BELARUSIAN CUISINE
Modern Belarusian cookery is based on old national traditions which have undergone a long historical evolution. But the main methods of traditional Belarusian cuisine are carefully kept by the people. Belarusian eating habits are not very different from those of people in other Eastern European cultures. They usually have three main daily meals, and staples include red meat and potatoes. Belarusians are also very fond of spending their free time in the woods searching for the many types of mushrooms that are used in soups and other dishes.
On the territory of Belarus live people of different nationalities - the Belarusians, the Russians, the Ukrainians, the Poles, the Lithuanians, the Jews, the Tatars. That is why at the same table there you can taste meals of different nations. Of course, the queen of Belarusian meals is potato. You can cook 1000 dishes from it!
In Belarusian cuisine potato which is called "the second bread". The Belarusians bring fame to their beloved potato in their verses, songs, dances. There are special potato cafes in the country where you can try various potato dishes. Potato is included into many salads, it is served together with mushrooms, meat; different pirazhki (patties) and baked puddings are made from it. The most popular among the Belarusians are traditional draniki, thick pancakes, prepared from shredded potatoes. A wide spread of potato dishes in Belarusian cuisine can be explained by natural climatic conditions of Belarus which are propitious for growing highly starched and tasty sorts of potatoes.
A lot of place in the diet of the Belarusians belongs to meat and meat products, especially to the pork and salted pork fat. One of the people's proverbs says: "There is no fish tastier than tench, as well as there is no meat better than pork". The salted pork fat is used slightly smoked and seasoned with onions and garlic.
Among dishes from fish the Belarusians prefer yushka, galki and also baked or boiled river-fish without special seasonings. In general, what concerns the most common seasonings such as onions, garlic, parsley, dill, caraway seeds, pepper, they are used very moderately in Belarusian cookery.
MODERN MEANS OF COMMUNICATION.
To begin with Id like to point out that means of communication have changed greatly.When we think of it we cannot understand how people who lived 50 years ago were able to keep in touch. Nowadays we cannot imagine human contact without modern technology devices such as mobile phones, smartphones, i-Pods, i-Pads, Tablets, laptops and so on.
Thanks to the new technologies people are communicating more than ever before. Modern means of communication have made the distance between people unimportant. Unlike 20 years ago we usually call someone, not visit. Mobile phones are portable and let us contact others wherever they and we are. Furthermore, mobile phones offer the possibility of texting. Text messaging is the most convenient and the cheapest form of communication when we need to pass a quick note containing only a few words.
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Emails have replaced letters and postcards almost completely. People prefer emails, which are quicker to write and send and more sure to reach the addressee.
Video conferences are often used by business people and scientists and they dont need to travel to remote places.
To keep in touch with our families and friends that live abroad we use the Internet and such programs as Skype or Messenger, we use video chats or instant messaging. Thanks to them we can talk with our relatives for free and without time limits.
A lot of people especially teenagers communicate in social networks such as Vkontakte, Facebook, Twitter, Odnoklasniki. They share the news, pictures, funny videos, jokes, songs and so on.
The Internet is very helpful for those who have a hobby. You can communicate with those who share the same passion from all over the world. You can learn the news and discuss your favourite pop star, or a movie actor, a TV show, sport competitions and what not. On forums people share their experiences and help each other to solve the problems they have run into.
To sum it up Id like to point out that modern means of communication have changed our life, they influence our social life, politics, commerce, everything.
