I do think that people often draw connections in formerly Soviet-occupied countries too quickly between between those times and these in several situations. That said, I think it is also fun to do so and support the hype.
I was not so naive to think that I would be faced with stark, empty shelves and long lines when I first went to Ukraine in 2006; nor when I went to Russia in the same year and absolutely not upon moving here to Estonia. I really never expected to see anything of the sort: we are upstanding members of the European Union and much more of a Nordic country than Eastern European, or even Baltic. Politicians make cases for it all the time and are desperately reeling in the line pulling us towards Scandinavia. A liberal, population-friendly, stable social-welfare state with all the European ideals you could want in 45,228 square kilometers.
Walking into my local Selver supermarket, it does not look like the economy just hit a hitch bringing us back to the early 1990's or wartime. Nonetheless, the utter absence of even a single staple product is a bit of a shock to someone who has never experienced living in a time of full-scale economic turmoil, and what's more, when the country in question where the product is missing now is not in trouble either at the moment!
Specifically, many shops here are out of buckwheat. The secret network of pensioners released a directive to hoard up on the stuff for good ole' hoardin' time's sake, leaving non-imminent-apocalypse proponents like myself slightly bothered. Hassled. Oh, what an injustice in our modern world.
Yes, this is buckwheat we're talking about here. Not exactly something I have morning, noon and evening with a spoonful and a topka of vodka before sleep. Well, not always. At the same time, I had just reached the end of the last pack (took me a good four months), and it was simply time to get more. A disappointment, but no matter. So I go through the next items I wanted to pick up, head to the spices section to snag some cloves for autumn apple pies, aaaand.. nothing. Ravaged by the old women boiling jam in their kitchens, stirring large evil-looking cauldrons and chortling. Damn chortlers.
Estonia will adopt the euro (a bastard child, in my opinion) on January 1, 2011. Those familiar with how things went the last time we switched currencies and lived through price fears surrounding accession to the EU in 2004 apparently haven't gained much confidence. Most just dismiss the case as such - but fear-mongering is so enjoyable! Plus it gives this wayward Minnesotan-Estonian a chance to see some of those fabled empty shelves.
As long as beer isn't next up (articles shrieking about gargantuan grain prices because of the Russian export ban have been gaining momentum in the press), it's a quirk that's making me grin a bit.
Edasi, вперёд..
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