Russian food politics protect and sponsor popular Soviet brands that are perceived as healthy and natural in contrast to chemically contaminated imported foods. This paper investigates "Soviet" ice cream in its role as a nostalgic food item. Promoted as evidence of a better, homely past, its reminiscence facilitates identity formation and the demarcation between the self and the other. Cultural attributions turn the "cold delicacy" into an emotionally invested Soviet comfort food of legendary "pure milk" quality, offered by the paternalistic state and its food industry. The pickled gherkin is the exact opposite, a symbol of self-sufficiency and independence from the erratic Soviet retail system.