Slav Squatting

Heh, I knew that Slavs loved to squat at least since the first wave of Eastern European immigration in Greece, following the Fall of the Wall. Bulgarians, Russians, Ukrainians, Romanians etc. all had this habit of squatting in groups. Recently, I saw it in a port, where several truck drivers were squatting in the rain waiting to embark and (for bonus points) also held a lit cigarette under their cupped hand, in such a way that it wouldn't get wet and also conceal the glow (making this also an ideal posture for watching/ambushing). In addition, in the seedy flea markets that I go every weekend, these gentlement love to squat in a circle around their games of craps.

I read somewhere that it is associated with avoiding sitting on dirty/cold/wet ground.

I say this to my girlfriend at work all the time: "Stop squatting, you're looking like a Slav."

I'm not a Slav, and I find it weird that other people wouldn't do it if the ground is greasy and shit. Otherwise it's generally more painful than just sitting, especially as you get old and you feel weird when getting back up.

That was actually an interesting read.  I can't help but be reminded of the game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. when I think of gopniks, although there's no obvious parallel.