Hiring of Hearty Eaters in Russia

[Charles Byrd]

In the 1981 blockbuster movie, "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears,"  Tonya's father tells 
his future son-in-law how in the old days (1920s? 1930s?) potential factory workers were 
supplied with a meal, and only those who ate the most were hired.  Can anyone point me to 
a source explaining the history and logic of this policy?  Was it that the hungriest were most 
deserving of jobs in a strictly moral sense?  Or that high caloric intake would enhance 
productivity, a hearty appetite being presumably a sign of good health?   Was this a strictly 
Bolshevik policy or one with pre-revolutionary origins?  One of my students is captivated by 
the parallelism of this moment from "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears" and a similar 
reference in the 2007 American movie "Wristcutters" which includes Russian characters.  
Here the grandmother says: "We have a saying in  Russia, 'How much you eat, that's how 
worthy you are.' My grandpa, before he'd hire anybody, he'd feed them a free meal. Those 
who ate the most – that's the ones he hired..." (All at table, in unison) "Cause those were 
the best workers."

Thanks,

Charles Byrd
University of Georgia

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