a lesson learned the hard way...

So, I'm learning Russian, right?  Right.  I'm learning a lot and I'm learning quickly and I'm loving it.  However, it's only been a few months, and for native English speakers, Russian is the third hardest language to learn (First: Mandarin Chinese. Second: Arabic.).  So, as a result of this, I rely heavily on charades to assist the understanding of whatever poor, patient Kazakh I'm trying to communicate with. 

So, here's the story:  We never buy meat here, because it's so expensive.  This is all right with me, since I don't love meat anyway and didn't eat it all that much in the states either.  However, Mom's White Chicken Chili was calling my name.  So, I went into the meat section of the supermarket (for months I avoided this room…it's smells incredibly strong of dead, skinned animal…and often, the skin is lying in a pile in the back corner) and searched for the chicken.  Didn't see it, but once in a while they actually refrigerate things, so I decided to ask.

Me: Oo vas yest kooreetsa? (Do you have chicken?)

Clerk in especially bloody apron and hair net: Da, yest.  Menoot, pazhalsta.  (Yes, we have it.  One minute, please.)

[clerk in especially bloody apron and hair net returns holding a freshly de-feathered dead and still whole chicken]

[clerk sees my shocked and slightly disturbed face.]

Clerk: Eta Kooreetsa!  (This is chicken!)

Me: Da…ya znayoo, noe ya xhachoo kooreetsa, eh, kooreetsa….ummmm...  (Yes, I know, but I want chicken, eh, chicken…ummmm…)

[Me, suddenly realizing that I do not know the words for "chicken breast" and deciding whether or not to try and play charades with the word "breast" to make the clerk understand.]

WORD TO THE WISE:  Do not learn the word for "chicken" in Russian and expect to be handed a chicken breast.  Ooooh no.  LEARN THE WORD FOR BREAST (грудка) or be prepared to make a total fool out of yourself attempting to use hand motions to tell the clerk that you don't in fact want a whole chicken, you only want the breast while repeating this word: chicken! chicken! chicken! chicken! 

Anyway, incredibly embarrassing, and all because I wanted some darn chicken breast.  

White Chicken Chili, I'll see you in June.