Korchma en 12 15 preview

W e h a ve o n l y fre s h a n d s a vo r y n e w s!

December 2015 | № 12 (147)

More news and photos at www.tarasbulba.ru korchma@tarasbulba.ru

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Project manager – Yuri Beloyvan

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Taste of Life.

House Parties from Korchma

A Great Journey: The Himalayas. Part One

Korinya:

The Power of Spiritual Bonds

Playboy:

Hugh Hefner and the Rabbit Who Conquered the World

Wi-Fi in all restaurants

24/7 food delivery and hotline:

8 (495) 780-77-44 www.tarasbulba.ru

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2 | culinary

As Good As a Feast Celebrations have always been a significant part of the cultural values of any nation.

They play as vital a role as food, air, water, and dreams. It is not so much a holiday but rather a different state of mind, a step beyond the daily routine.

The interchange of routine and celebrations have long been regarded as an integral part of life. From time immemorial the Slavs’ celebrations have been accompanied by sumptuous feasts, delicious food and beverages, intimate conversations, jokes as well as songs and dances.

The same applied to family holidays when the entire family gathered around the table together with friends and relatives. It was regarded as a symbol of well-being and “affluent paradise.” To feed guests properly was an honor for a host!

The tradition to come together for holidays to greet relatives, taste delicious dishes, have deep conversations, and simply enjoy a good time together has continued to the present day. Korchma Taras Bulba keeps the tradition alive and

makes sure every celebration is unforgettable.

Our guests are offered a specially designed banquet menu which caters to the demands of corporate parties, birthdays, weddings, etc. The spacious rooms of the restaurants’ chain are suited for large-scale celebrations. Our welcoming staff, cozy atmosphere, and authentic setting help you tune yourself for an evening of relaxation and culinary delight.

The New Year and Christmas are around the corner – the beloved holidays that everyone loves t o celebrate with colleagues,

friends, and family. It is a perfect time to take your mind off your daily routine and let some festivities into your life. You can already start planning your holidays by making table reservations and compiling a New Year’s menu. Your time spent at Korchma will leave you with warm and delightful memories.

culinary | 3

Celebrate the New Year with us!

Starting December 25 every Korchma will host holiday parties (Malanka and Koliada) From January 1 to January 10 there will be Christmas Tree parties for children, and Christmas swimming for the adults!

Our staff will be happy to answer any of your questions!

The best proof is in the testimonials of our guests: “On October 24th, our family celebrated the wedding of our younger daughter, Olia. Fathers and mothers of grown children will understand our anxiety and desire to ensure that everything went smoothly. Will the guests like the food, will they have a good time?

Honestly, we have been patrons of the wonderful Korchma Taras Bulba restaurants for a long time. We always go there to celebrate some events and simply when we feel like it. This restaurant chain pays careful attention to all guests and offers amazing cuisine as well as pleasant surprises from the charming staff.

There was a certain problem with the large amount of guests. They had to be seated in such a way so that they could see the newlyweds and other guests.

«Taras Bulba» chain of restaurants we present a CD of Ukrainian classical music in modern arrangements from Bulba Press.

Our worries were all in vain because Olga Yershova, the director of the restaurant Korchma Taras Bulba at 6 Krasnokazarmennaya Street, listened to our whimsical ideas very attentively and suggested several table arrangements that would meet our wishes.

With the same scrupulous, professional, and thoughtful approach as she wholeheartedly showed toward making the feast unforgettable, Olga helped us compile the specific menu. I’d like to seize this opportunity and recommend you to turn to Olga Yershova in any uncertain situation and when you need to organize a delicious and enjoyable party. She will arrange everything in the best possible way! And will also stay within your budget!

Due to the self-dedicated attention of the director, the hospitable and smiling waiters, and the unsurpassable skills of the chef, the party was perfect.

I can strongly recommend the cured pike and the meat platter. My wife especially liked the appetizers and the variety of homemade sausages. And all of the guests loved cake –they simply devoured it.

A special thanks for the touching greetings to the newly-weds on behalf of the restaurant, and for the exceptional dances and songs performed by the personnel of the Korchma.

