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Ivan Petrovich: A grandfather who loves nature

Ivan Petrovich was born in 1958 in a small village in the north of Russia, surrounded by dense pine forests. From childhood, his life was closely connected with nature. He spent his days playing in the forest, helping his parents with the vegetable garden and watching the birds that nested in old hollow trees.
Ivan Petrovich was an inquisitive boy. He loved to read, but books were rare in his village. His grandfather, a former teacher, often read aloud to him, telling stories about distant lands, brave travelers and wonders of nature.
After school, Ivan Petrovich moved to the city, but his love for nature remained with him. He worked as an engineer, but every weekend he tried to get out into nature. He loved to wander through the forest, pick mushrooms and berries, and watch the life of animals.
Ivan Petrovich was the life of the party. He loved to have picnics in nature with his family and friends. They grilled shashlik, sang songs with a guitar, played volleyball and simply enjoyed the fresh air and communication.
Ivan Petrovich’s special hobby was reading in nature. He would take books with him, sit down in a clearing under an old oak tree and immerse himself in the world of literature. He read about travel, history, biology, philosophy – his interest was boundless.
It was in nature that he found his beloved life partner. Olga, a sweet and cheerful girl, shared his passion for nature and books. Together they created a family and raised two children, to whom they passed on their love of nature.

How did picnics appear in Russia?

In our country, people have always loved trips to nature and in the 19th century such meals were very popular, but initially picnics also had an aristocratic character – they were organized by wealthy families. Cooks and waiters were hired for the event. An important rule that everyone should adopt is that after the end of the event, they were sure to clean up all the trash. The mass tradition of going on a picnic appeared among Soviet citizens. Then we also found our signature dish – shashlik. So hot dishes were welcomed and a picnic without a fire is not a picnic. And if you manage to arrange a meal near the river, then freshly caught fish was cooked in fish soup. Picnics were arranged both at their own dachas, and “wild” in nature.

How did the tradition of frying kebabs appear in Russia?

Shashlik is a traditional dish of nomadic peoples. Hence the tradition: cooking kebabs is a man’s business. You get the meat – you feed the family! It is believed that cutting up meat and cooking it on a fire or coals is a continuation of hunting, so in many families, men cook kebabs.
Another tradition in Russia associated with kebabs is May Day. During the May holidays, it is customary to go on a picnic to the dacha or at least go to a park or square. The tradition came to us from Soviet times, when the first warm long weekend was the opening of the dacha season. Summer houses were cleared of winter dust, outbuildings were aired, the consequences of winter on the plot were removed, the earth was dug up. To this day, many gardening associations on May Day turn on the water supply, the most important indicator that the dacha season is open. And those who do not have a dacha, take a couple of kilograms of shashlik, three friends, a guitar and go on a picnic. In parks and forest areas within the city limits, it is prohibited to light fires, for cooking kebabs there are specially equipped areas – gazebos with benches and tables, barbecues, for an additional fee you can buy coals, rent skewers. Somewhere the use of such amenities is paid, somewhere free.

Problem

Ivan Petrovich has long had a habit of going out early in the morning, looking for a free bench and reading for an hour. And with the advent of his wife, they began to do this together. But they still face a problem. They like to take with them a thermos of hot tea or hot coffee, as well as a small amount of snacks. And of course, the books themselves. And all this is very inconvenient to carry in ordinary shoppers, everything turns over, and there was a case when the contents of the thermos spilled onto the books and it was impossible to read.

Therefore, he and his wife really wanted paired bags. He and she talked about small requirements for the product:

• with different pockets: for a container with goodies, for a bottle of water, coffee or tea and for a book
• made of lightweight material
• easy to use
• any design, but universal