The other day, while in Ann Arbor, I stopped by an intimidating palace of food that goes by the name “Whole Foods.” As I pulled into a parking lot filled with gas-guzzling SUVs and flashy imported vehicles in my Festiva, I could not help noticing happy shoppers leaving the store carrying shopping-bags. Not plastic bags as you would expect the lowly shoppers of Kroger or Meijer would carry. Or no! The patrons of Whole Foods are much better than that. They proudly demonstrate their earth-friendliness by sporting snazzy shopping-bags with a gigantic logo of Whole Foods on them.
Little do the self-righteous opulent Ann Arborites realize that in doing so they resurrect a good old Soviet habit of going to a store with your own bag (pictured to the right) in hopes that perhaps (in Russian, “avos’”; “avos’ka” is also referred to in the Western media as a “perhaps-bag”) the authorities would dispense some rarely available goods like Romanian shoes or butter.
Bravo, Ann Arbor! Way to soften the heart of a disenfranchised nostalgic Sovok !
DJ VadimJ
2 responses so far ↓
1 poemless // May 6, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Spooky isn’t it. There is this fellow, Dmitry Orlov, who has this … well, I think it is a power point presentation, comparing and contrasting the collapse of the Soviet Union to the collapse of America. I know hipster Americans are being earth-friendly with their pakety, but it I can’t help but associate the “don’t leave the house without your reusable bag” phenomenon with standing in line for beets and toothpaste. Not that I don’t like beets. or toothpaste.
Sovoks are shopping at Whole Foods?
You know, I tried to write something about the similarities between “sovok” and contemporary America, but it devolved into an inability for anyone to agree on or get the definition of “sovok.” What is your expert opinion on the matter?
Failed attempt:
http://www.eurotrib.com/story/2008/4/2/143519/2902
2 Vadim // May 6, 2008 at 5:54 pm
You are so right-it’s spooky. I am sure you have noticed that we’ve been hammering on this topic for five years now-Americans gravitate towards Soviet-era sovokism with more gusto than Russians at this time. My younger Russian-American friends stare at me with bewilderment when I crank up Alla.
As one of the comments to your story said it, it has a lot to do with ideology, and I agree with that. Also, Americans love new things and like to feel good about themselves. Unfortunately, low attention span and lack of self-satire may contribute to the embrace of patterns with which you and I are very familiar with. Much work needs to be done in educating Americans on what it means to be a “Sovok.” Let the exploration continue!
DJ VadimJ
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