After all, we stayed late at 6 Krasnokazarmennaya Street. We were unwilling to leave this cozy place. The personnel were welcoming hosts, who threw a great party to the newlyweds and our guests.”

Yuriy Chabanov

The exclusive new disc will be available for sale in our restaurants!

Find time in your life for our music!

4 | interview

Korinya: The Power of Spiritual Bonds The music created by these musicians represents the style of this folk band in a most eloquent way. These are ancient melodies and songs, which Ukrainians in different regions of their country have sung for decades. Not only do the Korinya (“Roots”) musicians bring these songs back to life, but they also popularize them – despite the fact that they were born outside Ukraine. It was their family that fostered their love for their native culture. Recently, the band played an exciting concert at the New York Korchma Taras Bulba restaurant. And the soloist of this musical formation, Sana Shepko, agreed to give an exclusive interview for our newspaper. me to sing harmonies to Ukrainian lullabies. When we grew older and our skills improved, we started to split away and look for our own way. At that point, two more people joined our band: Alina Kuzma and Mariya Pleshkevych. That was in 2012.

You have Ukrainian roots, but you were born in the US… Where did your love for your homeland come from? How strong is this spiritual bond? This must be why the name of the band is Korinya.

– Our bond with our national heritage and culture comes from Mom and Grandma. They thought that at home we should speak only Ukrainian (although our father is an American) and shouted “Mova!”(“Language!”) whenever they heard us speaking English. We also spent a lot of time at Ukrainian summer camps. In particular, the camp Bandura brought us together with the Ukrainian community, which we have been close to throughout our lives.

It has been very important for us to visit Ukraine, where our relatives still live.

– Korinya is one of the few folk bands that so vividly represents Ukrainian culture abroad. Could you tell us a bit about yourself? When did the band form and how did the idea of creating such an authentic musical formation appear?

– We started as a family band when we were very young. I am the oldest among my siblings, and I was about 11 when we started. My sister was 10 and my brother was about 9. We grew up on a farm in New York. Playing music and performing were part of our childhood. It was Mom and Grandma’s idea. We always sang together in our family, and one of my earliest memories is Mom teaching

– For many people it must be an unusual to hear a flute or old Ukrainian songs. How do people around the world who are not familiar with Ukrainian music perceive your music? Are they interested in it?

– People are usually surprised to hear some of the instruments, but the accordion and violin are often used in the music of other countries too. We get the biggest reactions when we play the bandura, and we gladly answer all questions!

– Judging from your poster, we can see that Korinya has a full tour schedule. Where do you usually give concerts? In what countries?

interview | 5

– We like to perform in front of different audiences. I think it is really hard to introduce people to a culture, which is lesser known and which was not part of the contemporary American culture until quite recently. But it is very pleasant to perform in front of Ukrainian communities and see how people sing along.

When we had a concert in Ukraine, it was incredible; we performed in the village where my grandfather comes from. All the audience was singing along.

– Perhaps, it is easier to impress foreign listeners because they are not that familiar with Ukrainian folklore…

– I would not say that it is necessarily easier. I think that it is much harder because they don’t understand the lyrics. For this reason, we work very hard on the music so that people can feel the song’s emotions. We have spent a lot of time and effort on this.

– What is Ukrainian culture for you? It is easy to see that embroidered shirts and other things are not just an image. It is something much more important…

– Actually, I like everything. I think that we got used to it so much that we associate such food with home; it’s all “home cooking,” the Ukrainian equivalent to the southerners’ love for fried chicken, something like that.

– What would you like to wish our readers?

– I would like to say to the readers: please, do everything possible to help Ukrainian culture flourish! It is important that the songs that you learned from your grandmas continue to be sung today, and they should sung many years after we’re gone.

– I feel that I have many identities, but the Ukrainian one is one of the most powerful ones. I think that it is directly connected to the fact that I am a part of the community and I am close to the people who belong to the same culture.

I don’t feel American but I know that I was born here; there are a lot of facets of my personality. The most important thing about why you want to be a Ukrainian is the sense of belonging. I have never had such a feeling toward the American community.

