How I ate a dog

Finally, in the notes of our specialist from Pyeenchan there was a place and sports

Everyone who found out that I was going to Korea, I definitely asked me if I would try the dog. Here, in Korea, such questions also sound constantly. Have you tried it? Well, how? I will say immediately and without intrigues. Lord, of course not, what dogs! Firstly, one thought of this causes me nausea, horror and aversion to those who do this. Secondly, I pronounced the vow (Pronya is the dog of my mother-in-law).

Fortunately for me, finding a dog in modern Korea is not an easy task. It is impossible to buy meat and cook at home, prohibited by law. There are very few establishments where the dog is served, they are in some very special places, the guidebooks do not know about them and they do not send signs in them.

Such restaurants are called “Positang” - there are in the distant areas of Seoul or in the deep province, where traditions are honored. As local local historians tell me, this tradition is due to the fact that Korea, closed on both sides with aggressive neighbors Japan and China, fighting with each other, overcame poverty, hunger and illness. Korus and tuberculosis were especially rampant. The main treatment for such diseases is a good nutrition. But there was no food. With food in the mountains is generally bad. I had to pay attention to the fact that he was running closer - with a full set of proteins, fats and vitamins. By the same tradition, dogs are eaten only on special days. Conventionally, when the sun is in the third house, the moon in the fifth, the wind from the southwest, on Monday in the rain after 15.00. Such days are several times a year, mainly in August.

Dogs are bred here in nurseries - like pigs or cows. And they are all special breed. Well, that is, no one eats there. And Chau-Thau, contrary to common opinion, too.

In general, everything is complicated, and as a result, it is very expensive. It can be said, inaccessible. And the generation of Koreans has already grown up, who never ate dogs. Well, since Korea is a civilized country and holds the Olympic Games, and at this time thousands of people like me will come here, then during the games the government has completely banned “disgusting food”. So no dogs! Like fried grasshoppers and larvae of mulberry silkworm. They say that many Koreans keep dogs at home. At the airport, a pretty Bigl is looking for a forbidden, in the city - I already said - a policeman walks with a cheerful labrador on a leash. And he is not going to eat! However, in fairness, I have not seen ordinary dogs on walking.

But there are few people. In the morning and evening, the streets are deserted, there is no one away from the Olympic objects at all. When I asked the local volunteer "Where is everyone?" - He laughed for a long time and answered: "At work!" And he said that volunteers are mainly students of two local universities, where they are announced on the occasion of the Games. There were no separate ban on local residents, but many on their own initiative went to “wait out” this month somewhere else. Those who stayed live in an ordinary life, ”my interlocutor assured me. And they don’t walk through the streets, because it’s cold.

In confirmation of the words about ordinary life at the station in Cannes (this is a coastal cluster where ice competitions are held), children with a leaf, students of the third grade, with a teacher, approached me. They have an English task - to talk to a living foreigner. I honestly answered the questions where I came from, how old I am, when I am leaving and what is the purpose of my visit. In parting, we photographed on a teacher’s smartphone (of course, Samsung). In addition to children with foreigners, different church associations actively communicate. There are many denominations, the main ones are Buddhism and shamanism, but everyone else also feel free. On the way to the Olympic Park, just at the church, local Korean grandmothers offer tea and coffee and talk about God.

- Do you go to church? - Granny asks me, holding out a glass of local tea, similar to taste to the decoction of straw.

“Rather no,” I reply.

- Where are you from?

- From Russia.

- Well, since from Russia, you can not go to church! -the granny answered, turned and left, stopping our polite resin Tok. In the evening I asked a taxi driver who was taking me from the station to the motel, as the locals belong to the Olympics. He replied that he treats well, he has a lot of work. Here, by the way, a separate respect to the Koreans who did not tear the price tag for their services as a jump from a springboard. Strictly according to the counter - three and a half dollar. So, that the rest of the inhabitants who do not work at the games: “And they will suffer! A little completely! " There are those who are against the Olympics. There is its own “Khimkinsky forest”.

After the wars, the poor and torn Korea began to restore. And one of the points is almost forced planting all surfaces with forests. This had an effect - most Korean mountains are now in the forests. And it is very beautiful. So, five years ago, part of the forests in the county of Pyeongchang was cut down to build a sleigh-bebslane track 2018 meters long. The track turned out to be perfect. But it cost those forests that were so carefully grown? Ecologists are still protesting. After the Olympiad, they decided not to disassemble the track, it was very good. There will be a training base here. Although honestly say that sanarium and bobslei are not the most popular species here. Our sanctuary have already tested the track, but joyfully slipped past the medals. The best of them, Roman Repilov, became only the eighth.

