Buy an EU citizenship

How to purchase an EU citizenship or EU citizenship for sale has been something I get a lot of questions about. The purpose of this post is to clarify the rules on how to buy an European Union passport and the alternatives to getting a citizenship or dual passport.

Obtain an EU citizenship

Law on getting buying an EU citizenship

I want to be clear it is illegal to buy an EU citizenship and the I am not recommending you buy an EU citizenship. However, there are legal and moral ways to obtain an EU citizenship without paying for your passport.

Marriage an EU citizenship

Marrying for an EU citizenship

If you are married to an EU citizen, in most countries can apply for citizenship. This is only if you are in love. Real Love. You do not marry for a citizenship. This means after you have been living in a country with a legal visa first. Then you can start the application process, which I think takes about 3 months to get all your paperwork together. Then you submit your application for review and from that date you wait about three to five years. However, you must live in the country you apply and the police check you in many cases to see if you ave a real marriage.

The good news is if you are married and it is real it is no problem but if you trying to get a passport with a fake marriage you can face criminal charges.
Many people write and say why not for love and for citizenship. I know several cases where it messes up people’s lives. They have tax and legal problems when one partner over the years changes their mind about the fake marriage agreement. Further many times, for example Arabian men, who wanted to Passport to work in London, have married Polish girls after paying the girls 15,000 Euro. The girls are happy until they try to get a divorce and the guy is not around. Then they can not get married legally anywhere in the world. I think there are easier ways to make 15,000 Euro, like pick apples in Norway or something.

Citizenship granted for contribution to an EU country

If you are a world famous football player or scientist there are cases EU countries have granted citizenship as these individuals will contribute to the country. They give more than they take in a big way.

European roots and getting a passport

Citizenship by ancestry

If you have ever wondered if you can get an EU citizenship because your grandparents were German or Polish citizens, the answer in most cases is no. But the good news is you can often get a visa to live in the EU. Basically it is about piling papers and providing as much documentation as you can, legal documentation, such as birth certificates and marriage certificates all supported by a family tree. Once you have a visa just life and work legally in your new country for five years and apply for a citizenship. Even if the wait might be a year after that it is worth it. Having two passports have countless benefits I can not go into in this post.

Being a political refugee

If you have been persecuted for your religious or political beliefs and you feel your life is in danger, you could make an argument to an EU government for refugee status. It requires proof and commitment, but it can be done. A lot of Jewish people were able to get visa’s for the US because they had such hard times in their own countries, real hard times.

Buying a EU citizenship

I think some countries like Bulgaria allow you to bring a lot of capital and set up businesses that would have a long term positive impact on employment they can set you up with a citizenship. But this is not buying a citizenship directly. Russia you can do this also but again it is more a matter of having a large amount of capital and Russia is not in the European Union.

You can buy a fake passport also. But I do not recommend this. A professional fake passport will cost about 5,000 Euro. One that is done really well with official numbers etc. This more common in Eastern Europe, however, if you get caught you will be in prison for at least ten years and there is little you can do about it. I can only recommend legal ways to get a citizenship.

What if I want an EU citizenship and can not do the above

You still have many options. You can get an EU citizenship if you really want.

Work for your EU citizenship

Best way to obtain an EU citizenship

Live and work legally with a company sponsoring you. Develop some skill, that a company would shire you as opposed to someone else. This may take years but if you work legally in a country with time there is no reason you can not get a citizenship. My brother lived in the UK for 20 years (he is American) working and in a second he could meet a UK citizenship. I have been living and working legally in Poland for over 5 years and my EU passport is around the corner. Why not do it with patience, like my brother and I did. This is the way to obtain a EU citizenship.

If you think you can just meet a passport and be an instant citizen, your dreaming there are billions of people waiting in line ahead of you. Do it the old fashion way, develop yourself and be valuable and then work and live there and then apply after many years legally. This is the way you can buy an EU citizenship with patience and honesty.

Please leave a comment if you have any questions I might be able to help you. Also look for some immigration lawyers if you feel you have a special case where you need to be a European citizen, sometimes they can help.

Proof of residency – Do you live abroad?

If you are living in the USA or the EU the documents required are basically the same. I am a dual citizen and have been through the process on both sides of the Atlantic.