– Recently Ukraine has been gaining popularity in the world. Designers are releasing new fashion collections with traditional embroidery elements. Composers are interested in our songs. Why do you think that is?

– I think that the fashion trend of using Ukrainian traditional styles is connected to the fact that Ukraine has appeared in the media. People who had never heard of such a country can now absolutely unexpectedly see it everywhere in the headlines. It happens because of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and, consequently, its appearance in the media.

– Is Ukrainian culture present in your daily life? For example, how often do you cook red borscht or varenyky at home?

– Yes, Ukrainian culture is an indispensable part of our daily life. Our house is decorated in the traditional style. Embroidered towels and icons are part of the decor. We speak Ukrainian at home (at least we try), and a lot of our friends that we stay in touch with are Ukrainians. Grandma and Mother cook numerous Ukrainian dishes.

– Which Ukrainian dishes do you like most?

‘Korchma Taras Bulba’ reveals its secrets!

We offer you a recipe book

Not by the salo alone

6 | History

December 4 Presentation of the Most Holy Virgin into the Temple Day of Writing Letters to Father Frost

December 6 Feast of the Faithful Saint Prince Alexander Nevsky

December 7 Feast of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine

Saint Nicholas: The Ukrainian Santa Claus Who Leaves Presents Under Pillows

December 8 Birthday of the Korchma on Borovskoye Shosse

December 9 Day of Motherland Russia’s Heroes

December 12 Day of the Constitution of the Russian Federation

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December

Day of Writing Letters to Father Frost December 13 Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle

December 17 Feast of the Great Martyr Barbara

December 19 Feast of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker

December 22 Birthday of the Korchma on Sadovo-Samotechnaya St.

December 25 Catholic Christmas

December 26 Birthday of the Korchma on Pyatnitskaya St.

December 29 Birthday of the Korchma on Bochkova St.

December 31 New Year

Santa Claus in the US, Father Frost in Russia, Joulupukki in Finland. Every year during the winter holidays both adults and children look forward to seeing these figures bring presents to their homes. But few people in the world know that Ukraine has its own wonderworker. He is Saint Nicholas, and there are a lot of interesting traditions associated with him. He comes to people’s homes on the night of December 19 and leaves presents under children’s pillows. In order to get presents, children have to behave well throughout the year and write a letter to Saint Nicholas in which they tell him about themselves, about their good and bad deeds, and about the presents they would like to receive. Well-behaved children receive toys, sweets, and clothes. Naughty children can find a beating stick under their pillows. But this happens very seldom, for children get such a present only if they really misbehaved.

History | 7

Where does this tradition come from?

There are several versions. One of the most plausible is the story about a boy called Nicholas who lived once upon a time in a city in Asia Minor. His uncle was a rich bishop, so his family was quite wealthy. Consequently, the boy lived in love and prosperity, but he was saddened by the poverty which he saw around him. In order not to humiliate them with alms, he decided to bring clothes, food, and sweets to the poorest families. He did it at night, when nobody could see him. People say that he put a big sum of money under the pillow of one girl who could not marry because she did not have a dowry.

According to the legend, the next morning the beautiful girl found it and became very happy.

She thought that kind angels had visited her home and told all her neighbors and friends about it. Such stories were heard more and more frequently in the city. After that, people started to believe in a kind wonderworker who protected their homes from everything bad.

Some were so intrigued that they wanted to know who was bringing them presents. They w e r e shocked to discover that it was young Nicholas whom everybody knew. After that, the residents made him their bishop for his kind heart. And this decision proved right because he did a lot of good deeds. He pacified a windstorm at sea with a sincere prayer and rescued many fishermen and a ship with pilgrims aboard who were heading for Palestine.

He had a gift to heal physically challenged and ill people. He rescued a lot of those sentenced to execution. But his greatest merit was that he loved everyone immensely and appreciated each individual.

Nicholas gave people the most important present after he had crossed the Great Divide. His relics turned out to be incorruptible and able to heal the ill. For this reason, the church canonized him and people started to pray to St. Nicholas as to their patron and

protector. He is thought to protect fighters, travelers, sailors, merchants, archers, poor orphans, and, of course, all children.