By the fifth day of the competition, suspicion begins to creep out that these games may well become the worst in the sports history of Russia. Until now, we considered Vancouver-2010 the worst, where Russia took 11th place with 15 medals in the medal standings, three gold. And by the way, in Vancouver, our team with leaders, all admitted and without a doping scandal and others, amounted to 177 people. And in this, for comparison, - 168. There are nine fewer people less. But then we had a biathlon (Olympic mass-thestat Evgeny Ustyugov, the golden relay race of Sleptsov, the Bogali-Titovets, Medvedtsev, Zaitsev) and skis (sprint of Nikita Kryukov) and for the first time there was no gold at figure skating (silver Plushenko and Bronze Domnina-Shabalina). Now the situation is exactly the opposite. Cannna's ice arena surprises its modest size. The hall is not filled, despite the fact that in Korea, figure skating is very popular - the Olympic champion of Vankurver, the skater Kim EN A, who lit Olympic fire, is still the most titled Korean athlete.

There is a second day of team competitions. After Kolyada attacked, and Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov were perfect, Russia ranks fourth. The second day women begin. We have Evgenia Medvedev in a short program. The most noisy, hottest and most red sector in the stands is, of course, Russian. Rasha In May Hart (Russia in my heart) even interrupts the commentators in the arena. The Russian sector lets out the wave, but it choke on the next segment. After the competition, the Canadian journalist turned to the IOC with the appeal that, they say, Russian flags on the tribune in support of the team without a flag - this is an insult to the IOC and his decisions. MOK did not answer, unofficially noting that then the audience would not come at all. But I already want to say, well, hey, let's not about the flag, let's about the sport. Figure skating is still the most beautiful way to move on a flat surface.

The camera, an annoying drone, is circulating with ice and does not notice the details. As an American’s sister kisses his sister barely noticeably in the temple, how the charismatic Italian pats the partner’s thigh, how Ekaterina Solovyova is baptized and folds on her chest, as a tense, without taking his eyes off the ice, the coach Alexander Zhulin turns in the tense fingers. Medvedev on ice is a challenge of gravity.

Our sports journalists called her - “perfection”. And it is clear, in general, for what-white-lilac silk flutters on ice, jump, cascade, rotation. And I want it to be not three minutes, but at least thirty.

World record in this form. And we are the second.

The next day, Mikhail Kolyada again tore the jump, but was already the second. It was unrealistic to get Canadians - but they were unrealistic. But also an arbitrary program for women - we have this red light Alina Zagitova. In an arbitrary program to music from Don Quixote, she set a personal record. Journalists call this 15-year-old star the “ideal”. And she, becoming the first in arbitrary, strengthened our team silver, which was confirmed by Ekaterina Bobrov and Vladimir Solovyov. And when Bobrova made an absolutely incredible rack on her hands on the skate of a partner, and he let go of his hands, the hall stood up. I didn’t even get up - I jumped up. It was unbearably beautiful. And the team has a silver medal. And the second medal of the Olympians from Russia as a whole. On Wednesday, personal starts begin. Our perfection will compete with the ideal. We will definitely benefit from this.

The Pyeongchang biathlon stadium "Alpencia" has existed for a long time - in 2009 the World Cup was held here. It was remembered, first of all, with the coolness of the route - few people did not fall there on the corners. And the rose of the winds, which was exactly at the shooting range. To the Olympics, they promised to twist and invite everything. With the turns, no one has fallen yet. It’s not very good with the wind - on the day of the female sprint, the flags on the shooting range became upright up. What did not prevent Laure Dalmayer from shooting to zero and getting his first Olympic medal.

In men, the story repeated - on the first shields where the leaders shot, the wind did not howl. And on the backdrop, where the target was now closing the Olympic champion in the sprint of And Paiffer, it was quieter. However, there is nothing to blame to the wind, if the skis are not smeared. And if Mazana is nothing at all to blame. Run.

In Sprint, Tatyana Akimova with Nol became the twentieth, Ulyana Kaisheva-the 33rd. In men, respectively, Anton Babikov-57th, Matvey Eliseev-83rd. This, of course, is not a team. This is a guard. And the point here is not in the missing Shipulin and Yurlova-Permcht. The stadium is launched in two and a half hours. But there are practically no queues. Here, in general, it is more like Europe or Scandinavia-after all, a biathlon for the Koreans is still an exotic, as for us, elephant races and a battle on bamboo sticks. Although three Russians naturally naturalized in the Korea national team - Timofei Lapshin (ran into the world in the world in the World Cup), Anna Frolin and Ekaterina Avvakumova. And the Koreans have a relay team. Before starting the pursuit of women in women for warming spectators, I notice a group in gray down jackets. Several women are modestly sitting in the corner.

- Is that you? - the tall guy Sanya in felt boots and with the Russian flag on his shoulders admires admiringly.