I wrote this post in repose to the a series of request I had to go through with governments and I thought it would be of value for people going through the same things.

For example, I have a daughter that I am trying to get confirmed as a US citizen. The process is actually easy but a lot of paperwork.  One of the requirements is to prove that you have lived in the USA for at least 5 years.

What documents are acceptable to prove residency?

  • passport new and old with exit and entry stamps
  • tax returns
  • school records, high school or college
  • social security statements
  • w-2 forms
  • Utility bills with your address and they are getting paid
  • Anything that is official and accepted as a legal and binding contract.
  • or travel records obtained which you can get by writing the  U.S. Customs and Border Protection the address is: 1300 Pennsylvania Ave, NW;  Mint Annex Building, FOIA Division; Washington, DC  zip 20229

I highly recommend you collect all your paperwork in a folder before you have a meeting at the embassy or the government office. Collect it organize it in dividers. Have everything looking sharp like a school girl’s presentation. I would even create a summary document in a spreadsheet that explains all the documents with labels attached. These guys are like gloried postal workers and there is no creative thinking. You either have the document or not. They do not accept stories. I know it is hard in life and no one these days has a lot of money, especially to pay with legal leases and registration but if you want to be a legal resident you have to organize your life story in a clear, crisp concise manner.

If you want to prove your residency for citizenship and or children born abroad to a US citizen or to be president of the US, be prepared to be honest, as they can check everything, and have good records with raised seals and official stamps.

The reason you might need to prove your residence is:

I am a long-term expatriate have had to do this in both the USA and Europe for myself and my family. The local rules vary but the general rules are the same. All governments need some printable, tangible proof that you live, with a real address in a house or apartment rather than a mailbox.

Why do countries care about legal domicile?
You can argue and say it is unfair and the people in the government office or embassy or the department of immigration do not understand, and that might be true, but you still need to present this proof.

I live in Poland and many Polish people complain about paper work.  Actually I found that Polish paperwork and proof of residency easier than US.  See in Poland you have a PESEL and the governments knows everything about you (throw back from communism) based on this. While in the US, there is no real central control over citizen records, the responsibility is on you to prove it.

Why do we have laws of residency?
Laws are created by a society to represent the collective unconsciousness of the society. The government only enforces them. They are there to protect the citizens from an unfair influx of people who should not be there for political reasons. Sure it might seem unfair but those are the rules and without rules all would be chaos, a society of anarchy.

I am personally a libertarian and believe in the free flow of movement of labor and capital but until that utopian day of real world-wide freedom we have laws and boundaries.

So you just have to bite the bullet and collect the documents you need and live in abidance.

What is a resident?
A long-term person, rather than a temporary or visitor. It usually is connected with a visa or permanent right to live in a country like a green card. It comes from the Latin word residēre and is connected to reside or a residence.

50 kg to lbs – all about this weight

50 kg to lbs

Why is 50 kg to lbs important? I am an American in Europe and have only now after years of living here got use to kg.  The way I learned to convert kilograms to pounds is two ways. Living in Europe has its advantages after a small adjustment period.

Method one to convert kg to lbs

Simply know a kilogram is about twice a pound. Not exactly its 2.2 lbs. However, when doing it if your head at the deli for example its easier to simply divide by two.

Method two to convert kg to lbs

I am a big fan of rounding and approximating. I latch onto some common weights like 50 kg and memorizes the lbs conversion.  Something like 50 kg is great to know in lbs for airports or trains or even the weight of say your girlfriend.

Being 110 lbs is enjoying life if you live at the beach.

50 kg and European girls

I would say 50 kg is a normal weight for girls in Poland, Russia and Ukraine.  While in contrast in the USA 70kg is the average.    That is like a 50 lbs difference.  Maybe I am exaggerating here a bit. But I would rather show extremes as if there are any American women reading this I do not want to offend and would rather them see this and when they see this they say oh good, ‘I am below average’.

Of course I can not can throw any stone, as I love Polish cooking.

The conversion is simple

So what is 50 kg to lbs

That is easy 50 kg is 110lbs or more precisely 110.231131 pounds. So next time you here 50kg and need to convert it to lbs just think 110lbs.

I think after over 5 years in Europe I am very use to thinking in the metric system, but I still have to learn Polish better.

