Kazan — summer 2010

One thing that Russians do that adult Americans almost never do is to sit in a squatting position. I think most Americans lose the ability to maintain this position somewhere in their twenties unless they are uncommonly flexible or attend yoga classes. In the full position the buttocks rest on the back of the shins or ankles. For instance, here is a picture of the owner of a souvenir table set up on the main tourist drag, Bauman Street. When he is not dealing with a customer, he rests in this position:

And you can weed your garden in this position:

Of course, you can also make phone calls in this position:

Anthropologists call this position 'hunkering,' if I remember correctly. Young Russian men do it all the time when they are just hanging out smoking and drinking, like these guys:

This evening around 9:00 p.m. I spotted four drunk guys trying to catch a cab. Their soberest buddy tried to flag down a car while his other buddies were hunkering at the side of the road. And one of those buddies very deftly and neatly barfed in the hunkering position. I was most amused. He had obviously done this before, because his body didn't waver at all through the process.

(When I finally caught my own cab and arrived back in my neighborhood, I saw another guy throw up on the street as well, but he didn't hunker. He just leaned on a light post and hurled. The Russians are legendary for their abuse of alcohol. Alas, the reputation has a basis in fact. Wish you were here!)