The new culinary travel show “Specialties of national cuisine” hosted by comedian Mikhail Stognienko will air on TV-3 on February 7. Together with the famous chef from Italy, he will travel to different cities of Russia to feel the flavors and get acquainted with their unique cuisine. “Moscow Evening” talks with the artist.
— Mikhail, there are a lot of food and travel shows on TV these days. Tell us how the new TV-3 project will be different from others?
– This is not pure tourism (tourism – “VM”), it is a combination of tourism and cuisine. In our project, we did not attach much importance to cooking, but tried to show foreign chef Pierre Carbonara that Russia is not at all what he heard and imagined. It's great that such a famous chef can still marvel at different dishes.
— Tell us, how did you surprise the Italian chef?
— In each city, Pierre tries something new for himself: he likes some things, does not like others. For example, in Ufa we tried kumys and it was not suitable. In principle, he has a bad attitude towards milk. No problem, I finished the bottle we bought. I also tried Bashkir honey. But honey in Moscow and honey here are two different types of honey. He was delighted with it.
— And if we talk about your preferences: do you appreciate original restaurant cuisine or do you like simple food?
– I am very conservative and always like home-cooked food. I love potatoes in all forms. Of course, mostly fried, with crackers or mushrooms. I love my wife's cutlets, I really like dumplings but homemade ones. I really like fresh frozen fish, cut into thin slices and seasoned. Well, I love any bird cooked at home in the oven.
– What is the most expensive dish you have ever tried in your life?
— It was a gold-plated steak that I tried in Dubai around 2020. Honestly, I didn't feel much difference from a regular steak and it cost about 50 thousand rubles. I regret the money spent; I'd better eat potatoes and cutlets.
— In the movie “Once Upon a Time in Russia,” she often plays the husband or boyfriend of Yana Koshkina, Ekaterina Morgunova – very impressive actresses. Is your wife Ksenia jealous?
– Of course not. My wife is friends with Katya Morgunova, they are our neighbors, we are old friends. And he is not jealous of Yana Koshkina, she understands that this is work. In addition, besides me, there are many people who play Yana Koshkina's husband.
– His wife also plays in KVN. Is humor present in your daily life?
– Sure! If it weren't for him, we probably would have divorced a long time ago. If we have some quarrel, then a joke is precisely to mark the end of this quarrel.
— How do you think the comedy genre developed in Russia? What has changed in recent years?
– Of course, he is extremely developed, only occasionally he changes his vector. At one time, playing KVN was very popular, then stand-up started, then something else. But in general, everyone does the same things, just in different forms. Well, as for censorship, you simply feel there are moral standards. And even more so when you broadcast it to a large audience. I must say that we approached this issue very responsibly.
— Previously, you worked as a flight attendant, what are your memories of that time? Are there any other unusual professions in your career?
— Let's start with the fact that in terms of education, I'm a computer science and English teacher. I didn't work a day professionally, I only interned in high school. I try to work as an archaeologist, although I wouldn't say it's a job but more of a leisure activity. Before becoming a flight attendant, I played in KVN, then took a break, worked only on airplanes, then there was Once Upon a Time in Russia. My job requires me to fly a lot and for me this has been the trip of a lifetime. Aviation has its attractions and disadvantages. I spent about a year and a half on this.
— It is said that comedians in everyday life are often serious, even gloomy people. Does this apply to you?
– This matter only concerns me. But it has nothing to do with his wife.
– How do you feel about expensive luxury restaurants in Moscow? In your opinion, is it worth spending tens of thousands of rubles on dinner or is this a useless thing?
– If there is such an opportunity, why not? For example, I can afford to take my wife to an expensive restaurant for her birthday, but don't go there often. My wife and I are already gay, and in fact I just finished a house in the country and we moved there, so she never leaves the house unless necessary. Now that I'm done filming, I'll have a few weeks off, I won't even leave the house!
— What food, drink or product can't you live without for a day?
– Without potatoes, I am willing to eat them every day. Obviously I don't eat it every day, but if it was offered every day, I wouldn't say no.
– What dishes of Moscow do you associate with?
– Strangely enough, not with anyone. There is no direct connection to the dish and the capital.
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Actor, comedian, TV presenter Mikhail Stognienko was born on February 3, 1985 in Krasnoyarsk. Graduated from Krasnoyarsk Pedagogical University named after Astafiev. He performed in KVN in the team “Bad Company”. In 2016, he became a participant in the sketch show Once Upon a Time in Russia. He starred in famous comedy projects: “Improvisation”, “Galustyan+”, “Musical Intuition” and others.