Besides the fact that Nicholas leaves gifts under a pillow, a lot of interesting customs have long been associated with St. Nicholas. This day was thought to be especially favorable for signing important treaties and making cash payments. People believed that on such a great holiday no one would dare to deceive them. And if a deception were to happen, Nicholas would punish the guilty party and restore justice.

The celebration of St. Nicholas’ Day traditionally began with a prayer service in church. After the service, people would light a large candle because they believed that it would protect them from all troubles and misfortunes.

On December 19, banquets were also held. People bought food and drinks and sat down at a festive table. This ceremony was a sort of reconciliation of enemies and forgiveness of all insults. Because the Nativity Fast is at this time, the main dishes on St Nicholas’ Day were cabbage and mushroom pies.

On the table there was always beer brewed with barley and wheat from the new harvest.

Special biscuits called Mykolaychyky (“small Nicholases”) were baked for children.

Decades have passed but in contemporary Ukraine this holiday is becoming more and more popular. St. Nicholas’ manor was even built in the Carpathian Mountains. He works there with his assistants the whole year, and on December 19, he mounts his sleigh and exits the gates to bring children presents. If he meets them on his way, he always stops and asks them about their good deeds. If children behaved, he gives them presents.

If they were naughty, he shames them. In the Ukrainian city of Lviv, a charitable event called “Nicholas Will Not Forget You” is organized every year. As part of this event, people bring gifts to St. Nicholas’ factory. Later volunteers distribute the gifts to orphans and poor families.

Technology for Purity: The First Soviet Washing Machine

In the year 1888 in the city of Riga, which was then part of the Russian Empire, a Russian-French company Provodnik was founded. It produced tires, rubber boots, linoleum, and surgical consumable products. It became one of the biggest companies in the world in this industry. It employed about 14,000 people!

After the Second World War, this enterprise was transformed into the Riga Electric Machine Building Plant (REZ). In 1946, REZ planned to reach the gross output of 500,000 rubles and the marketable output of 200,000 rubles. This was a huge amount so it was necessary to replace the production equipment. Therefore, the factory opened new workshops and started a special vocational school.

In 1950, the board decides to start ... the release of washing machines. It is worth mentioning that at that time it was quite a courageous technological undertaking, because up till then no one produced washing machines in the Soviet Union. If a Soviet family had a washing machine, it had probably been imported from abroad. The factory in Riga became a pioneer in this field.

It was not so difficult to launch the production. The first washing machines appeared in the same year, just as planned. They were called EAYA-2 and EAYA-3 and sold at a price of 600 rubles, when the production cost was 1,500 rubles. Needless to say, it was a true miracle of the socialist economy. The machines were of round shape and very easy to use. They washed and spun in a tank where you could load up to two kilograms of laundry.

The product of the next generation – Riga-54 – differed from its predecessors in several ways. It was a source of pride for the factory engineers, and not only for them. The media began to write about the amazing washing machine. For example, one newspaper said: “At the bottom of the machine there is a 250 W motor and a centrifugal pump. The tank can hold up to 2.5 kg of dry laundry; it is then filled with a hot washing solution.

The motor starts. It produces neither steam nor smoke, and most importantly – your hands can relax while the machine washes your dirty laundry.”

It is no wonder that Riga-54 was the first machine sold at market price. People were happy to buy it because it was one of the hallmarks of a wealthy family; it was an excellent opportunity to show off in front of friends or neighbors. But its first and foremost purpose was a much needed home assistant.

The factory personnel did not rack their brains over the next model. Riga-55 was an absolute copy of the famous Swedish Husqvarna, which was brought to Moscow directly from an exhibition by the chief engineer. That was still an era when the theft of technology was considered normal. At least it was so in the USSR. At that time washing machines started to be manufactured at other enterprises.