Weight is nothing more than a relative mass measure. It is a yardstick to compare the mass of one object to another. When making a Kilogram to pounds conversion on the English system and living in the European metric system I would say metric is infinitely easier to use.

Fun facts about 50 KG:

  • 50 adult guinea pigs equals 50 kilograms.
  • 50 kg on Mars would equal 18.85 kg
  • 50 kg on the moon would weight 8.25 kg
  • 50kg dumbbell is useful only for bodybuilders doing something like ribcage expands as it is too heavy for a dumbbell fly. However, weight plates make more sense and can be used on something like bench press.
  • Value of 50 kg of gold In US dollars 2,176,000 million dollars.

Other useful conversations and units of measure

  • 50 kg to Stone (the English informal measure of weight usually applied to body weight). is equal to 7.78 stones.
  • 50 kg to Newtons is 500 Newtons because 1 Newton equals 100 grams.

Fifty Kilograms as the ideal for a woman’s weight
If you are  searching for the answer of what 50 kilos equals to pounds and stones, the answer is, most likely you are checking on what is a girl’s weight.

Based on my analysis of data the most common reason people search for this weight. American guys are looking at dating site profiles of Russian women that are around 50 kg.

In the USA a 50 kg model, girl or woman is about the boundary to a healthy weight, anything less is underweight. It all depends on height and weight charts but for the average girl. In contrast, in Europe a lot of my friends that are female are around 110 lbs.

If you are looking for advice on how to achieve the weight of 50 Kilograms you probably want to go here: How to be 50 kilograms.   – I have a lot of related posts also on the subject, it is more about how to have a European body even if you live in the USA.

Many people reach 110 lbs weight during adolescence, but round out latter, then go down hill and maybe achieve a homeostasis of like 70 or 80 kilograms and go into corpulent acceptance mode. Women listen up you want to be thin to attract men,  there is no getting around it, thin women look attractive. No judgements here but come on, its true. Even me I want to lose weight and I am a guy. You do not need to not accept anything and find a goal based on the lower end of the height and weight scale. Generally the thinner you are the better looking and healthier, within reason.

If you want to lose 50kg that is a little more difficult, but you can do it, just watch Dr. Oz for a week or two.

Let me know the reason why you are searching for 50kg?

What is attractive on a girl

What is attractive on a girl?

Who am I am why do I know about what looks good on girls. I am an American living in Europe.  I also have two sisters, a wife and a daughter.  I have a lot of respect for women.  I am also honest. I am not trying to sell you anything an not a company.  I write my own language learning software.  I am writing this because I feel a lot of women are mislead as to what is good looking and what they should buy.  Companies spend lots of money on trying to convince you what is attractive on girls.  My guy friends and I are all pretty good looking, intellectual and I think they would also agree with my views.  Some guys will disagree but beauty is subjective.  I do not dance around the issue, I tell you what I honestly think.  If you disagree please let me know.  But what I write might shock you.

Lets start with what is not attractive on a girl

Here is my list of things that are things that detract from a girls beauty.

  • Hair color changes are not attractive on girls.  Most girls hair looks fried, that is, their coloring damages their hair.  Also the hair looks fake.  I like real.  I do not like fake. Guys like real girls. Hair is big money and big business.  Give your wallet a break and try your natural color and you will see more guys will respond.  I know girls will protest, but this is true. Natural looks great. I personally have some of the most attractive shinny hair, I get girls asking me all the time what I do.  I wash it with only natural soap, but eat well and take vitamins.  A very natural diet, no caffine or junk.
  • Too much make up is not attractive on a girl.  Basically a little lipstick is all girls need.  If your skin is not perfect spend money on vitamins or something very natural that will help heal your skin not mask it. Do not be affraid of imperfections.
  • Too much grooming.  American girls have tons of cash and spend it on their looks.  Every eyebrow and part of them looks like a well manicured lawn in suburbia, nothing out of place. This is boring.  I like the wild, rustic look. Something thick eye browse look great.
  • Body hair is good except on the face. Women are have OCD about shaving everything.  They should go easy on themselves.  It is instinctive to like hair, hair on a girl is good.  Sure shave your legs but do not go crazy. Girls care more than guys.  Girls do should not feel the need to pluck everything off so they look like a girl.  Be a women, this is attractive.
  • Shoulder length hair is not attractive.  For me, shoulder length hair means,  I do not want long beautiful hair as its too much work, nor do I have the guts to do something radical like cut it real short. So I will be another boring girl with a bob.
  • Tattoos, I want a girl not a sailor.
  • Facial moles, very not cool if they are big an ugly. I do not recommend many body modifications, but mole removal is not bad if it is ugly.
  • Fat is not attractive.  I like skinny girls as most guys do. This is why I think European, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish girls are much more attractive than American girls. Argue all you want, a girl who is skinny is attractive, a size 8 is not.
  • Girls that are not humble are perhaps the biggest turn off.
  • Perfume, its just petrochemicals on your body, why not use your own pheromones, this is attractive 100%.
  • High heels look very uncomfortable to me and therefore no attractive.
  • Foul language, smoking etc.
  • Jewlery and anything in excess.

