The smell and taste of capitalism

I don't know how others feel, but I become very nostalgic and melancholic during holiday periods. These are natural emotions that remind us that we are human. This week, all of Turkey was on holiday. While some Turks preferred to go abroad for vacation, others chose to celebrate the Bayram with their families, parents, and grandparents. I belong to the latter category. From the shores of the Aegean Sea where I am writing these lines, the festive atmosphere of the Bayram, the sweets distributed to children and the smiles on their faces, and the respect shown to elders took me back to my own childhood and reminded me of how I was introduced to the "Taste and Smell of Capitalism." Don't worry! Analyses regarding the economic aspects of the capitalist system are not included in the lines below. There is only a text containing the memories of a child born within the borders of the USSR, in Moldova.

TASTE

I was only 5 years old when the USSR collapsed in 1991. I was not at an age to understand many of the things happening around me. Russian President Putin's assessment of this collapse as "the greatest tragedy of the 20th century" was more of a political perspective. Ordinary people experienced the real tragedy. The disintegration process of the USSR affected all social segments of the population. The rapid devaluation of the economic currency led to the incredible impoverishment of the public. The money people had saved in their bank accounts throughout their lives became worthless in a single day. The 90s were a period when people were trying to learn who they were, what they were experiencing, and which language they spoke or should speak. While the adults were living through perhaps the most difficult days of their lives, children were enjoying the unique moments of theirs.

For example, in the 90s, when my father went on a business trip abroad to Romania, he brought back a bottle of carbonated orange juice (we all know the name, but I don't want to advertise it). For the first time, a plastic bottle entered our home, our lives. I had never seen a plastic bottle before. I remember my mother using the bottle for many years in a row, and no one dared to throw it away. Because we had so many memories associated with it. But I don't think I can ever forget the taste of that carbonated drink. It was something unique, different, incredibly delicious, and its orange color was of dazzling beauty. I had never tasted such a good flavor before. In my memories, when "the taste of capitalism" is mentioned, it was the taste of that carbonated drink I drank for the first time that remained in my mind.

The second taste that remained in my mind is the pistachio ice cream that came out of the gifts the Germans sent us after a matinee at kindergarten. And what an ice cream it was! As it melted in our mouths, we prayed that it wouldn't melt away and finish. It was packaged in rectangular plastic boxes. The taste of the ice cream is gone, but the box is still in our house. No one in the family dared to throw it away. We were able to fit so many memories into that box.

SMELL

With the collapse of the USSR, 15 states became independent after 69 years. Independence initially brought a lot of joy, but as time passed, it also brought a lot of tears, pain, poverty, instability, and uncertainty. For example, in Moldova, people could no longer receive their salaries. When they could, they mostly received products instead of money. Many were laid off. Unemployment increased. Chaos had emerged. After I grew up a little, I began to understand how serious the problem was when there was no food left at home. Then I realized that capitalist countries had heard how impoverished the former Soviet countries had become and decided to send aid. A large number of second-hand clothes were coming into the country. It was as if they had been treated with a special solution that would envelop your entire being when you smelled it before entering the country. An intense, sharp smell that did not disappear even after several washes. This is how the smell of capitalism remained in my memories.

Capitalism also entered our homes in the guise of detergent bottles and plastic bags. During the USSR era, both my mother and other Moldovan women had only 3 types of detergent at home. It was a solid soap used for dishes, clothes, and stubborn stains. Everything was very easy and simple. With the collapse of the USSR, dozens of types of detergents began to be sold in the country. Thus, I saw that my mother suddenly felt the need to use all the detergents. But as the number of detergents in our house increased, my mother's worries also increased. The smell of detergents mixing into the atmosphere of our home felt like a harbinger of the chaos that would envelop the country and every family in Moldova.

After the 90s, there were many moments that we children born on USSR soil tasted, watched, or learned something new about. The gradual transition from socialism to capitalism inevitably left its mark on our existence. It allowed us to look at life and the world with different eyes. It made the generation I belong to different.

What I experienced in Turkey during the holiday (exchanging holiday greetings, the joy of children, candy, serving sweets, etc.) took me back to the past.

With nostalgic notes, I congratulate you on your Ramadan/Eid al-Fitr!