8 | Travelling

A Great Journey to the Himalayas. Part One A visit to Monkey Town, a trek through beautiful mountains, a night in the jungle, rafting on kayaks, a ride on an elephant, a dangerous neighborhood with tigers and crocodiles, and a chat with locals. These are just some of the experiences that the Korchma employees who joined the club Seven Summits had during their fascinating journey to Nepal. In this and the next issues of our newspaper, we will tell you about some of our most interesting adventures.

When you go out on the streets of Kathmandu, you feel as if you’ve been transported to another world and Europe becomes a distant mirage or a bizarre dream. The streets are filled with motorcyclists, hundreds of old Indian cars carrying passengers not only inside but also on the roofs, and rickshaws - the cheapest local taxi.

The country recently adopted a new constitution, which caused political tension between Nepal and neighboring India. The more powerful neighbor was angered by the move and stopped supplying Nepal with products of strategic importance, such as fuel. Gas prices skyrocketed and now it has become more difficult to buy. Special gas coupons are sold in limited numbers for each family. As a result, the Nepalese are trying to get by with few resources. Nobody is surprised when they see people traveling on the roofs of buses.

We are traveling in a van with open windows and taking photos of all interesting things. The route lies in an area inhabited mostly by Buddhists. This neighborhood is called Boudhanath and surrounds the holy stupa of the same name.

It was erected in the fifth century AD. We hear a story that the shrine appeared as a result of a woman’s repentance. She gave birth to four children from four different men. To atone for her sin, she decided to build a stupa for the Buddhists to glorify Buddha. The sinner succeeded in raising the money for the construction on her own, and thus making her dream come true. Centuries passed but Boudhanath still remains one of the most popular pilgrimage sites. Believers bring here their donations; circumambulate the shrine three times and spin prayer wheels. At every turn you can see lanterns, hears drums and the powerful mantra “Om Mani Padme Hum.” The earthquake that recently struck Nepal partially destroyed the shrine, but it survived nevertheless. That’s why we take our opportunity to pray. We lit lanterns, sat down on the stone floor, and for a long time watched the life around us.

I saw a monk who was looking at the stupa. He stood motionless and didn’t pay any attention to others around him. He seemed transfixed. He seemed like a character from another world. I waited until he was alone and snapped a photo of him. Capturing other people beside him would have been inappropriate.

Then we came out of the yard and went back to our van. Suddenly, we heard someone shout out to us. It was a Nepalese man from a center of

alternative medicine. He offered us a treatment course with special chalices that produce sound at a certain frequency. Nastya sat down on a stool.

The man put a metal bowl on her head and hit it lightly with a special hammer. We didn’t feel anything; however, our patient did. Nastya said that she felt as if an electrical current went through her. The vibration overcomes the whole body. The manipulations lasted for a few minutes, then the healer motioned that we could go. He said that from that moment on no disease will latch onto our friend, that she was bright and pure like the faint ringing of the bowl. Then we said goodbye to Boudhanath and went on with our journey.

Another symbolic place for believers awaited us – the Swayambhunath stupa, which was founded about two thousand years ago.

To get to the shrine, we had to climb 365 steps.

The path is lined with stone figures of gods, locals sitting next to them and selling goods, and dozens of monkeys. Some animals fuss around and fight, others feed their babies, and still others close their eyes and seem to freeze in meditative peace. I would not be surprised if that was so, because the atmosphere encourages this as nowhere else in the world.

On our way I took a few good photos. Nastya sat down on a step to take a break and was immediately surrounded by monkeys. One of them saw a bottle of water in Nastya’s hands and gestured with his paw to his mouth. He was showing that he was thirsty. At first Nastya was afraid, but then she opened the bottle and gave some water to the animal. Several more monkeys came running to

Travelling | 9

her. One of the monkeys jumped on Nastya’s head and tried to steal her glasses.

When the bottle was empty, we got up and went on. We realized that the climb to the stupa was worth it because from the top we could see the entire Kathmandu. The town is situated in a valley, and around it are beautiful green mountains and clouds that touch the treetops. We took out the Korchma flag and took some photos with it. A few kids ran up to us and begged for money.

We found a few dollars in our pockets and gave it to them.