What than makes a girl look attractive?

Here is a list of thing that I think are attractive on a girl:

  • Long hair or really short hair.
  • Girls that show their face and do not cover it with hair.
  • Thin girls.
  • Glasses or not.
  • Tight jeans and a t-shirt.
  • See though shirts or tops.
  • Earth tones or spring colors.
  • Girls that keep fit.
  • If you want to drive guys crazy try not wearing a bra.
  • Girls that eat healthy are attractive.
  • Brains and humility is attractive as well as wise girls. Stupid material girls are not.

In summary what is attractive on a girl?

Girls that spend money on looks are rarely attractive.  Girls that walk a lot, and wear clothes that are not to pricey, jeans and a nice top or sweater, earth colors.  Natural hair and look and lifestyle are beautiful.  Basically do not spend money on making yourself look good.  Any girl in Eastern Europe spending little, to no money on their looks, look great. Romanian, Russian girls etc total incomes might be a few hundred dollars a month. These European girls look much better than her American counter part spending cash on herself.  If you want to really attract guys play chess, read books, do yoga, learn a language.  This for me is interesting and attractive on a girl.

Yoga girls – not the worst reason to go to yoga class

Live the life you dreamed of in your heart.  I am living my dream are you? Why not? I am no one special? Yet, I have what I want.  Let me start by saying, we all have issues in our lives that we are set up with. We all suffer and have trouble. Real life issues that seem to weigh on us more than we can handle. We do not like the way we look, our parents have no understanding of us and never will, we can not pay the bills, our job sticks and our relationships, do not even go there.  Som people have real physical illness on top of that.

Each person thinks that their problems are the hardest or others do not understand. I do.  Like that old African slave song goes ‘nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen’. Yet we all have issues, usually one major to over come in our lives. This is the human condition. Karmically it is set up this way. Yoga is like an accelerated course in learning to help you work through the issues in your life. You do not have to do it on the mat in yoga class, but it does not hurt to be in a group of people working though it, that is a yoga class. It helps.  Girls who do yoga are a usually, beautiful, easing going, and heart centered. If you are a girl consider trying yoga. If you are a guy, you have great incentives to go to a class full of yoga girls even if that is not your primary reason for showing up.

If you’re looking for hots of girls in yoga pants go here for a more detailed discussion on yoga girls.

Relationships appear out of nowhere when you do yoga

I have repeatedly recommended to do yoga if your relationship life is not up to par.  In time, the people who seemed unobtainable you will realize were people who were not for you anyway. We are all strands of energy between heaven and earth. And the cord they vibrate on were not for you. The good news is, the person for you will appear if you are the patient. In yoga class I have seen it time and time again.

If I was single and  living in the US or UK I would either date a yoga girl or take classes and see where it leads.  I am not a supernaturalists mind you. I just think that with a practice of yoga, your life will change and I do not know how to explain it.

Why date yoga girls? These girls are usually easy-going, spiritual and you have a chance for love with them.  In the States in Boston I did yoga several times a week and it was a great time for me personally.  Many of the women in the classes were not only physically flexible and  but also sincere.

On the other hand, with non yoga American girls you have huge walls to overcome, with little to no chance for love for true love. Maybe it is a certain generation of American women but they seem more bent on being right than having a husband. The exception would be is if they have some deep religious base.

