«Belarus has money, but people still lack something.» A Sri Lankan told what amazes him about Belarusians
What do we know about Sri Lanka — the most beautiful island formerly known as Ceylon? A former British colony. A country whose economy is based on tourism and precious stones: sapphires and rubies. The images that flash in a Belarusian's head will probably bring up tea plantations, elephants, and beaches with palm trees. When chef Walawage Sumudu Priyantha decided to move to Minsk from sunny Colombo, he knew even less about Belarus. Onliner writes about what came of it.
«In a sense, it was a "luxury" life»
Meet Sumudu. Smiling, modest, not at all a star, though he could be: in Thailand, he managed to work in a Michelin-starred restaurant, and in Belarus, he twice became the best chef of the year.
«I grew up in a simple family in Colombo, the de facto capital of Sri Lanka,» says Sumudu. «My father was a government inspector, working in the anti-corruption commission. We were content with little, but in a sense, it was a 'luxury' life: fresh shrimp, mangoes, papayas, and rambutan every day, the ocean and beach a ten-minute walk from home… Europeans spend a lot of money to arrange such a life for themselves on vacation.
After school, I studied for five years at the Ceylon Hotel School of Culinary Art — the best culinary school in Sri Lanka. I started from the very bottom: worked as a kitchen assistant in a hotel in Unawatuna — a popular tourist town. I cleaned, tidied, washed, and wasn't afraid of hard work. Then I managed to pass an interview at Hilton Colombo — that's where I saw the life of guests, a truly luxurious life.»
Sumudu wasn't even 30, and he had already made a rather good career in Sri Lanka. What next? It was time to look for himself in Europe.
«To be honest, I didn't know about Belarus, had no idea what Minsk was like. I just wanted to go to Europe. At that time, advertising agents promoting BSU came to Colombo. They said that Belarus is the center of Europe and you can travel everywhere by train without visas,» smiles the article's hero.
«When it snowed for the first time, we ran out into the street at night»
So, at 29, Sumudu found himself in Minsk to enroll in tourism management at BSU. It was 2008.
«I was shocked by the snow. I had never seen anything like it in my life! I remember when it snowed for the first time, we, students from Sri Lanka, ran out into the street from the dormitory at two in the morning and threw snowballs. Wow!.. In Sri Lanka, it's +35 all year round; only during the rainy season can the temperature drop to +25. In Minsk, it's different. The change of seasons, which you are used to, was amazing to me. It's very beautiful: the leaves turn yellow, then fall, then the first snow — and all this gives way to spring and velvety buds…»
A big surprise for me was that a foreign BSU student from Sri Lanka was not allowed to work full-time. Now the rules have changed, but back then it was an unpleasant discovery.
In any case, I'm not used to sitting idle! Soon I was already cooking Asian food at News Cafe in the evenings. My Russian was very poor, but I tried to learn at least the names of products. The management liked my cooking, and a year later I became a sous-chef.
I witnessed the era when Grand Café, Tapas Bar, Bistro de Luxe — the best restaurants of that time — were opening in Minsk. I was even sent to study Thai cuisine in Bangkok at Blue Elephant — a very prestigious culinary school — to then return to Minsk and open Mai Thai.
In 2020, I started my small restaurant business — first under the name «Kokos», and now Thai Express. I have two locations: in «Konkors» and shopping center «Zamak». The menu includes authentic Sri Lankan cuisine, such as curry fried rice with beef tenderloin, and also real tom yum made according to a Thai recipe. Very few establishments in Minsk make it correctly, exactly as it's done in Thailand…
My plans include opening two or three more locations. We'll see how it goes.»
Papaya, passion fruit, mango, and cherimoya
«For some reason, Belarusians don't drink tea with milk»
Over almost 18 years in our country, Sumudu has become maximally «Belarusified». Where else would you meet a Sri Lankan who happily talks about picking mushrooms in the Rahachow district?
Of course, a big part of this is due to Nastassia, Sumudu's wife. Their daughter Olivia is already 7. Like Sumudu, she speaks Russian at home, and in her father's language, the girl only knows «how are you» and «hello».
«I understand that the perspective of a foreigner is important to you. How do you, Belarusians, look in other people's eyes? Frankly, I've gotten used to everything, except maybe the very strong cold, -25. That's really tough.
If we look for differences, firstly, it's the level of salaries. In Belarus, it's significantly higher than in Sri Lanka. In my opinion, the median salary in Sri Lanka is about $300, and in Belarus, it's more than $770 in equivalent. Prices for buying and renting real estate also differ. For example, ordinary accommodation for a day can be found on the island for $25-30. But living on the first coastline in Sri Lanka is always very expensive. It's considered a luxury place: one night in a five-star hotel will cost $300-400. But high prices will also be in Minsk, in some Hilton. For $500-600 in Sri Lanka, you can rent a very good house for a month — in Minsk, of course, it's more expensive.»
