On a side note, the word блин is also used in slang to mean dang or darn.

So, as some of my twitter followers already know, I had the pleasure attending my very first blini party this past weekend. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any pictures of the event, but basically there was a stack of blintzes that reminded me of this picture from Shel Silverstein’s “Where the Sidewalk Ends”.

Here is the accompanying poem, if you’re interested:

PANCAKE?

Who wants a pancake, Sweet and piping hot? Good little Grace looks up and says, “I’ll take the one on top.” Who else wants a pancake, Fresh off the griddle? Terrible Teresa smiles and says, “I’ll take the one in the middle.”
—Shel Silverstein, Where the Sidewalk Ends

So we started with the stack of blintzes. Two stacks, actually – one sweet and one not-so-sweet. The not-so-sweet blintzes were accompanied by a choice of a mushroom sauce or a chicken and egg dish. Oh, and of course сметана – or sour cream! For the sweet blintzes, there was variety of fruit-related toppings. I have to admit, I filled up mostly on the sweet blintzes, topped with Nutella and bananas. What do you like with your блины?

All of this deliciousness, was accompanied by an endless supply of mimosas – all in all, the perfect blini party!!

A big shout out and thank you to my buddy, Alex, for inviting us!! Can’t wait for the next one!

(Note: This is a small, almost pocket-sized book.)

Don’t worry – it’s not all dirty words, and body part euphemisms. While much of the book does make me blush, there are still sections like ”Friendly Russian” and “Poppy Russian”. It even provides some basic language instruction at the beginning, including an alphabet pronunciation guide.

Here are some other things I like about the book:

• They give you full phrases and sentences, not just one-word translations.
• They tell you the feel of a word – whether it’s “kind of formal” or “cutesy”.
•  They relate it to specific English slang. They don’t just give you five ways to say you’re not feeling well – they tell you how to say “lousy as hell”, “pretty crappy”, or “really shitty”.
• Quick reference charts, like a guide to name-calling.
• Bits of info on Russian culture, for example, what their toilets are like.
• And of course, cute illustrations!

My one criticism of the book is how the stresses are represented. As you might be able to make out in the photo above, the phrase is given in English, then transliterated, then in Russian. But the stress is only indicated on the transliteration. So for those of us who can read the Cyrillic alphabet, you still may need to look at the transliteration to find the stress – just a tad inconvenient. Oh, and there’s no index, which would’ve been helpful.

Published by Ulysses Press, you can find the book anywhere online, but here’s a link to Amazon.com, where you can get it brand new for about $5.

This photo has nothing to do with Russian other than it’s what I got to enjoy while I wrote this post – Thanks, Danny!