Then we proceeded to a small pond with a statue of Buddha in the middle. Its bottom is covered with a thick layer of coins. Under the Buddha is a little pitcher, and according to the legend, if you can toss a coin into it, your wish will come true. I grabbed a few coins and hit the target on my second attempt. On the fourth try another one of my coins ended up in the pitcher. I felt happy because at least two of my dreams would now come true.

Once again I looked at all the coins at the bottom of the lake and thought I still have the eyes of a hawk and my throw is precise like a Sioux Indian.

Our van drove down the narrow streets for a very long time. Finally we got off the bus and tried to find Freak Street in this maze. It is a wellknown street among the hippies who come here from all over the world. In the late 1960s, The Beatles would often stop here when they were searching enlightenment in India and Nepal. Thus this place became iconic.

There are several routes leading to Freak Street, but we chose the shortest and at the same time

the most dangerous one. We had to pass through a narrow passage between buildings whose walls were propped up with wooden and metal poles.

Last year’s earthquake completely destroyed a lot of buildings in Kathmandu. The walls of the buildings that survived were reinforced with props to keep them from crumbling down. We cautiously made our way through the poles and other people’s houses and finally reached our destination.

Looking at the houses with colorful graffiti, I was trying to guess in which of them the legendary musicians lived. Did it survive? Is there any tangible reminder of them, even the slightest?

We were taking pictures of a strange bearded man who was naked and wrapped in a white toga.

When he saw us, he started shouting in good Russian: “Bourgeois, the commissar’s beasts! Jari will punish you!” And then we heard all sorts of terrible curses. The stranger was so weird and horrible that we decided to leave him alone. He may

have been living in Nepal since the 1970s and now thought that the Russian Communists came to Kathmandu.

We retuned on foot. On the way, we passed by shrines, ruins of buildings, public restrooms where men were washing right out in the street. In the old part of the city there is no plumbing and sewerage, so people have to wash in such conditions.

We were invited to dinner by a Mingma Gelu Sherpa. He has a big luxurious house outside the city. We enjoyed our food and coffee and went on the roof to watch Kathmandu drowning in the evening twilight.

Text and photo: Stepan Hrytsiuk To be continued.

We express our gratitude for organizing the trip to Minhma Helu Sherpa (Nepal Luxury Treks) and the Seven Summits Club: www.7vershin.ru

10 | history

Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the Rabbit Who Conquered the World December 1, 1953. Chicago. A new magazine hit the newsstands.

Its cover and centerfold featured a seductive but still little-known Marilyn Monroe. The publishers didn’t hold a special photo session for the beautiful actress; they purchased ready-made pictures. Marilyn had posed for a calendar shoot four years earlier, and they decided to use the successful photos. Publisher Hugh Hefner paid $50 for them.

The magazine was called Playboy and had a circulation of just over fifty thousand copies. Interestingly, the cover was undated because the publisher wasn’t sure whether there would be a second issue. If Hefner had been told at that time that Playboy would make him fabulously rich and would become the foundation of a whole industry, he probably would have just laughed.

Hugh Hefner’s passion for publishing started in high school.

While in high school, he started a school newspaper and wrote all of its texts; while in the army, he drew cartoons all day long for a military newspaper, and after he graduated from college he worked as a copywriter for a men’s magazine Esquire. Finally, he decided to launch his own publication targeting the male readership. Initially, the magazine was planned to be called Stag Party with a logo of a stag dressed in a tuxedo. But then the plans changed. The publication was called Playboy and its trademark icon became a rabbit designed by artist Arthur Paul.

Twenty-seven-year-old Hefner was literally broke and worked on the first issue in his own kitchen. The magazine is said to have required an investment of $8,000. Hefner raised the money among his friends. A large part of it – $1,000 – was invested by his mother. The picture of Marilyn Monroe on the cover of the magazine was supposed to attract men’s attention, but the erotic undertone was no more than a promotional trick. Hefner dedicated no more than 1015 percent of the magazine’s content to such topics. He planned to fill it with interesting texts, interviews with celebrities, and other entertainment. The magazine has maintained this policy throughout its existence. It has a long history of publishing such notable

writers as Stephen King, Vladimir Nabokov, Arthur C. Clarke, Stanisław Lem, and many others. In addition, it featured interviews with a large variety of people, from athletes to preachers, from philosophers to presidents. It was on the pages of Playboy that Martin Luther King spoke about the problems of the black community, and Fidel Castro of the revolutionary struggle.

