowling, public drunkenness, etc. It does not sound like this law applies if you are just minding your own business. Then again, it's Florida, so who knows. I think the legislature probably didn't intend for that statute to apply to immigration issues, but it wouldn't be much of a stretch. As it reads, all police need to do is engage in normal police behavior. You are standing in a parking lot, and a cop drives up and says "hey you, c'mere - what are you doing standing here?" Especially in cases where the answer involves any statement relating to your rights, or the constitution, the cop (after he stifles a laughing fit) says that he wasn't planning to arrest you, and by the way what is your name, and show me some ID. If you refuse, you can be cited or detained, and it really would depend on the facts and circumstances at that point. And you never did answer my question earlier about why the US can't detain or deport people who aren't here legally. It is a basic principle of economics that when a government subsidizes and activity, you get more of it. So requiring that emergency rooms treat illegals, schools educate them, and amnesty be potentially granted is simply poring public funds into a huge subsidy, encouraging illegal immigration. Enforcement in the form of identity checks, deportation, and sometimes arrest and detention seem to me a balance to the subsidy. If police cannot ask for ID, how do ever find out who is legal or not. I saw a story on CNN this morning about a college student stopped for a traffic violation, where the police found she was without a drivers license. When she was detained to determine her identity, it was discovered that she has been here illegally for eleven years. Should she and her mother both be given amnesty and green cards to save them the hardship of returning to Pueblo Mexico?	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-05-01 13:07:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	If you have an accent	So, let us say that we have a pair of "legal" refugees. They are not USCs yet, and maybe it will take them years to qualify for citizenship. They have a child. According to your logic, the child has no citizenship, unless the parents return to a country where they escaped from and in which they may be murdered, or at least jailed for life. Is that your suggestion? Interesting! I like the ideas of this group of people more and more every day. ????? ????! No, the child is a citizen of its parent's country. In my example above, the French government would see the child as clearly American. Amended to say that I think this is the case in France - not to represent myself as an expert Edited by Brad and Vika, 30 April 2010 - 03:14 PM.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-04-30 15:12:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	If you have an accent	Brad, can you imagine if that was the case in France and Americans kept showing up and giving birth? lol Sacre Bleu!!!!! They'd put a stop to that pretty fast I bet. It would be excused if we were visiting Euro Disney or something at the time.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-04-30 14:56:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	If you have an accent	For no apparent reason, I might be suspicious of his motives. But if it's the law of the land, then I have no problem with it whatsoever. If they want to check whether I'm here legally or not, more power to them...it's a small price to pay and I'll happily comply. I don't think twice when someone cards me, so it's not much different. I feel exactly the same, and do not see the cause for all the heartburn. And on the subject of the 14th Amendment - If I sneak into say, France with my pregnant wife, and she has the baby there, the child doesn't get citizenship automatically. Shouldn't happen here either.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-04-30 14:35:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	If you have an accent	The part "and are subject to the jurisdiction thereof" has become the interesting part. Native Americans, let's call them Indians as the country India was known as Hindustan at the time were were talking about Indians, are not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States if they live in their reservations, and the same applies to diplomats. Therefore, children of diplomats born in the US do not become US citizen automatically. This can now argued in a way that illegal immigrants are outside the jurisdiction of the US as well. I'm not qualified to have an informed opinion in this regard, but it's an interesting thought nonetheless. Clever. I think the Amendment as it is written was litigated over pretty well. Nontheless, a good point.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-04-30 14:31:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	If you have an accent	It's not unconstitutional to require people to verify they are legal residents. If this were not true, how can we have immigration laws? Any constitution that allows illegals to not have to prove their status is crazy. True. I also believe that the act of asking for ID under normal circumstances is constitutional as well. Accent or skin color of course wouldn't qualify, but say, every one sitting in this waiting room probably would. I know, the next issue would be "but you screened every one in a waiting room you KNEW would be full of people from _______". That would be our 14th amendment to the Constitution. Section 1 of the 14th amendment reads: All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. Now there is a part of the constitution that could stand some amendment.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-04-30 14:16:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	If you have an accent	I don't think I'd advocate *only* policing businesses. But if you're going to go fishing, you go where they're biting the most. (says the guy who doesn't like comparing people to cattle I AM SUCH A HYPOCRITE!!!) Illegals, for the most part, cross for work. You take that away, you take away the vast majority of illegals. You also have the beneficial side-effect of putting some dickhead ####-sticks in jail (under the new "Mox Law" which states that people who knowingly hire illegals get to be some dude's wife for the next 5 years) who hire them. It's a win-win. Next week I bring peace to the Middle East. I don't disagree with policing businesses as well - but the other side of the enforcement coin, the individual illegal, also has its due. If you spend too much effort on the business and too little on the State/Federal catch-and-release program, what you have left are loads of illegals who have no choice but to work at the illegal (and therefore unregulated)"businesses". Then you have the aforementioned slavery for real. Edited by Brad and Vika, 30 April 2010 - 06:37 AM.