About our childhood - is dedicated to the generation of 1972-82

"We are fortunate that our childhood and youth ended before the government bought from FREEDOM youth in exchange for commercials, mobile phones, star factories and great crunches (by the way, for some reason, soft) ... Since it is general agreement ... for her own own (seemingly) good ... "- a fragment of the text entitled" Generation 76-82 ". Those who are now somewhere in the region of thirty, with a large hunting reprint it on the pages of their online diaries. He became a sort of manifesto of the generation.

The analysis of youth Internet resources and other text sources shows that the attitude towards life in the Soviet Union has changed dramatically from negative to strongly positive. Over the last few years the Internet has appeared a lot of resources devoted to daily life in the Soviet Union. "76-82. Encyclopedia of our childhood "- perhaps the most popular of them. The name itself speaks about who is the audience for this resource - all who were born between 1976 * 1982 year. The same name community in LiveJournal included in the top thirty most popular. His regulars with genuine love discussing movies Electronics, GDR "Vester" blade "Neva" for safety razors and drink "Pinocchio."

But we look a little further, because there must be a preface?

Unbelievable but true: asphalt pavement has a ramp for wheelchairs. Even now in Moscow is rarely see

At that time (as far as can be judged from photographs and films), all the girls wore skirts to the knee. And there was virtually no perverts. It's amazing.

Perfect pointer bus stop. A trolley icon, and today is the same in St. Petersburg. There was also a pointer to the tram - in the "T" letter Circle.

In the world increased consumption of different brand drinks, and we were all from the boiler. This, incidentally, is not so bad. And, most likely, mankind has again come to this. All foreign ultra-left and the green movement would rejoice to learn that the USSR was necessary to go for cream with his jar. Any bank could pass, sausage wrapped in paper, and went to the store with his shopping bag. The most advanced supermarkets in the world today at the cashier asked to choose between paper or plastic bag. The most responsible attitude to the environment class returns a clay pot of yoghurt in store. And before that it did not have the habit to sell the containers with the product.

Kharkov 1924-th year. Tea room. I drank and left. No Lipton bottled.

Moscow, 1959-th year. Khrushchev and Nixon (at the time Vice President) at the booth of Pepsi at the American National Exhibition in Sokolniki. On the same day there was the famous dispute in the kitchen. In America, this debate was widely publicized, we - no. Nixon told how cool to have a dishwasher, how many goods in supermarkets. All of this was shot on color videotape (super technology at the time). It is believed that Nixon was so well made at that meeting, that it helped him to become one of the presidential candidates for next year (and after 10 years, and the President).

In the 60th went terrible fashion for all machines. The whole world then dreamed of the robots, we dreamed about automated trading. The venture, in some sense failed due to the fact that do not take into account the Soviet reality. For example, when a vending machine for potatoes pours you a rotten potatoes, they nobody wants to use it. Still, when there is an opportunity to delve into the container earthy, finding a few relatively strong vegetables, this is not only the hope for a delicious meal, but training fighting qualities. Machines survived only those who were given the same quality product - selling soda. Still sometimes met vending sunflower oil. It survived only soda.

1961 th. ENEA. Still, before the start of the fight against the excesses we did not lag behind in the graphics and the aesthetic development of the West.

In 1972, Pepsi agreed with the Soviet government that will be pouring Pepsi "from concentrate and PepsiCo technology company", and the Soviet Union in return will be able to export vodka "Stolichnaya".

1974 th. Some boarding house for foreigners. Peas "Globe" on the top right. I have the unopened bank still is - all think, explode or not? In any case, keep to roll up in the pack away from the books. Open too scared - suddenly I choke? From the right edge near the visible cone scales for sale juice. Empty, though. I was not in the Soviet habit of drinking the juice out of the refrigerator, do not show off one. The saleswoman opened the three-liter jar, pour it into a cone. And then - the glasses. I was a child has found such cones in our vegetable on Travel Shokalski. When I saw your favorite apple juice from such a cone, some thief stole my bike "Kama" from the waiting room shop, never forget.