Secondly, Belarus has faster internet and no problems with electricity. In Sri Lanka, blackouts still occur, electricity disappears — all because 70% of the infrastructure is focused on hydroelectric power plants, and in dry seasons, the water level falls, they lack power. Now new diesel power plants are being built, but it's expensive because Sri Lanka has no oil deposits.
Thirdly, food. In Belarus, it's almost impossible to find normal fruits, seafood, and tea. It's hard to get used to this.
Every March, for my wife's birthday, our whole family, including my father-in-law and mother-in-law, flies to Sri Lanka. We try to eat enough fruits and seafood for a year in advance. When we return, we fill one suitcase with tea, and the other with papayas and mangoes. If I return to Minsk without fresh papaya, my friends won't understand,» Sumudu laughs. «I really miss Ceylon black tea, fresh, picked directly from the plantation! We usually drink it with milk, in the English style — for some reason, Belarusians rarely do that.
Yes, there's no normal papaya in Minsk, but in summer, everything grows in my mother-in-law's village: strawberries, cherries, blueberries, apples, pears, bell peppers, eggplants… And my wife's grandmother even grows very spicy small chili peppers — we need them for Thai Express.
Also, the breakfast culture in Belarus is not as developed as in Sri Lanka. Go to any restaurant in Minsk — what do they offer you in the morning? Well, syrniki, blini, draniki, some 'big English breakfast' — and that's it. But in Sri Lanka, there are 15 types of breakfasts — from string hoppers (thin rice noodles laid out in 'nests') to chickpeas with coconut sambal (a sauce made from freshly grated coconut, chili peppers, red onion, and lime juice). In the mornings, it's customary to drink 'soup': 10-15 types of different greens are put in a blender, a little rice, coconut milk, and cane sugar are added. This is called kola kanda.
Fourthly, medicine. In Sri Lanka, it's de facto paid. Yes, free state medicine also exists, but you have to wait a year in line. At the same time, the island has high technologies; for example, you can get a heart transplant at Apollo Hospital, but it's very expensive. In Belarus, I have a residence permit, and I've had to go to the hospital twice, call an ambulance — everything is fast and free.»
Fifthly, traffic movement in Belarus is strictly regulated. Buses, trains — everything arrives strictly on time, as written in the schedule. Sri Lanka doesn't have such a road system. For example, our minibuses are called «crazy buses» because they drive chaotically, race on the roads, honk very loudly, take as many passengers as they want, stop right in the middle of the highway — and it doesn't matter if there's a stop or not. It's dangerous. Trains can easily be an hour late. Sometimes you see a very old train driving, it breaks down — and it becomes genuinely embarrassing.
I love Sri Lanka very much — and at the same time, I see how Belarus has developed in this regard over the last 18 years, while Sri Lanka seems to have frozen in place with these old trains that the British made.»
Slavic faces
On the other hand, this very characteristic of Sri Lanka has allowed its inhabitants to retain more of the primal, natural, authentic within themselves, Sumudu believes — while Belarusians are «a little spoiled by civilization».
«In Sri Lanka, jungles are protected by law; people don't go there. You can easily encounter elephants, cheetahs, crocodiles, small black bears… For example, last March, my family and I stayed in Hambantota. On one side, the five-star Shangri-La hotel, its own golf course, several pools, excellent food. And on the other side, we were immediately warned that crocodiles live in the neighboring river, beyond the rice field. We swam there, jumped into the water from a rope swing — and they didn't bother us.
Here, in Belarus, there is the absence of the ocean. I miss it very much. Although high humidity and salty air in Sri Lanka lead to interesting 'special effects': if you live on the first coastline, after some time, electronics can rust and become unusable — both MacBooks, TVs, and even cars.»
Concluding the conversation, we discussed a well-known stereotype: is it true that Belarusians are gloomy and stern creatures with their slavic faces?
«Yes, compared to smiling and friendly Sri Lankans, Belarusians are indeed gloomy. When I first came to Belarus, I tried to smile at everyone, but then I realized that it's not customary here. Maybe Belarusians lack sun and vitamin D?..
In Sri Lanka, the sun rose at six in the morning, we smiled and drank tea, lived and rejoiced, even though we didn't have much money; as a child, I couldn't go to the store and buy everything I wanted. But here, there is money, yet people still lack something. Why? I don't have an answer.»