I’m Russian and I will never understand people spending money on Capers (or Kalamata olives)

I’m Russian and we had a lot of Russian immigrants coming to the US in the 90s. In fact, the neighborhood I grew up in was largely Eastern European/Russian so I grew up surrounded by Russian food. Russian cooking is a blend of European, Asian, and Central Asian food. It’s spicy, it’s bold, and it’s full of flavor. Capers are a defining ingredient. They add salt, sourness, and fizz to sauces, salads, and marinated vegetables. Russian food cannot be made without them. Russian immigrants brought this cuisine with them to the US where it became expensive. <br><br>I’m Russian and I’m an immigrant. I grew up with capers as a staple in my kitchen. When I got to the US, we bought them in bulk. We would open the bottle and rehydrate them in water to make them last longer. My cousin’s family left Russia in the late 90s. They brought Russian food with them. Capers, kalamata olives, a variety of Russian pickles, marinated hot peppers, Russian cheese. These ingredients were impossible to find in the US at the time. We had to search multiple European grocery stores to get some. They were expensive. My cousin’s family marinated meat in capers and kalamata olives. They added capers to Russian salad along with a variety of pickles from yellow to red peppers, and baby cucumbers. We added kalamata olives to our Russian red beet soup. It wasn’t just a staple. It was Russian cuisine.<br><br>About 5 years ago, Capers became trendy. It happened fast. All of a sudden, Americans, Americans who never heard of capers, were buying them in bulk. American food media outlets began talking about how to cook with them. They were the new superfood. I had no idea how capers were a superfood. We grew them in our gardens in Russia. We pickled them in vinegar. When they were fresh, we used them in salads. They were cheap. In the US, they are ridiculously expensive. I’m Russian and I’m an immigrant and I use them as a staple in my kitchen. Americans started using them as a superfood. Russian food is cheap. It’s simple. It’s bold. It’s full of flavor. Americans started making fancy dishes with capers. They were adding them to meat. I remember running into a food blogger from LA who was visiting NY. She was so excited to try “Russian food”. She went to a Russian restaurant in Brighton Beach, one of the largest Russian-American communities in the US. She ordered “Russian salad”. It was the most disgusting dish I ever tried. There was no Russian food without capers. There was no Russian food without olives, or Russian pickles, or marinated peppers. I saw her reaction when she tried it. Americans didn’t like capers. They thought they were too salty. They thought they were gross. Russian food cannot be made without capers. It’s disgusting to me to think that Americans ate Russian food without capers. <br><br>I will never understand why capers are so expensive in the US. They are cheap as dirt in Russia. I will never understand how some Americans don’t like capers. They are a staple in Russian cuisine. Russian food cannot be made without capers. In fact, Russian food cannot be made without kalamata olives, or Russian pickles, or marinated peppers. I remember when I first heard that Americans don’t like capers. I was shocked. How can anyone not like capers? They are the best thing you can put on a salad or a plate of meat along with a variety of pickles. I was born in Russia. I grew up in the US. I relate to Americans. But capers are something I will never understand. It’s a staple. It’s a superfood. It’s a superfood that Americans don’t like. In fact, capers are the most disgusting thing Americans ever tried. Americans don’t like Russian food. I don’t understand it. Russian food is so delicious. But then again, Russian food is a staple of Asian and Eastern European cuisine. I’m Russian and I’m an immigrant. I don’t understand Americans. I will never understand Americans. What Americans eat. How much they spend on food. What they like. What they don’t like. I’m Russian. I’m an immigrant. I grew up with Russian food. It’s so delicious. I don’t understand Americans.<br><br>EDIT: I apologize for the backlash. It seems like people don’t like Russian food. It’s a staple of Asian and Eastern European cuisine. I’m Russian and I’m an immigrant. I grew up with Russian food. It’s so delicious. I don’t understand Americans. I will never understand Americans. I don’t like how people are attacking my food and my ethnicity. It’s disappointing. I’m not going to reply to anything. I’m going to close this account.