I know this sounds unenlightened, but I would not date an American girl, nor recommend you do either.  I think American culture is filled wth feminism and on the surface spiritual, but in reality not too friendly or open. It is a huge generalization but I think this is what my American guy friends have said. The net result is both genders are lonely and not happy in relationships, not matter how many match.com dates they go on. Why date a taker when you are a giver? This is what most American women are takers (except yoga girls and of course exceptions). I would recommend a Polish or Indian girls for example. Why not meet a girl at yoga boot camp?

Yoga is a serious form of opening up your life. However, compassion and heart centered energy is a major point in this practice.

How to get a girl to I love you

How to get a girl to fall in love with you

Because women are responsible having and raising children they are very careful who they they will fall in love with.  To get a girl to fall in love with you is the easiest and the hardest thing in the world to do depending on your approach. If you are young and you really like a girl but she does not notice you, remember there are plenty of fish in the sea and the best ones are yet to come., but consider my advice is as follows if you want to get a girl at any age.

Why girls make you wait

My advice is this, girls are funny, they will often despise guys and think they are freaks, only later to fall in love with them and marry them. I do not know why girls are like this, but I think it has something do with it takes time for a girl to analysis a guy in her subconscious before she becomes aware of him and her subconscious gives her the OK.  A guy can see a girl and say wow, this one is beautiful, and start projecting all kinds of ideals on her. Woman on the other hand, because of biology, are not as likely to do that.  They have to take time to get to know a guy, not personally, but subconsciously.  Seeing them in yoga class, or at the gym or at school a few months. Even if she has never thought of this guy concisously her mind is processing what he is about. What girls look for to fall in love: What her mind is processing is: is the guy 1) normal 2) sincere 3)  interesting.  In my opinion, for love, that is it.  Really girls do not like weird guys, liars or boring guys.

How to get a girl to love you if you are not normal

No one is normal. In fact, woman love the French film Amelie because they all see themselves as an abnormal shy freak, they see themselves in this film. But there is good abnormal and bad abnormal. Good abnormal is another word for interesting and not afraid of your weird dreams. Bad abnormal is if you are into anything that can cause harm to others or have fanatical views.  The key thing is be the abnormal person you are as long as you can make a girl feel safe, and you will not hurt anyone nor have judgemental extreme views. My point is if you want a girl to fall in love with you is be the freak that you are, but be peaceful, light and breezy and make sure the girl knows you are easy going.

Girls will chew you up and spit you out if you are a cheat and a liar

If you are looking for action, be straight with a woman, do not lie to get it.  If you are looking for love, do not cheat.  If you are  depressive, tell them, I think girls have no problem with problems just insincerity or when you try to hide things.  You will find all kinds of people in this world and there is someone for everyone, as long as you are honest. Do not try to impress girls, they do not go for it, despite what you think. By the way I think girls lie more than men.

I love you: Geek

Girls do not like meat guys, they like geek guys. Meat not geeks get love and happiness.

Me I love, Russian literature and fantasize about going to Siberia one day. I am an American from Boston,  left my career because I always wanted to learn Polish.  I moved to Poland.  I like chess and play it all night. I do not drink or smoke or stay up past 9 pm, I am not cool in any way shape or form. If I do get dragged out to a club I wear big ear plugs. I am very allegric to cats. I think I even have a little OCD.  I like ballet and drinking Kvas.  I am a freak about Eastern Europe and could be a rich guy in America, but I am an Eastern Europe geek and live like a pauper here following my passion traveling on a shoe string and learning languages.  However,  I have more romantic appeal to girls than a jock, or a movie star or a rapper or a rich lawyer or business guy or ‘important person’, whatever. Why? I am a geek like you,  and I have interesting passions and I am sincere, even if it costs me fame and fortune.   I am true to myself.  If you are true and honest with yourself and really mean it, you will get the girl of your dreams to fall in love with you.  I did.

Why have a wife?

Why have a wife?

I believe in love with no limits and marriage.  How come so many people ask the same questions: why get married? why have a wife? and the answers you hear are ‘don’t get married,  ‘your lady friend will make you unhappy in a few years, you will see.’

The purpose of marriage is to help your spouse get to heaven.

