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51 Ways to Offend a Russian: An American Blunders Through Russia
Why do things Russians find normal so often terrify Americans? Why do things Americans consider perfectly normal so often upset Russians? Why is it so easy to walk unknowingly right into one cultural taboo after another?
51 Ways to Offend a Russian is an adventure in how not to assimilate into another culture. It is the culmination of the author’s five years spent blundering through endless mistakes, miscalculations, and misunderstandings in Russia. This humorous collection of bite-sized anecdotes will leave you in tears - from both laughter and frustration alike.
The author’s blunders include such observations and unlikely adventures
“Beer isn’t alcohol. Do not question this. Do not try to understand it.”
“Once upon a time in Russia, at a backwaters border crossing adjacent the far Southeastern edge of Estonia, I got mistaken for an American spy.”
“There is a word in Russian which means, loosely, “To chase a shot by smelling food.” Not eating food, smelling it. I think that says a lot about the culture.”
“In what weird parallel universe are berries not a kind of fruit? In Russia, even science is done differently.”
“Date enough “vegetarians” in Russia, and you might find yourself forgetting people back home still think chicken is a kind of meat.”
“This was the first time in my entire life I have ever understood the thought process of a Samurai. Specifically, the thoughts of a Samurai about to commit seppuku.”
“For a Russian, [the] ideal state of “warmth” seems to fall somewhere between fifty and sixty degrees Fahrenheit. By eighty-five degrees, most see the four horsemen of the apocalypse in their heatstroke-induced nightmares.”
“One should never disrespect bread. Quite literally, no [Russian] would be alive without it… The Paleo diet is a fun thing to explain in Russia.”
“They don’t teach you how to send Facebook messages in Russian class. There is no “Social Media in Russia, 101.” There should be.”
“It’s perfectly normal to strip naked and let grown men hit you with hot birch branches. This is just about the most normal thing a person could possibly do in Russia.”
51 Ways to Offend a Russian is an adventure in how not to assimilate into another culture. It is the culmination of the author’s five years spent blundering through endless mistakes, miscalculations, and misunderstandings in Russia. This humorous collection of bite-sized anecdotes will leave you in tears - from both laughter and frustration alike.
The author’s blunders include such observations and unlikely adventures
“Beer isn’t alcohol. Do not question this. Do not try to understand it.”
“Once upon a time in Russia, at a backwaters border crossing adjacent the far Southeastern edge of Estonia, I got mistaken for an American spy.”
“There is a word in Russian which means, loosely, “To chase a shot by smelling food.” Not eating food, smelling it. I think that says a lot about the culture.”
“In what weird parallel universe are berries not a kind of fruit? In Russia, even science is done differently.”
“Date enough “vegetarians” in Russia, and you might find yourself forgetting people back home still think chicken is a kind of meat.”
“This was the first time in my entire life I have ever understood the thought process of a Samurai. Specifically, the thoughts of a Samurai about to commit seppuku.”
“For a Russian, [the] ideal state of “warmth” seems to fall somewhere between fifty and sixty degrees Fahrenheit. By eighty-five degrees, most see the four horsemen of the apocalypse in their heatstroke-induced nightmares.”
“One should never disrespect bread. Quite literally, no [Russian] would be alive without it… The Paleo diet is a fun thing to explain in Russia.”
“They don’t teach you how to send Facebook messages in Russian class. There is no “Social Media in Russia, 101.” There should be.”
“It’s perfectly normal to strip naked and let grown men hit you with hot birch branches. This is just about the most normal thing a person could possibly do in Russia.”
- GenresRussia
97 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 15, 2016
9 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 26, 2016
Hilarious!
Being a Russian American I can relate to this book so much! Marshall does a great job capturing the culture of Russia and all of it's crazy quirks! A very entertaining book!
Being a Russian American I can relate to this book so much! Marshall does a great job capturing the culture of Russia and all of it's crazy quirks! A very entertaining book!
November 1, 2021
Before traveling to Russia, I decided that maybe I should ensure I would not commit any cultural sins. Got a good laugh from the author’s attempts to assimilate into Russian culture.
March 19, 2017
A quick and fun introduction to Russian cultural norms. His anecdotes are funny and relatable. I'd recommend it to not make a complete jerk of yourself.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews