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As someone who is always looking forward to my next snack or meal, I'm very happy in Russia. Russians are good eaters. They like good food, they like a lot of good food and they like to make every meal a celebration, be it a pot of ???…?° (fish soup) prepared on a bonfire by a lakeshore, or ?????…???? ?„?????¶?? (fusion cuisine) at a restaurant so trendy there is face control for shoes.
Alas, as one of my friends says: ?????‘ ?? ???µ?€?? (everything in moderation). Otherwise, you risk falling prey to one of the ???µ???? ???€?µ?…???? (seven sins): ???±?¶???€???‚???? (gluttony). ???±?¶???€???‚???? is defined in Russian as ???µ?????µ?€?µ?????????‚?? ?? ?¶?°?????????‚?? ?? ?µ???µ (immoderation and overindulgence in food). This isn't just packing it in at Christmas. It's when thoughts of food and eating take over your life. This kind of gluttony, say the pious, ?????????????‚ ?‡?µ?»?????µ???° ???? ???????‚?????????? ???????‚?????????? (reduces a person to the level of an animal).
In everyday life, you're likely to hear ???±?¶???€???‚???? and its derivatives bandied about without the apocalyptic overtones. ???±?¶???€???‚???? can refer to any serious bout of overeating. ???° ???°?????? ???µ?»?µ ???????‹?? ?????? -- ???‚?? ???€?°?·???????? ???±?¶???€???‚???° (New Years is really a holiday of overindulgence). ???±?¶???€?° (overeater) can be said either with love or disdain. You might say to a child: ???°???°?? ?‚?‹ ???±?¶???€?°! ?????µ?»?° ?‚?€?? ?????????° ?‚???€?‚?°! (What a little pig you are! You ate three pieces of cake!) But you might also use the word less kindly: ?????°?€?? ???° ???±?µ?? ?????±???»?????µ ???°?€?‚???????? -- ?????? ?’?°???? ?‚?°?????? ???±?¶???€?° (I'm boiling a lot of potatoes for dinner. My Vasya really packs it in).
???€???¶???€?»?????‹?? (voracious) can be neutral when describing animal behavior, but is generally pejorative for people. ???€???¶???€?»?????‹?? ?????¶ -- ?±?µ???° ?? ???µ?????µ (A husband with a huge appetite is trouble in a family). Cars can have voracious appetites, too. ???€???¶???€?»?????°?? ???°???????° is what we call a gas-guzzler.
You can describe various levels of overindulgence by adding prefixes to the verb ?µ???‚?? (to eat). ???µ?€?µ?µ???‚?? can mean eating too much of something. ?’ ?°?€?????? ?? ???µ?€?µ?µ?» ???°????. ???µ???µ?€?? ???????‚?€?µ?‚?? ???° ???µ?‘ ???µ ???????? (In the army, I ate too much porridge. Now I can't stand to even look at it). Less commonly, it can mean "to out-eat" someone. ??‚???‚ ???±?¶???€?° ?????µ?… ???µ?€?µ?µ???‚ (That pig will eat more than anyone else). ???°?µ???‚?? is usually used to describe eating a certain amount of something. ???°?µ?»?? ?? ?€?µ???‚???€?°???µ ???° ?‚?€?? ?‚?‹?????‡?? ?€???±?»?µ?? (We put away three thousand rubles of food in the restaurant). Less frequently, but more vividly, it can be used to describe the signs of the good life. ???? ???°?µ?» ?±?€???????? (He's developed a pot belly; literally, "eaten himself a belly").
When ???°?µ???‚?? gets turned into a reflexive verb, it means eating to one's fill. ???°?µ???‚?????? is a good word to use when your in-laws are trying to foist a third piece of cake on you. ?§?µ???‚?????µ ???»?????? -- ???µ ????????. ???°?µ?»???? (Honestly, I really can't. I'm full).
???±???µ???‚?? has one meaning that doesn't come up much in daily life: to eat something in a circle, the way a methodical goat might eat the leaves off a shrub. More commonly it is used to describe gobbling something up. ???‹ ???€?????»?°?????» ?’?°?????! ???? ?¶?µ ???°?? ???±???µ???‚! (You invited Vasya?! He'll eat us out of house and home!)
The reflexive verb ???±???µ???‚?????? is the word to use when you haven't just eaten your fill -- you're so packed, you can barely move. When your hostess asks: ???°?µ?»????? (Have you had enough?), you sigh: ???µ ?‚?? ???»??????! ?? ???±???µ?»???? (That's an understatement! I'm stuffed).
But if you want to keep piling it in, you can say: ? ???‚ ???¶ ?±???»???‚, ?° ?±?€???…?? ?????‘ ?µ???‚?? ???µ?»???‚ (My mouth hurts but my belly keeps asking for more).
Michele A. Berdy is a Moscow-based translator and interpreter.
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