- Tell me, that you grew up on my races! - The two -time Olympic champion of games in Turin Svetlana Ishmuratova laughs in response.

And with her (here you need to gain more air so as not to suffocate with admiration)-the Olympic champion of 1994 Natalya Snitina, the Olympic champion Nagano Galina Kukleva, the silver medalist Nagano Olga Melnik.

Uuuh. Veterans arrived at the invitation of the Veterans Support Fund, and paid for the whole case of the Betting League, which organized the “House of Sports” - instead of the “Russian House”, which OKR decided not to do, since there are no OKRs itself.

“Grightly look at it, of course,” says Ishmuratova. - There are no teams, in fact. Here the Norwegians at the World Cup put not leaders, but newcomers in the baton, and they won. There is a shift, but we succeed, Anton was removed, and that’s all, there is no one. Doping or not doping is another question, it is, of course, politics. But even without this, something needs to be done.

- And who will you root for?

- For ours! For Akimov, Kaishev, Kuzmin, Domrachev. They are all ours. - Thank you for arriving! - says the champion to fans who at that time draw tricolors on their cheeks. Geography is really impressive: Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk, Bratsk, Sakhalin, Yakutsk, Cherepovets, Moscow and even Murmansk.

On the street minus ten. Heating elements are distributed on the rostrum - a thing that really saves. On the scoreboard is the countdown before the start of the race. White electric light of spotlights. Athletes line up at the start. On the right on the rostrum, the Germans prepare a huge flag. On the left of the Czechs - they have large hats and mustache, ridiculously painted with red, blue and white. “Katyusha” begin to play on the Russian tribune. Olympic champions sing along with ringing voices. Anastasia Kuzmina, running for Slovakia, catches up with German Dalmeyer.

- Russia! - the stands shout. - Tanya! Ulya! And then: - Nastya, Nastya!

- And during the race you can hear that they scream? The flags are visible?

- Certainly! Everything is heard, ”says Svetlana Ishmuratova. -Once I had such a case in the Khanty-Mansiysk at the World Cup. We run the baton. And loudly there, noisy around. And I'm already standing at the turn at the turn. And suddenly I clearly hear how some man on the rostrum says: “So! Quiet, ***! Right now our women will shoot! " And I suddenly became so calm. I closed everything, we won the baton then.

The volunteer approaches the rostrum and asks to remove the Russian flag - it is forbidden. "Let him select with his hand!" - Sanya is chopped from Yekaterinburg. He came to war, and does not intend to retreat. From his column is played by the Lube group. The volunteer brought three police officers. They all look from twenty to twenty -three. Also, apparently, volunteers.

- Take out the flag.

- Why?

- Forbidden.

- It is not prohibited on the rostrum.

- OK. The police leave.

Dalmeier, meanwhile, ran for the second gold. And finished with the flag. Kuzmina is silver, Anais Brandfish overtook the Frenchwoman.

The male race is still an hour. We got into a warm room again. The "Victory Day" is spreading from the Russian column. But then the sound of the pipe is suddenly heard. French! And a man in a stupid costume of a Gallic rooster on a pipe is played by Joe Dassen. And then the French were lined up-they have a dark blue command form, beautiful-they stood up and sang Marseilles under the pipe. - Hey, Russians, this is Battle! The Russians here refused a man thirty - everyone stood up and at once sang a hymn. With words.

Battle was picked up by the Norwegians. A huge uncle with a painted face and in a helmet with horns called everyone to silence, stood on a bench and the Vikings sorted out his anthem. And then all together the Seven Army melody! The war this time did not work again. Everyone was together, clinking with hot rice wine ($ 10 per 150 grams) and, it seems, were happy. Immediately inconspicuous, modest, in the same blue hats were the parents of Nastya Kuzmina and Anton Shipulin (they have common parents, yes). Mom cried. The fans took pictures and thanked them for the children.

“We are happy for Nastya,” says Pope Shipulin. “But it is not clear to us why there is no Anton.” And I would very much like him to be here.

In the end, Anton's dad gave me a postcard with Anton's autograph. In line for coffee chatted with the French. Well, yes, yes, I also had a tricolor on my cheek.

“Don't worry,” they said. - The next time everything will be fine, yours will perform. And who will win today?

“Marten,” I say. The French are happy and agree. - Marten! But don't worry! Next time! We also want you to be at the Olympics. Fourcade will win. And with a strong rival, fighting everyone is more interesting!

And Marten won. Having missed the first shooting, he was accurate and sure. And the flag took at the turn to the stadium. The Great Fourcade became a three -time Olympic champion. The French sang. Anton Babikov played 17 positions and finished the 40th. After the race, he did not approach journalists, referred to the cold, jumped up the fence and disappeared into the underribate room. Nothing. Next time.