Why wives quit marriage and make men unhappy

(Disclaimer: some American women are wonderful people and make wonderful wives, I guess, maybe). But, most marriages do not work because American wives and husbands lack humility, which is putting the family including the husband first or wife. I expect the same from men as women.  For the ultimate virtue in a man or a woman, I would consider humility as a top candidate.  Humility comes from the strength of being able to humble yourself to ideals and including another person.  I think singles, first and foremost lack this strength called humility and therefore, give up on ideals, if they ever had any. There is your answer plain and simple of why marriages do not work. Yes, it can be the man’s fault, if he lacks humility, but this article is written for men on how to find the right wife.  We can debate this until we are blue in the face, but the reality is, often because of the culture an American wife lacks humility.

Good wives and bad wives

The good news is there are many girls in the world, and not every wife is the same. Let’s compare an American wife to a foreign or Russian or European wife. Why? If you marry an American girl, 64% chance you will get a divorce and almost 80% of the divorces are filed by women.  If you marry a foreign lady friend, you have an 18% chance of divorce, and if you marry the right one 0%.

An American wife in the in good old days

Your wife cooked cleaned and was nice and sweet to you.  Your spouse made you feel good about yourself. Your wife made you feel even better at bedtime. Your wife was also focused on making your life more peaceful. Also with an old fashion American wife, your kids loved you and stayed with you and you got to relive your childhood with them as you spend time with them.

American women now

40% of American babies are born out of wedlock, men to the American women are disposable.  American women do not cook or clean, complain and try to change you. Women that complain about their husbands are bad news.  They make you feel bad and it is totally disrespectful to you as a person.  I would not want to make anyone feel bad, let alone my spouse.  Generally, these lady friends take away your peace. With these lady, friends forget any fun in bed after marriage. Further, your lady friend can take more than 100% of your money.  All you will have to look forward to is the sweet kiss of death to set you free.

What is the solution to find a good wife?

Easy, marry, non-American women or an American woman who has humility.

Why get married?

It will make your life happier than you can ever imagine possible.  But if and only if you do not marry an American girl, that is you have a foreign lady friend.

Life is about having fun and enjoying your life, and so is marriage.   Marriage, I believe, is like love is forever. I am married to an Eastern European girl. Life and marriage for me is not only a romantic and spiritual dream come true but pure fun. If you have any questions about marriage, lady friends, or how to find a wife, just ask.

Marriage in Poland to foreigners – 1/4 are fake

In my post marriage in Poland I tell you about how to get married in Poland. However in this post, you are reading, I talk about a problem in Poland, that is at least 1/4 of all the marriages in Poland to foreigners are for fake. This is fake news and needs to be fact checked. I would say statistically there is not variation from other countries.

It seems way too high for me. This is an estimate by a Polish newspaper. That being said it is annoying that I get so many people on this blog looking for fake marriages. I delete their requests.

Some claim it is for love and others are more honest and say it is for money.  Others ask how they can get a Polish girl to fall in love with them so they can get citizenship for Europe.  These spammers and marriage for citizenship bidders are annoying.  I can understand that they do not like the economic situation they live in. I really do, but what they want is illegal and immoral and they are very insincere. Europe will be flooded with people from around the world because they know the law and there is an easy way to get into Europe. That is marrying a European.

I wonder why some Polish girls fall for it. I am an American married in Poland.  I am really in love and my wedding was for love.  However, people from around the world seek out Polish girls to marry so they can get an EU citizenship.   The price on the market for a false wedding in Poland to a foreigner is about 5 to 10 thousand Euro.  That is a foreigner guy pays a Polish girl.   This is very wrong and the Polish government and police are getting wise to this.

How Polish girls get burned after their fake wedding

When there is one of these arrangements, a wedding for EU citizenship the funny thing is the guys more times than not, just take off.  They never give the Polish girl the civil divorce they promised (they are all civil marriages) and they disappear.  The Polish girl can now never get married again. Why? Because she is still legally married in Poland. And once you are married you are married all over the world.  So this fake (for money or they get tricked into believing it is love) marriage to a foreigner ruins their lives.

Kvass | A Ukrainian drink that leads to funny situations

Origins of Kvass

Kvass is a medieval drink which means ‘leaven’.  It is basically non-alcoholic drink fermented from rye and mixed with herbs or fruits like mint and strawberry.  If you have never tasted it your missing something.  It is popular in Ukraine and Russia and goes back 5,000 years plus. It is also known as a monk’s drink. In Ukraine and Russian in the 17th and 18th and 19th century it was the most popular drink in town.    It taste great cold in the summer. Below is me next to a Ukrainian Kvass truck when I was in Crimea.  I drank Kvas morning, noon and night.

