Typically when I walk my dog (or I guess even walk myself), I come across others also walking for leisure around my neighborhood or the surrounding areas. Usually a "good morning" or a "hello" is exchanged, sometimes with a compliment about my small Pomeranian dog. Exchanging a greeting is typical in American suburbia. In the city, it doesn't happen very often, but a smile at least might be exchanged.
"You know he is not Russian because he smiled at us."
That's what I heard when I was in St. Petersburg. And it is very, very, true. No one will smile at you at passing. They might look at you, but no smile, no verbal exchange. Unless they say excuse me because you walk too slow (which is rare in itself). In the metro, in the street, in a grocery store.... nothing. I would find myself sometimes giving a slight smile to a child in the metro, but even they have mastered the pokerface. I had to teach myself to have a straight face. Only tourists would smile at others. It was a dead giveaway.
It is safe to say that Hollywood, for the most part, has it right. Russians in films are typically portrayed as cold people. Well, they are definitely not all cold people, but their pokerface is. I'm always reminded of 007: Casino Royale (the 2007 version) and the character of "Le Chiffre" (portrayed by Mads Mikkelsen... he's actually Danish, though).
By the end of my 10 days in Russia, I am happy to report that I have mastered the pokerface.
"You know he is not Russian because he smiled at us."
That's what I heard when I was in St. Petersburg. And it is very, very, true. No one will smile at you at passing. They might look at you, but no smile, no verbal exchange. Unless they say excuse me because you walk too slow (which is rare in itself). In the metro, in the street, in a grocery store.... nothing. I would find myself sometimes giving a slight smile to a child in the metro, but even they have mastered the pokerface. I had to teach myself to have a straight face. Only tourists would smile at others. It was a dead giveaway.
It is safe to say that Hollywood, for the most part, has it right. Russians in films are typically portrayed as cold people. Well, they are definitely not all cold people, but their pokerface is. I'm always reminded of 007: Casino Royale (the 2007 version) and the character of "Le Chiffre" (portrayed by Mads Mikkelsen... he's actually Danish, though).By the end of my 10 days in Russia, I am happy to report that I have mastered the pokerface.
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