1982 th. The choice of alcohol in the restaurant car Trans-Siberian train. For some reason, many foreigners have a fixed idea - to pass on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Apparently, the idea that you can not get out of the week, riding a train, it seems magical.

Please note that the apparent abundance. No refined dry red wines, which are now even an ordinary tent at least 50 species are sold. No XO and VSOP. However, even ten years after this picture was taken, the author is quite satisfied Agdam port wine.

1983rd. The worm consumerism settled in naive and pure souls Rusich. However, the bottle something, young man, to be returned, someone said. Drank, I enjoyed lukewarm, return container. It will be taken back to the factory.

The stores usually sell was "Pinocchio" or "Bell". "Baikal" or "Tarragon" is not always sold. A Pepsi when exhibited in any supermarket, it took in a stock - for a birthday, for example, to put then.

1987 th. Aunt sells herbs on display in a dairy shop. Behind the glass visible cashiers. The ones to whom we had come well prepared - know all the prices, quantity of goods and department numbers.

1987 th. Volgograd. In the US this archive photo is accompanied by a commentary of the century: "A woman on a street in Volgograd sells some sort of liquid for the invalids of the Great Patriotic War (the Soviet name for World War II)." Apparently, at the same time in the 87th and translated the inscription from the barrel, when there was not to ask anyone what disabled war veterans serve out of turn. By the way, these inscriptions - the only documentary recognition that there is a queue in the USSR.

By the way, in those days there was no struggle merchandisers, there was no POS materials, no one hung on the shelf wobblers. Anybody and had not had the idea to distribute free probnichki. If the store were given an inflatable ball with the Pepsi logo, he considered it an honor. And to stand in the window and genuinely nothing.

1990 th. Pepsi vending machine in the subway. Rare specimen. Here machines that are right, everywhere in the center met - they sold the newspaper "Pravda", "Izvestia", "Moscow News". By the way, on all machines with soda (and play well) always was an inscription "Please! Jubilee and bent coins are not omitted." With curved clear, and commemorative can not be lowered because they differ from other coins of the same denomination weight and sometimes size.

1991 th. Veteran drinking soda pop. On average machine someone has scratched logo 'Depeche Fashion ". Glasses were always general. You come, wash it in the machine, then you substitute a nozzle. Fastidious esthete carried a folding glasses that were a feature shape in the process. Photo is good because then all the details characteristic and recognizable. And Payphone polubudka and plows spotlight.

Prior to 1991, the American photographers walked the same routes. Almost every picture can be identified - is on Tverskaya Street, is on Herzen, is near the Grand Theater, this is the hotel Moscow. And then it was all possible.

Recent history.

1992 th. Near Kiev. This is not the Soviet Union, just the way I had to. Man posing for the photographer of the American voting bottle of vodka, to change it to gasoline. It seems to me that bottle gave the photographer. Nevertheless, for a long time, a bottle of vodka was a kind of currency. But in the mid-nineties all the plumbing suddenly stopped taking the bottle as payment, because fools left - vodka is sold everywhere, and it is known how much it costs. Therefore, all the money went to. Bottle today give only doctors and teachers, and even then with cognac.

With a meal in the late Soviet Union was all bad enough. The chance to buy something delicious in stores tend to zero. For delicious queues. Tasty could give "in order" - there was a whole system of "orders tables", which is actually the goods distribution centers for their own. could count on delicious The orders table: veteran (moderately), writer (not bad), a party worker (too bad).

Residents generally closed cities by Soviet standards, rolled in clover in Christ's bosom. But they have in the cities was very boring and they were Travel Abroad. However, almost all were Travel Abroad.

Well was the one who could be anything useful. Say, "Wanda" store manager was a very respected man. Super Vipom by recent standards. And the butcher was respected. And the boss in the department "Children's World" respected. Even the cashier at the Leningrad station. All of them were something to "get". Familiarity with them was called "bonds" and "strings". Director of groceries was fairly sure that his children will go to a good university.

