Here is a twee collection of paintings by various Russian artists picturing breakfast time in Russia of different periods, from 1918 throughout to late 1970s. It provides some insights into an everyday life of simple people and their meals on the go, before work, very low key and casual.
Still life: Morning. By Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, 1918. Just like anywhere else in the world, eggs are popular and the dog is hungry.
The every day Soviet life was far from luxurious, however, the government had its ways of making people believe that life was good and constantly getting better. An interesting means of achieving it was a notable culinary book published in the USSR – The Book On Tasty and Healthy Foods. This book, a few inches thick, turned out to be more than a collection of recipes – it is considered to be an encyclopaedia of the Soviet epoch, an insight into the ordinary life of the Soviets.
The most famous image behind the Russian food, caviar was literally impossible to buy (let alone exorbitantly expensive!)
In the Soviet times there was a great shortage of all consumer products. Clothes or food were no exception. In order to buy some bread people were ready to spend hours and hours queuing up.
1983. A long queue into the footwear store. The length of the line implies that people would expect to buy imported footwear which was of better quality and fashioncompared with the Soviet stuff.
Queue in front of footwear store