Category: Reporter’s Notebook

Reporter’s Notebook: The impossible is possible: Snow days at 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

January’s weather brought surprises. One of them was snowfall at the beginning of January, which was part of a nationwide blizzard. The irony is that the temperature was above freezing in many areas of Green Country, Oklahoma, but that did not stop nature from producing snow.

Reporter’s notebook: Monarch butterflies become rare. What can we do? 

While I was gathering information about monarch butterflies in Oklahoma, I learned devastating news about their numbers came on the air. The Washington Post, TV stations, and other mass media reported that The International Union for Conservation of Nature had put the migrating monarchs in the category of “endangered.”  Before going into details about the […]

Reporter’s Notebook: American fast food brands grow in popularity in Kazakhstan

During the last decade, I traveled to Kazakhstan, a republic of the former USSR. (Kazakhstan has long borders with Russia in the north and with China in the south.) I noticed several American fast food restaurants were increasing in popularity there. I visited some of the restaurants and could see similarities as well as differences […]

Reporter’s Notebook: Crape Myrtle wins summer popularity contest in Oklahoma

In the country of the former Soviet Union, Kazakhstan, my babushka (grandma) grew bushes of lilacs in her garden. When my mother and I went to visit her, we got stems of the lilacs for home décor. So, since my childhood, I love the scent of lilacs, and I occasionally paint the flowers on canvas. […]

Reporter’s Notebook: Olad’ya is a babushka’s recipe and a delicious meal for breakfast you need to know

Olad’ya is small size pancake or fritter and a popular breakfast meal in the former Soviet Union. The recipe of olad’ya was passed from babushkas (grandmas) to vnuchkas (grandaughters) in that part of the world for centuries. Olad’ya is usually about two and a half inches long and two inches wide. Here is a recipe […]

Reporter’s Notebook: How to cook squash – two delicious recipes from Kazakhstan

Squash is a vegetable and is sold at every supermarket. They are usually green and yellow colors looking like fatty comas. Some shoppers mistake the green squash for cucumbers.      I have not seen squash served too often at parties or restaurants in Oklahoma. I think it is because of the lack of good recipes. […]

Reporter’s Notebook: A manti restaurant brings The Silk Road ancient taste to visitors in Kazakhstan

The Silk Road was a trade route from Europe to Asia from 300 B.C. to the 16th century.  A part of The Silk Road went through Kazakhstan where my home was. During a summer 2021 trip to central Kazakhstan, my fellow travelers and I stopped at a manti restaurant situated in the corner of a […]

Reporter’s Notebook: Which food to try when traveling in the former USSR

In the former Soviet Union, someone’s first stop to try local food should be at a supermarket. There is plenty of products at the stores. So, a tourist can be lost trying to make a choice. In this essay, an individual may find valuable advice on popular Russian, European and Asian food in Kazakhstan and […]

Reporter’s Notebook: Russian Non-Alcoholic drinks will keep you cool in summer

In Kazakhstan and other republic of the former Soviet Union, there are popular non-alcoholic drinks, which can greatly satisfy someone’s thirst in the hot summer. These are kvas, lemonade, and kompot. A variety of kvases and lemonades are sold at every supermarket or small shop in the former USSR. They have sweet and sour tastes. […]

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: Traveling during the pandemic is complicated, or how to book a flight

(Editor’s Note: This is the second article in a series.) To find the best deal on a flight, someone should search multiple booking websites and compare the prices. For example, I was searching a round-trip flight from Tulsa, Okla., to Kazakhstan (the republic of the former Soviet Union) in July 2021. The cheapest price was […]

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