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-04-30 06:36:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	If you have an accent	Er.. at the relatively high risk of throwing gas on the fire... Why is it only the businesses that need to be policed? How does a peace officer tell between a legal guest worker, an illegal alien, and a drug dealer just by looking? Why can't police check i.d.s on folks where there is cause, and take into custody those with false documents, or no documents? Why can't we scrutinize and regulate who comes into the country - like every other government does? Now, while some of you are in the cage warming up for your at bat, I am not advocating any sort of profiling at all. Things like Tarry searches are already a matter of law for all, and no trouoble with the 4th Amendment. No stretch taking a look at the vehicle, a person in it, or a person without a vehicle, if documents don't look right or there aren't any. Watching the b1tchslapping festival going on here got me to thinking - when is the last time I was out and about without ID (grade school I think), and would I have a problem at all showing it to a cop for any reason (no). Missing something maybe, but I just don't see the huge problem some of you do, and the issue with the request for ID is far outweighed by security and border integrity in my mind.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-04-29 17:35:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	If you have an accent	I really don't think that punishment for business alone will do the trick. There also has to be physical enforcement of immigration law. Sad but true. Although mass movement of business to Mexico in the form of factories, etc. will help raise the standard of living in some areas, it is important to understand how porous the Mexican borders are, and this is not just a problem for the US. So even if the standard of living in Mexico is somehow raised enough to take away some of the incentive to move north for the people who already live on the border, what about all the impoverished people in the south, and other countries? That is one of the primary differences between Mexico and Canada. Also, this economic stuff is separate, although related, from the question of security I talked about earlier.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-04-27 07:47:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	If you have an accent	Of course you actually believe that. I know, you think we are supposed to take it as sarcastic but I do not. Why? Because you also believe that minimum wage is for white people only. You believe that OSHA is for white people only. You believe that Social Security, health benefits, paid vacation, family and medical leave, and laws to protect against discrimination based on sex and nationality are for white people only. the brown people you want here illegally have NONE of these things and cannot acheive them as illegals. You think safety for rental properties are for white people only, occupancy rules and even carbon monoxide detectors..white's only. Lead paint rules to protect children...white's only. What a disgusting, revolting display of racism. Topped off with your previous statements that you only carry loaded guns in "bad neighborhoods" and I wonder why you would even have the nerve to post such racist things. Steven Segall is now charged with having female sex slaves, at least two of them Russian, in his "employ". Is this OK also? Must be. They are here illegally, held in captivity and abused sexually...but they can't complain to authorities. What a perfect situation, eh? I bet you get real tired of hearing those brown and back people complaining about discrimination, don;t you? You WANT them in a position where white people can do what they want and the underclass can't complain. What a perfect situation! "Shut up and get up there on that roof and work and screw you and your need for a safety harness, there are lots more of you where you came from, you dirty piece of trash! And if you get hurt, #### you and any idea you have of getting paid so you can feed your litter of rugrats! Workman's comp is for white people you TROLL!" Y'all make me sick with your racist vomit! It no longer hurts to laugh! Gary - I really do think mox was being sarcastic, in his flaming liberal (but charmingly left leaning) way. I agree with you absolutely that to properly regulate things like job safety, you need to have a workforce that has legal standing to complain - that won't end up with getting thrown in jail. So the workers should be documented and legal. Companies that hire them and pay a sub-standard wage need to be policed more stringently. Edited by Brad and Vika, 25 April 2010 - 10:20 AM.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-04-25 10:20:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	If you have an accent	There is so much I could write in response, but I will refrain so as to not get suspended. The only thing I do want to add is that I am glad that you are not my neighbor. If you were, the police would have been at my door multiple times already. Gosh, thanks so much for showing restraint. And you are right. Thank you for NOT being a racist, Brad. You are welcome. I also think we should consider giving a pass to recent bypass patients	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-04-25 09:59:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	If you have an accent	** yeah. The 4th amendment is for white people. The requirements should apply to every one mox. Why should we provide a welfare state magnet for the world by granting education, health care, etc. benefits to every person who sneaks across the border or remains past their visa deadline, and then provide the big brass ring of amnesty if they simply hide out long enough? I am only talking about protecting our borders and budget, like most countries try to do. IMO it is important to properly screen and document people who live or stay here, and stop undesirables from entering. If they get in illegally, throw them out. I also think that we do a terrible job of allowing opportunities for people (like guest-worker candidates) to actually get here. Although I have great respect for the legal immigrant successes I read about, I believe it is important that the "legal" is given emphasis. Edited by Brad and Vika, 25 April 2010 - 10:00 AM.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-04-25 09:56:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	If you have an accent	I would like to see how many people in Arizona will go to jail, even after showing the police a valid driver's license. Do you people thing that Latin people who drive in Arizona and are American citizens should drive with a copy of their birth certificate and/or naturalization document (assuming they do not have a passport)? I think every one should have to provide proof that they are here legally, on demand, all the time. If they aren't, they shoulf be taken into custody and deported. Most countries require this, and America should be no different.