'This is a small, comfortable USSR': how Russians live on Brighton Beach

Nobody here divides people by nationality: Jew, Ukrainian, Russian, Georgian - all Russians. Two travelers shared their impressions of the most famous Russian-speaking region of America - Brighton Beach.

“It doesn’t matter to everyone who you were at home”

Perhaps the most famous Russian-speaking area in the United States is Brighton Beach. It is also called "Little Odessa". It is located just 40 minutes by subway from Manhattan.

According to various estimates, from 50 to 70 thousand Russian-speaking people live here. “Many of them are of Jewish origin; almost everyone speaks Russian, unless they themselves are Russian. Nobody divides people here by nationality. You are a Jew, a Ukrainian, a Russian, a Georgian - all are russians, ”writes the author of the Re @ ktsia channel on Yandex Zen.

In the largest city in America, considered a "melting pot", no one cares who you were in your homeland: if you speak Russian, you are Russian.

There is a special place on Brighton Beach - the Brighton Bazaar, where you can find everything - Tula gingerbread, rolls, pancakes. “Immediately noticeable: not all food here was Russian. The candy shelf sold a mixture of Russian, Ukrainian and Polish sweets, with Roshen (Ukrainian) and Ptasie Mleczko (Polish) dominating the shelf, ”the author writes.

It's amazing how the locals of Brighton Beach miss Russia. “Everyone misses Russia, even those who were born in New York. My offer of help in moving was refused. Such, apparently, a Russian soul - always whining that everything is bad, but you can't get out of your swamp, ”the author notes.

On the streets, there is mainly an older generation brought up in the "Red Country". These people could not get used to a foreign culture. Young people, on the contrary, are trying to get out of the “Russian hole” as soon as possible, looking for work in other areas of the city, getting an education.

Many residents of Brighton Beach complain about low salaries, expensive medicine and housing and communal services - "everything is like in Mother Russia," the author notes.

The architecture in Brighton Beach looks the same as in any American beach town, he writes. “Squat, short houses, functionally decorated shops. The subway rushes overhead so loudly that you can go deaf. Capitalism, "bank account race", crowds of people, heaps of cars ", - the author notes.

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“I had lunch at the Mother-in-Law cafe, a cozy Uzbek-Korean restaurant. I ordered their signature dish kuksu - beef noodle soup with pickled vegetables, but the menu also included borsch, dumplings and chicken tobacco, '' the channel's author said. “Most of the guests were Russian, but to my right was a group of friends from Central Asia, one of whom left from time to time to speak on the phone in Russian.”

There is also the "Petersburg Bookstore", which sells not only books, but also gifts and toys. “As in any Russian bookstore, there was an outstanding stand of Russian classics - Dostoevsky, Bulgakov, Pushkin. But unlike our typical Russian bookstore, there was also a stand of Russian classics in translation. Many who were born in Brighton Beach are not so good at Russian, they read the classics in translation, ”he writes.

According to the author, Brighton Beach is a small USSR. “It was built by people who left the real USSR, but were never able to rebuild. Therefore, they built their comfortable USSR (well, or something close to our 90s) with sausage and household appliances, cassettes and "Nautilos". And the film "Brother", a classic of our cinema, showed everything as it is, "the author summed up.

"Islet of Russia of the 90s in the USA"

The author of the channel "Russian in America" ​​on the site Yandex Zen in turn called Brighton Beach "an island of Russia in the 90s in the United States." According to her, this area of ​​New York gave her one of the most vivid experiences in the Big Apple. “Brighton Beach is a peninsula south of Brooklyn that is really a beach; once a popular resort, later filled with migrants from the CIS countries, she writes. - Today it is a mixture of the Russian hinterland and American realities. Many shops and restaurants duplicate signs in Russian and English, sometimes with a slightly clumsy translation. "

She said that different cultures have mixed together here. “I was delighted to notice the manifestation of one or another culture in passers-by, in the assortment in stores and in signboards. Clothing style from the 90s, speech - Russian, Ukrainian, surzhik and English with an Eastern European accent, although there are also Latin Americans, ”the author shared.

“Sorry if I sound arrogant, but I can't say that all the best representatives of the post-Soviet space have moved here. Ordinary people, not some geniuses or rich people, - the author writes. - There are also canon types such as "barmaid", "mafia" and "cattle". Honestly, I would give dear to hear their stories of moving and living in the states. I'm sure there are many interesting things there. "

For lunch, the author went to a Ukrainian restaurant, where dumplings and potatoes were served. She also visited the local supermarket “with pleasant prices, sweets“ Korovka ”and“ Barberry ”, halva and cottage cheese”. “It’s very unusual to speak Russian with the seller at the checkout,” the author notes.

The beach gave the traveler, in her words, "the most vivid impression." “Ironically, we arrived at the beach on the coldest day of the year. Deserted sandy beach, unhurried waves hitting the shore, lazy seagulls and snow patches. With our hands red from the cold, we managed to make several frames for memory. The main plus of the frost is the absence of people, which made it possible to enjoy the silence and the sound of the waves, ”the author writes.

The main thing about travel, she continued, is the lack of expectations. “Without expecting anything special, I got the most memorable New Year's Eve,” she summed up.