While the Russian presidential election is an incredibly boring process with more than predictable result, St. Petersburg gastro bar Kopcheniy, which means a «smoked cured one» in English, has come up with an idea how to bring some fun to it. It developed a six-item appetizer menu where each dish is named after a candidate in the campaign plus an opposition leader Alexey Navalny who was rejected to run for President. Buying a snack, you «vote» for one of the pretenders.
UPDATE: Election results added
Eight persons are taking part in the Russia’s presidential elections campaign which will end on 18 March 2018 with acting President Vladimir Putin predicted to gain 70-80 percent of the voters and be re-elected for his Brezhnev-style fourth term.
The bar decided to cut out three candidates from its list due to their unpopularity and weak media presence and add Alexey Navalny, the most famous opposition politician in Russia, known for his investigations into Putin’s and his inner circle members’ corruption. Navalny also organizes massive protests rallies which are a very big nuisance for the Kremlin. He was barred from the elections over a fraud conviction, the accusation that was dismissed by the European Court of Human Rights. The Russian Federation refused to implement the court’s decision.
When you buy a snack on the list it means that you vote for the candidate associated with the dish. All appetizers from the election menu cost 218 rubles, the figure logically originated from the year 2018.
The result of the gastronomic vote will be known in the evening on 18 March.
So, what’s the taste of Mr. Putin?
The content of the political menu:
1. Vladimir Putin, the acting Russian President. He is an «open pie» with halibut and salmon roe. Well, the ingredients are rather expensive. While Russia has been increasing its catch over recent years, the average fish consumption has been going in the contrary direction. Nothing paradoxical here as prices for fish have been going up making it a delicacy let alone salmon roe (red caviar). That’s one of the most notable results of the Putin’s rule.
2. Ksenia Sobchak, a TV journalist, the daughter of Anatoly Sobchak, the late mayor of St. Petersburg (1991 – 1996), the chief of Vladimir Putin. She is also a celebrity known for her extravagancy. That’s why she is a baked oyster with chili sauce what’s against all culinary canons. Sobchak positions herself as «a candidate against all», she calls voters, who are against all the candidates, to vote for her and thus express their opinions (there is no choice «against all» in a voting paper in Russia, so Sobchak presents herself as a substitute for this option).
3. Vladimir Zhirinovsky, a politician who has been constantly running for President since 1991. The most flamboyant and inflammatory politician in Russia, a member of all squads of the State Duma, the lower chamber of the Russian parliament. He is herring forshmak cooked in according to a Russian recipe served with Russian bread.
4. Pavel Grudinin, whose last name originated from the word «грудка» which means «brisket», is «sold» as a sandwich with chicken breast and strawberry sauce. Grudinin, a billionaire, positions himself as a «people’s candidate». He earned his money in the agriculture sector, where he runs a business in growing strawberry, and land speculation. «A simple dish made of popular ingredients» – that’s how the bar describes it.
5. Boris Titov, a national business ombudsman and a co-owner of the Russian champagne brand Abrau-Durso. Cooked apple with champagne Abrau-Durso seems to be a logical and delicious choice which can increase the chances of this little known and the most unpopular candidate of the six.
6. Alexey Navalny, a thorn in the bureaucratic elite’s ass, is a «protest against customary procedures». Smoked cured duck served with rye chips surely brings unforgettable taste.
The picture of Navalny snack is not provided 🙁
The menu is valid till 18 March. You can leave your «vote» no matter what your nationality is.
Place: gastro bar Kopcheniy
Address: 3a, Kievskaya street. The nearest subway station is Frunzenskaya.
Opening hours: 12:00 – 23:00
UPDATE
The results of the first Russian gastro presidential elections
Vladimir Zhirinovsky – 23,06% (164 votes)
Vladimir Putin – 22,64% (161)
Ksenia Sobchak – 21,23% (151)
Alexey Navalny – 14,62% (104)
Boris Titov – 10,54% (75)
Pavel Grudinin – 7,87% (56)