“I have never thought of Playboy as a sex magazine,” Hefner explained his position in numerous interviews. “For me it has always been a lifestyle magazine with sex being only one of its components. In general, sex is healthier when it is openly discussed. What’s the point in duping the public?”

Such editorial policy has proved to be remarkably successful. The first issue of the magazine at a price of half a dollar sold out instantly.

The proceeds enabled Hefner to start producing the next issue of Playboy.

history | 11

In 1955, the publisher decided to publish not only photos of movie stars or models, but also of “girls next door.” The front cover now featured a “Playmate of the Month,” a real young woman who worked in the subscription department. This was Hefner’s way of telling the readers that beauties live not only in Hollywood, but also next door. This approach turned revolutionary as well.

Each subsequent issue of the magazine sold out instantly, and in the late 1950s Playboy’s circulation surpassed one million copies. The profits it earned gave Hefner an opportunity not only to popularize the celebrities, but to make his own new stars out of ordinary girls. Circulation numbers and the popularity of the magazine made it a perfect platform for such an endeavor.

With the profits from the magazine Hefner soon opened his own Playboy-branded club. The first club appeared in 1960 in Chicago, and a year later two more opened in New Orleans and New York. They had a simple but very attractive format. Everyone who paid a 25 dollar membership fee for a “door key” could attend a cabaret show

or a bar with great jazz music and pretty hostesses dressed in bunny outfits.

Soon they became sex icons of America.

The clubs spread throughout the world and in the early 1970s the company’s profits amounted to 11 million dollars. The magazine’s circulation hit seven million copies a month. The domestic market grew saturated, and Hefner understood that the US is not his limit. The first nation-specific version of Playboy was launched in Germany, then in France, Brazil, Italy, and Japan.

The journal acquired international fame and became a cult classic. Moreover, in 1964, Hefner decided to publish photos of Soviet women from behind the Iron Curtain. Playboy’s pages were adorned with pictures of Soviet ballet stars Stalina Azamatova, Ksenia Ryabinkina, Elena Matveeva, and a famous actress of Latvian origin Eva Murnietse.

The stories of Soviet girls were pictured on six pages. The editors published several dozens of their photos. They encouraged the readers to spend fifteen hundred dollars and to take a peek behind the Iron Curtain because there they could find a real treasure of pristine feminine beauty. They relied heavily on the statistics saying that there are 20 million more women than men in the Soviet Union. Romantic adventures should start in Moscow: “That’s the only place you can meet an exquisite starry-eyed ballet student from Tajikistan, a Ukrainian actress with a divine figure, a Georgian model with olive skin, a blonde Latvian woman-engineer. The image of Stakhanovka that can fix a tractor better than a man is gradually receding into the past. And not because women no longer drive tractors but because the Soviet reality is increasingly invaded by cosmetics, perfumes, and push-up bras.

Victorian morals in the Soviet lifestyle are more of a myth than a reality.”

Text: Maria KRASNA

Interesting Playboy facts The magazine keeps playing a joke on its readers by hiding the rabbit logo somewhere in the cover art or photo.

The tradition of hiding the logo goes back to the 1960s. It started as a way to engage the readers. By the mid-1970s the headquarters of Playboy would be buried under letters from readers who could not find the logo. Then the editors started to leave hints in the contents page on where to look for the rabbit.

A German alcohol factory G-Spirits released special batches of whiskey, rum, and vodka that were poured over the naked breasts of Playmates before being bottled. According to the company, no more than 5,000 bottles were poured on each breast. Every bottle is numbered and signed by the models.

Since 1970, the US National Library Service has published the Playboy magazine in Braille for the blind. However, it includes only the written words from the original publication, but not embossed images.

