In the early 2000s we finally started living normally, not counting pennies like in the nineties. Of course, we didn’t live rich, we rented a place to live, but at least we could afford decent food. And the range in the store was solid, the time of scarcity was over. We bought shashlik in a shashlik shop, and on holidays we pickled salmon or baked baked baked pork. These dishes belonged to the category of delicacies in those days.
One day a relative called and asked me to take her son, who was a student, for two weeks. I could not refuse her, though I was not happy about such an outcome.
I arranged a whole cultural program with walks around the city and a festive dinner for the student. All the time he was staring at the prices and clutching his head. He said that everything in Moscow was so expensive that it was unreal to survive here.
I would like to say that my relative was not cheeky: he even wanted a refund for the ice cream. However, he did comment on the price of the ice cream.
He was not particularly interested in walking the capital’s streets and observing the city’s sights. The student was much more interested in telling us that they sell triple-priced slag here. When we offered to eat in a restaurant and drink refreshments, he went berserk. We reassured him that we would pay the bill, and only then did he take his portion. But he didn’t forget to scold the waiter, that 100 grams of shashlik cost a kilo of raw meat.
Soon we were fed up with his boring attitude, we paid and went home. In order not to provoke him again, we decided not to go to the malls and stores. But even at home he found something to pick on – the food that was in our fridge.
– I see you have a good appetite!
– What’s bothering you?
– How much money do you spend on groceries a month?
– Lots, we only work on the toilet bowl, – my husband laughed.
However, my relative didn’t get the joke, and upon arrival reported everything to his mother. My husband and I breathed when he left. How many rebukes we had listened to during that time and accusations that we were too wasteful.
We bought champagne and caviar in honor of his departure- such a spender!