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-04-25 08:55:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	If you have an accent	If illegals skip getting checked at the border as law requires, then they get checked on the street or in their car or wherever they're found. That's their choice when they sneak in uninvited. I'm sure people living near the Mexican border are tired of the drugs, kidnappings and murder. This is less about immigration and more about border crime. Anyone reading the news knows things are out of control. My point above exactly	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-04-24 19:30:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	If you have an accent	They should be put in jail they are breaking the LAW by circumventing immigration federal laws. The act of being in the U.S. with false, no documentation or thru non legal channels is ILLEGAL. It is not fair to the rest of us who have spent, time, money, absence of loved ones who have done everything legally to have a president or congress hand over citizenship to someone who broke the law. Those of us waiting for K-1 visas, conditional resident cards, permanant resident cards, citizenship naturalization after years of worry, waiting, money for someone to tell us we can or cannot be together and have someone cross a border, tax our system, and put this country in danger and nothing was ever GIVEN to us is that fairer than asking for identification from someone when they get pulled over for breaking the law YET ONCE AGAIN. Nuff Said, Me I have stated many times on VJ that it slays me when people appear to think that the US, unlike every other country on the planet, does not have the right to screen, examine, and regulate the people who come across her borders. All of them. If you come her illegally, you should expect to face document checks, custody, and deportation - not amnesty, education, and free medical care.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-04-24 15:20:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	English in School	Vika studied English in high school and college. She says it was at least as popular as German. Anyway, her English was pretty good the first time I met her.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-25 12:42:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Kiev Apartment	The marriage stamp is in her internal passport. She had to replace her internal one a while back and she just went to zags. They put a new stamp in her internal passport. I am sure if I need to replace or renew my passport I can do the same. The stamp lists our marriage date, my wife's surname and birth year. It also lists our document number I believe. I am not sure this is a mandatory stamp for me but maybe it is for a Ukrainian citizen. I am sure my wife just wanted the stamp in my passport to show ownership of me as well as a return to sender if I am ever lost in Ukraine. Kind of like mom writing your name in your underwear when you went to camp as a kid. So, get a new passport, then zags updates all necessary stamps manually. Sounds par for the course. Thanks for answering. As to the ownership thing, you know it could be worse.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-31 13:21:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Kiev Apartment	Yes I have a tattoo. I thought all men have one. I actually received a stamp in my passport from zags. I was married in Ukraine. Not sure what benefit it has. My wife has one too. I think the entry stamps probably do help. Can't speak to the marriage stamp, but it does beg a question. What happens to your stamp when you replace or renew your passport? Do you get another one from zags? For that matter, what does a Ukrainian do when their travel passport is renewed? I know the internal one isn't, so is that where their stamp goes?	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-29 04:49:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Kiev Apartment	Well, they never buy me drinks. They just kind of ignore me. Must be a third shift. The cocker spaniels they let go on the luggage pile make me nervous, I am never sure if they are sniffing for drugs or a place to pee. So far my bag has never been pee'd on by the dogs. And I should go on record again that I have not had any real problems anywhere but Odessa. Kiev, Minsk, etc. were all fine. I heard horror stories about Minsk, but never had a problem other than the language issues - as many of the passport control agents there didn't seem to speak much English. I thought the business visa I had was the reason I never got a hard time.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-28 06:22:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Kiev Apartment	Who 'dat????? I forgot about you Gary, make it two posters Seriously, or as close as I can get to that, I can't remember the guys handle. Something about carrying wads of cash through somewhere in Ukraine (maybe Odessa), jewelery, etc. Never a problem, the customs people buy him drinks they like him so much, etc. Must be a different crew when I go through.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-27 19:32:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Kiev Apartment	Well I am back. And it sucks. I love being with my wife and daughter in Ukraine. My apartment experience was great. The apartment was a little expensive but it fit our needs and the internet was great. I needed it for work. The weather was hot and I was not able to escape the heat of Phoenix. Although some storms came thru and it cooled down a little. The ice cream is so good in Ukraine. Every night we hit the kiosks on Khreschatyk. It amazes me of the difference of walking down the streets in Ukraine versus USA. Thank god for sunglasses. The sun was so bright always. You know what I mean. I will say this....always have a taxi service that you are referred to. It seems they treat all people as tourist and will charge you as much as they can. If you find a good driver, keep his number. I never get the questions at the Kiev airport by the militia like I do at Odessa. They could care less what I bring into the country and take out. No questions. Welcome back! Yeah, taxi drivers are serious entrepeneurs. Same thing happens to me - so I let Vika make those arrangements. By the time they discover there is a foreigner hiring them it is too late If they pull any fast ones, she is pretty good at dealing with that. I agree absolutely about the customs people, and I used to get hassled at Odessa every time, 'till I started using the vip pickup service. That last sentence is sure to provoke at least one poster to chip-in that he never uses vip, and never has a problem - but I did.	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-27 05:18:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Kiev Apartment	I haven't seen any Russian women who are satisfied by a spineless man. I have seen quite a few spineless men who "got scammed." Me too	Brad and Vika	Male	Ukraine	2010-07-26 19:55:00