Kvass truck and me in Crimea.

A funny Kvass story

Last summer I was sitting in a field behind my flat in Kraków with my Kaisa. I was eating salami and drinking Kvass and reading a book.  At that point two Polish police officers proceeded to write me out a ticket for drinking in a public place.  Of course I tried to explain to them it was Kvas and for some reason they did not know what I was talking about.  Kasia explained to me that it was  is really a Ukrainian Russian drink and not popular in Poland.  When I gave them a whiff of the  bottle, they said aha and made some comment about me being an American health food guy and walked off.

Second Kvas story

I had secured a great supplier of Kvass at one of the local shops and was walking down the street with my stash.  I had so many bottles that one of the bottles broke though the cheap plastic bag I was carrying them in. My kvass broke open and sprayed a girl walking by all dressed up for her Saturday night date.  It was almost as if my kvass followed her as she tried to get out-of-the-way.  The end result is she was covered with my foamy kvass spray.  I tried to apologized but she said ‘great, now my boyfriend will think I was drinking’  – I said ‘its kvass!’

Keep reading about this fermented beverage

Kvass comes from a Slavic word meaning to leaven or to rise (Old Slavic квасъ, kvasŭ_. It was mentioned in the Primary Chronicles in Kievan Rus written in the year 1113. Of course it goes back further but it is mentioned here as that is when the written language was codified. When the Slavs were living in the forest they were drinking this ‘liquid bread’.

I have drunk some variation of this beverage in South America, the States, Poland and Russia but nothing is as good as some good old fashion Ukrainian Kvass. Admittedly the ancient Egyptians were creating this stuff or something like it, yet the signature today is distinctly Slavic.

I would go back to Crimea just to taste some, that is how good it is. I basically lived off the stuff there and lost a lot of weight. If you look at the hots my wife and I at the upper right corner of this site you will see ourphotoafter a week on Kvass.

I am not saying it is the next Dr. Oz breakthrough and I doubt I think it has some calories but I did lose weight when drinking it.

Vendors are better than shops, but they are only in Eastern Europe
Also you want to buy it from the street vendors. I have not tasted anything as good as this in the shop.The ones sold in plastic bottles and sweetened are the worst while the natural ones and in glass bottles are the best, preferably with less sugar, check the carbohydrate content per serving. Soft drink beverage makers (cough, cough Coca-Cola) bought micro manufacturers of this and I think they sweetened and spoiled the formula.

Where to buy Kvass in the USA
You can go to any Russian or Eastern European store, every major city has them, and you can buy the good stuff there. Ask me if you need guidance on this.  For example in Boston there is Bazaar or Berezka in Brookline and Brighten (take the green line on the T), or any Wholefoods has something similar a little more pricy and herby. I like them both. In your local grocer in the ethnic food section, such as Spanish they have something similar. Or you can make it at home.

Making Kvass
It was popular with peasants, monks and even people of the upper class. If Kvass was that ubiquitous then you know the receipt is not that difficult.

You can ferment it with yeast from rye, wheat or barley you can though in some fruits and birch juice or herbs. In Ukraine they make it from beets also for digestive problems, its good for the liver and kidneys.

You can buy variations in the USA but it is not the same as in Eastern Europe.

Beet Kvass is made by:
Slicing up three large organic beets and adding salt (one and a half tablespoons) and water.  Leaving it at room temperature for two days.  The glass container could be a two liters for example. Some people add a half cup of whey I do not.

This is lacto fermentation or lactic acid fermentation, similar to sauerkraut. Leuconostoc is the main bacteria at work here.  It feeds on the natural sugars and creates an acidic environment destroying the other harmful bacterias.

An Asian drink similar is Kombucha, it is mushrooms and tea. It tends to be high-priced in the USA and I prefer Kvass. Kombucha is way over price and more a premium good hyped by health claims. Maybe it is good put it on par with green tea. Better is consume some beet Kvass as explained above for the pleasure of it, than some promoted health benefit at a price.

Buy organic and you will taste a world of difference in the beets. You can even try golden beets.

