Restaurant of Belarusian Cuisine Opens in Minsk with a Name Error. It Turned Out Ambiguous

Restaurant owner at the entrance. Photo: restaurant's social media

The restaurant opened in the Zavodski district, at Partyzanski Avenue, 87. The place is well-known to local residents: previously, a pizzeria "Planeta Pizza" operated in these premises for a long time.

Gross Error and Ambiguous Subtext

The new restaurant was named "Белы гусь" (Bely Hus), which, from the point of view of Belarusian language norms, is an error. In Belarusian, the noun "гусь" (hus - goose) is always feminine. Accordingly, the correct name should have been "Белая гусь" (Belaya Hus - White Goose). A male goose in Belarusian is called "гусак" (husak), and the use of the word "гусь" in the masculine gender is characteristic exclusively of the Russian language.

Павялічыць

Restaurant advertisement with a gross error in its name. Photo: restaurant's social media

Such an error looks particularly piquant in the current political context. After 2020, Belarusian security forces and pro-Russian activists began using the phrase "жуе белы гусь" (zhuye bely hus - "the white goose chews") as a mocking distortion of the patriotic slogan "Жыве Беларусь" (Zhyve Belarus - "Long Live Belarus"). Whether this is a deliberate provocation or merely a coincidence due to an error remains to be seen.

Belarusian Cuisine in Russian

Despite the establishment positioning itself as a restaurant of national cuisine, finding the Belarusian language within it is almost impossible. The establishment's social media accounts are run exclusively in Russian, and the menu is also compiled in Russian.

Павялічыць

In the restaurant of Belarusian cuisine, everything is designed in Russian. Photo: restaurant's social media

The restaurant's menu features a mix of classic Belarusian dishes — such as draniki (potato pancakes), machanka (pork stew), and kalduny (dumplings) — and Soviet and European cuisine: Olivier salad, herring under a fur coat, and baked snails.

Павялічыць

Belarusian dishes in the restaurant. Photo: restaurant's social media

Prices in the restaurant are moderate:

• Draniki with sour cream — 13 rubles.
• Machanka with pancakes or draniki — 24 rubles.
• Kalduny with meat — 18 rubles.
• Pike-perch with buckwheat — 28 rubles.
• "Pansky Borscht" — 17 rubles.

Among the most expensive items, for example, is pork shank in beer for 42 rubles or the "6 Sotok Set" (tinctures with a snack) for 55 rubles.

Interior as a "Nest"

Павялічыць

Restaurant decor. Photo: restaurant's social media

Павялічыць

Restaurant decor. Photo: restaurant's social media

As for the decor, the creators tried to emphasize coziness and a fairytale-like atmosphere. The interior is stylized as a country house or even a "nest": textured stucco walls, large fluffy handmade lamps, small lamps shaped like eggshells, and an artificial fireplace.

The establishment is designed for approximately 60 seats and is located in an area that is not oversaturated with leisure facilities.

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