If you spill salt, don’t throw it over your shoulder—it doesn’t work in Russia

Setting: A cozy kitchen in a small Moscow apartment. It’s snowing lightly outside. Sasha is pouring soup into bowls. Misha walks in, brushing snow off his jacket.

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Misha: (shivering) Brrr! It’s freezing! What’s for lunch?

Sasha: Chicken soup. Sit. Warm your bones.

Misha: You’re a lifesaver, Sasha.

Sasha: [accidentally knocks over the salt shaker] Damn it!

Misha: (gasps) You spilled salt?

Sasha: Relax, it’s just salt.

Misha: No-no-no! You have to do something about it. But don’t throw it over your shoulder—that’s Western nonsense. In Russia, it brings even worse luck.

Sasha: Wait, so… spilling salt is bad luck, and fixing it the Western way is worse luck? That’s quite the trap.

Misha: Exactly! Here, you’re supposed to press your thumb to your forehead and apologize to the spirits of the house. Otherwise, there’ll be a fight.

Sasha: Spirits of the house? You mean Domovoi? I thought he retired in the 18th century.

Misha: [dead serious] Laugh all you want, but last time I spilled salt and did nothing, I had an argument with my boss and locked myself out of my apartment the same day.

Sasha: Or maybe your boss was just cranky and you forgot your keys?

Misha: Coincidence? I think not.

Sasha: Misha, come on. There’s no causal link between salt on the counter and life falling apart. If that were true, every fast food worker would live under a curse.

Misha: But salt is symbolic! It used to be precious. Wars were fought over salt. It represents value, stability. Spilling it is like saying you don’t value what you have.

Sasha: Okay, that’s poetic, I’ll give you that. But just because something’s symbolic doesn’t mean it has supernatural consequences.

Misha: Then why do so many people still believe in it? Even my babushka used to say, “Spilled salt means quarrel.”

Sasha: Because traditions stick. They give people a sense of control. It’s like a mental placebo. If you think apologizing to the Domovoi helps, it does—psychologically. But there’s no magical salt force waiting to ruin your day.

Misha: Hmph. And what if I told you the salt incident was followed by my date ghosting me?

Sasha: I’d say maybe she saw your obsession with kitchen superstitions.

Misha: [laughs] Touché.

Sasha: Look, I’m not saying traditions are bad. I love lighting a candle for New Year’s wishes. But I don’t think table salt has a personal vendetta.

Misha: So you’d spill salt and do nothing?

Sasha: Absolutely.

Misha: Prove it.

Sasha: [takes the shaker and dumps a bit more salt on the table] There.

Misha: You madman.

Sasha: If I get a flat tire tomorrow, I’ll apologize personally to your Domovoi.

Misha: And I’ll buy you a new shaker. You’ll need it for all that chaos seasoning your life now.

Sasha: Deal. Now eat your soup before it gets cursed.