Last evening I....

...went to the Irish pub round the corner from work. It's a very authentic Irish theme pub, just like the ones you get in Manchester. Although there are no Irish bar maids and the menu is all in Russian. But the Cranberries were dutifully playing on the big screen when we walked in. They were soon switched off and replaced by the more traditional Ice Hockey that I know is very popular in Ireland. I was hoping they might serve a good ol fashioned fish and chips or a burger but to save time (reading Russian is easy but time-consuming) I opted for chicken wings and raw fish. I stayed off the vodka as for a second evening running I was under interrogation from curious Russians and facing many many many questions about my impressions of their country. The evening before I had been taken by one of my students and her family to the English theme pub where the waiters dressed like page boys and the waitresses dressed like strumpets. I had every question you can possibly think of thrown in my direction 'do people eat soup in Britain? Do people breathe in Britain....' this kind of thing. I didn't want to spoil the image they clearly have of Britain as being like the scenes in Pride and Prejudice so I kept my answers as short as possible! So no drinking for me, although I think it would have helped me get through the torture of being the centre of attention for over 2 hours. They all want to know the differences and I feel like I'm letting them down greatly when I tell them that it's really not that different (apart from the weather and the mud and the people)...