tea time

I have been dreading going to the grocery store. The nearest grocery stores require dragging the stroller up and down stairs - icy, slippery stairs. So I have been avoiding. We do have some groceries delivered. Last week I put in an order. The total was around 5000 rbls (I was ordering a lot). When they delivered it was less than 2000 rbls. Meaning they brought less than half what I ordered. Makes meal planning hard.

Anway, I was chatting with a friend today and she mentioned a grocery she was walking to. hmmmm she doesnt live far from me, where is it? walking distance! and no perihod! (the icy stairs leading to the underground crosswalks) why did it take me living here 10 months to figure this out? To be fair, I had been to this grocery once before, but it was the first week I was here, and we had been walking around for over an hour, so I didnt realize where it was, or where I was for that matter. Anyway I went today.

Nice grocery! I found most of what I was looking for - but didnt see any nutella or peanutbutter. I find the jelly/jam/honey section. look look look, no nutella or peanut butter. OK, maybe they dont sell it. I decide to ask. I really want peanut butter - the kids will be on break next week from school and I need to make lunches at home for them. Excuse me, у бас ест nutella? (do you have). She looks at me blankly. Nutella? I ask again. I think, maybe I am pronouncing it wrong. How many ways are there to say Nutella? maybe nootl-a? that just sounds ridiculous. So then I say in Russian - like chocolate cream. for on bread (I make a spreading motion). she thinks. Then says "you make a sandwich and eat it with tea?" (she didnt exactly say sandwich - she used the word "buterbrot" - pronounced german-y like booterbrot - which is sometimes used for sandwich -used for sandwich on roseatta stone!, but I think it can mean any bread with something on it - I know for example bread with butter and caviar is called buterbrot) umm. I guess so. I say yes. She tells me to go into the room with boxes of assorted chocolates. yes, they have a whole room devoted to boxes of chocolates. ok. Sure enough - nutella AND peanut butter!! woop!