How to impress your date with fermented grains
Do not take her to a fancy restaurant, do something different (Sushi is no longer different) buy her some Kvass and see her reaction. Do not expect her to get tipsy on it as it is considered non-alcoholic with less than 1%, yet on a few I think I felt something, maybe it was my imagination. Therefore I would not recommend it for kids or people who are pregnant. However, for a date, yes, it is a novelty, that will open them up to different cultures.

How to find a loving wife

How to find a loving wife

If you are looking to find a loving wife, I will tell you the secret of finding your lady friend. This blog is my personal blog so it is not politically correct. Further, I am not writing something you might read on cookie-cutter relationship advice pages that float around the web for the benefit of some paid online dating site.  My advice to find a wife will work.  No guarantees with people, but generally, it will work.

Where to find a loving wife

Do not look in the USA or the UK unless your values are materialistic leaning. I personally am an unrepentant capitalist. I am a student of economics. I teach economics. However, the US and UK in my personal opinion stress too much materialism in our culture. Yes, we all need money, but this is not the yardstick on which we judge people. Money is like a snake and must be handled carefully. Money and love do not mix in any way. Money is to some extent the opposite of love. Dating profiles often boast 100k incomes. In contrast, I say find people who read the Bible instead.

Everyone is an individual so you can find alternative currents in every culture, but generally, Americans like to spend money on consumer goods. I do not see too many Americans growing their own food and baking their own bread. If they do that is who you want to go for. So this post is not about if Americans spend too much and put too much weight on money, but my recommendation is this, find an American or UK partner who does not, or look in another culture.

American women tend to be liberal and American men conservative.  I think most guys want a conservative traditional wife.  I am sorry but this is the truth.  So in America, we have many mismatches in terms of relationships and people are not aware of why. Many marriages fail as the ideal of love is not shared in the same way.

Go for Bible reading, church-going, gardening, women who stress education and reading, but not money. See good in all people but for marriage find someone with shared values no matters what race or culture they grew up in.

Latin America and Eastern Europe are the best places, also India if you are looking for a more traditional wife, generally.  China I do not have enough information on. If you are a conservative person do not marry a liberal person, this will be trouble as somewhere your relationship might start to become a political social arena. If you believe in God marry someone of faith. I recommend looking in Russian and Poland and Ukraine. The women there as women are generally more traditional. These are broad strokes of the brush on the canvas and are not to be taken literally. Rather there are cultural aspects in each county that are different. I respect all people and cultures. Some might simply have an affinity of values closer to your own personal views.

If you look for a loving wife in the USA make sure you find one who will not try to boss you and tell you how wrong you are. Some guys react to this by trying to counter that by trying to be macho. However, playing macho games will not work either as women, in the long run, will resent it.   Too much energy.  You want to just be yourself and have your wife adore you for it. Therefore, I recommend, finding a wife who will be good for you. Cook your dinner, and take care of the family and not be a critic of you, especially to her friends.

Qualities to look for in a loving wife

I have had many American women say something to the effect,  ‘I do not cook but make up for it in other ways, ‘wink wink’. Translation they do not cook and have slept around a lot.  This is not a girl you want to marry in most cases. There are many wonderful American women, just be careful who you choose. Leap with your head as well as your heart.

You want a normal girl.  A girl who says I will cook for you, who is humble and says their sorry a lot.  Why?  I would do this for them. Being a husband or wife is about giving 100% to the other person with no limits. Really. Saying sorry and being humble and saying ‘I am nothing special is great quality.  Humble people are sweet, arrogant people are weak and will make other people unhappy.  So if you have a wife who is a career woman and does not say she is sorry and does not cook much.  You’re in trouble.  Why not go for a submissive humble wife who believes in no limits and believes love and relationships are forever no matter what.  Then you will have magic in your life.

How you should be towards your wife

If you want a princess you need to be a prince.  Do not even think of cheating. Take care of your wife and be there 100% of the time even if it means quitting your job or taking some lame low paying job instead of your career.  Family is most important.

Where to find love

I found love by accident on a trip to Poland, my family was Polish.   But if you can not have destiny smile so easily, try the internet. Free online dating for example.  But I would recommend traveling first and do not try to impress women, just be yourself and have a sincere interest in the places you travel to.  This is how to find a loving wife.