12 | news from «korchma»

Halloween: Vampires, Witches and… Pumpkins

news from «korchma» | 13

Every year, on the eve of All Hallows’ Day, the entire world celebrates the most mysterious night of the year: Halloween. It has been widely celebrated in the United States where the devilry had its biggest orgy. Vampires, werewolves, demons, and zombies – all spill out onto the city streets. Our Korchma, situated in the heart of Manhattan, could not miss out on the popular celebration. We threw a Halloween costume party and every dressed up

guest was welcomed and treated to special food and drinks. The cocktails served that night were prepared using an ancient recipe, which, like a magic potion, could open portals into other worlds. The party was a great success. Some partygoers had such elaborate costumes that even Hollywood horror film crews would have been impressed.

The restaurants in Russia and Ukraine followed suit. They celebrated Halloween on a more local scale and with Slavic folk customs. The restaurant in Kyiv held a Pumpkin Party. You can see what it looked like in our photos from the festivities!

e Cat and the Fox’, Children’s encyclopedia, a fairy tale ‘Th puzzles. Look for new issue as well as poems, riddles and crossword BULBA PRESS of the children’s magazine Tarasik by aurants in “Korchma Taras Bulba’ chain of rest

Your kids deserve the best childhood!

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reality n u f o sense t n a ival. s r a r e l a p n but y upo l e t a A mild immedi n i ts se

Moscow 5% holders discount card

nal 5% off get an additio rk in a New Yo Restaurant

Встречаются два приятеля через несколько дней после Нового года.

– Ну, как встретил Новый год?

– Не знаю, еще не рассказывали...

Korchma i n

Soho

Разговор двух блондинок.

– Представляешь! Говорят, что этот Новый год выпадет на пятницу!

– Да-а! Только бы не на тринадцатое!

357 West Broadway, Soho, New-York К хорошему работнику на Новый год приходит Дед Мороз, а к плохому Дед Лайн.

4 4 7 7 0 8 (495) 7

Ukrainian cuisine – made with love!

Restaurants’ location:

MOSCOW, Aviamotornaya metro station, 6 Krasnokazarmennaya St., (499) 763 5741

Avtozavodskaya metro station,

6 Velozavodskaya St., (499) 764 1532

Akademicheskaya metro station,

16/10 Profsoyuznaya St., (499) 125 0877

Alekseyavskaya metro station, 3 Bochkova St., (495) 616 6754

Airport metro station,

64 Leningradskiy Prospekt St., (499) 151 9011

Baumanskaya metro station,

23/41 Bakuninskaya St., +7 (495) 956 55 81

Borovitskaya metro station,

8 Mokhovaya St., 24-hour, +7 (962) 918 75 38; +7 (985) 644 85 44

Krasnye Vorota metro station,

47 Myasnitskaya St., (495) 607 1762

Leninskiy Prospekt metro station,

37 Leninskiy Prospect St., (495) 954 6466

Maryino metro station,

163 Lublinskaya St., 8 (495) 349 78 09

Novokuznetskaya metro station, 14 Pyatnitskaya St., (495) 953 7153

Novye Cheryomushki metro station, Nametkina St., 13 г, (495) 331 4211

Smolenskaya metro station,

12 Smolenskiy Avenue. St., 24-hour, (499) 246 6902

Tsvetnoy Boulevard metro station,

13 Sadovaya-Samotechnaya St., 24-hour, (495) 694 0056

Chekhovskaya metro station,

30/7 Petrovka St., (495) 694 6082

Yugo-Zapadnaya metro station,

6 Borovskoye Road, (495) 980 2051

Vystavochnaya metro station, of 1905 year,

27 Shmitovskiy Passage, 24-hour, (499) 256-4660

The town of Odintsovo

122 Mozhayskoye Shosse 8 (925) 166-16-18

KIEV, “Teatralnaya”, “Zolotye Vorota”,“Kreschatik” metro station, 2-4/7 Pushkinskaya St.,+38 (044) 270-7248 357 West Broadway, NYork City, NY 10013 phone: (212) 510 75 10

Laskavo prosymo!

Certificate of registration PI № FS 77 – 19940. Circulation is 5 000 copies.