1975 th year. Bakery. I felt that the cuts on loaves made hands (now the robot napilivaet).

, the year 1975. Sheremetyevo-1. Here, incidentally, is not much changed. In the cafe you can find chocolate, beer, sausage and peas. Sandwiches did not exist, could be the presence of a sandwich, which is a piece of white bread, which at one end has a spoon of caviar, and on the other - one turn of butter, which like each could trample down push fork and a caviar.

Shops for the sale of bread were of two types. The first - with the counter. For a saleswoman in containers lay the loaves and loaves. Fresh bread was determined in the process of questioning already bought bread or a clerk in a dialogue:

- Over 25 fresh loaf? - Normal.

Or, if the buyer does not cause rejection:

- At night, they brought.

The second type of bakeries - self. Here movers rolled up containers to special openings on the other side of which is a trading hall. The saleswoman was not, there were only cashier. It was cool because bread could poke a finger. Of course, not allowed to touch the bread, for it hung on the rough ropes special forks or spoons. Spoons were still here and there, and a fork to determine the freshness of it was unreal. Therefore, each picked up a hypocritical device and gently turned the finger to check the usual way, how well pressed. Through the spoon completely incomprehensible.

Individual packaging of bread, fortunately, did not exist.

A loaf is better that someone gently fingered than insipid percha. Yes, and you could always checking the softness of hands, take buhanochku from other series, to which no one has ever reached for.

1991 th. Soon consumer protection appears that with care will kill the taste. Halves and quarters were prepared on the technical side. Sometimes it was even possible to persuade to cut half of the white:

- And who will buy a second? - ask the buyer from the back room.

packets either no one gave at the box office - each coming with its own. Or with a shopping bag. Or so, at the hands of the bore.

Grandmother holding packages with yogurt and milk (1990 st.). There were no Tetrapak was some Elopak. On the package it was written "Elopak. Patented". Blue triangle means the party with which the package should be opened. When just bought a packaging line, it came with the barrel proper adhesive. I found the time when the package was opened in nuzhom place without pain. Then glue was over, it was necessary to open on both sides, and then one side folded back. Blue triangles left, and glue since no one was buying, few idiots. By the way, while on the packaging of products, there was no additional information - no address, no phone manufacturer. Guests Only. Yes and no brands. Milk called milk, and vary in fat content. My favorite - in a red bag, five percent.

More dairy products sold in bottles. Distinguish the contents of the color foil: milk - silver, acidophilus - blue, yogurt - green, fermented baked milk - raspberry, etc...

Joyful place of eggs. On refrigerated display cases could still lie oil "Country" - it cut the wire, then with a knife into pieces smaller, wrapped in oily paper immediately. In turn all stand with checks - before they stood in line at the cashier. Salesgirl had to say that to, she looked at the figure, recalculate all in your head or on the accounts and if converged, issue purchase ( "release"). Check string on the needle (on the left side of the counter is worth).

In theory, they had to sell even a single egg. But buying one egg was considered a terrible insult saleswoman - she could poorat in response to the buyer.

Who took three decades, that no questions were given cardboard tray. Who took a dozen, that tray is not trusted, he put all in the bag (there were more special wire cages for aesthetes).

This cool photo (1991-th year), then the background can be seen video cassettes.

Good meat could get an acquaintance or buy on the market. But the market it was twice as expensive than the store, so did not go there all. "Market Meat" or "potato market" - this is the highest praise products.

Soviet chicken was considered substandard. Here Hungarian chicken - it's cool, but it has always been in short supply. The word "cool" was still in wide use was not (that is, it was, but in relation to the rocks).

Until 1990 it was impossible to imagine that foreign photojournalist be allowed to shoot in the Soviet shop (especially - on the other side of the counter). In 1990, it became possible to all. On the street at the same time, meat color was more natural.

Lie two chickens on the counter - and Soviet imported. Imported says:

- Look at you, all blue, not plucked, skinny!

- But I died a natural death.