In 1990, then US President George Bush sent chicken meat to Russia to combat hunger – the “Bush legs”. However, an economic war soon broke out.
In Russia in the early 1990s, the stalls were part of the street scene: sales tables, improvised plastic tarpaulins over them and plastic baskets overflowing with thick, white chicken legs. According to everyday historians, the “bush legs” are part of the collective memory of this time.
“Bush legs” stand for Wonderland
It began in 1990. At the end of the Soviet Union there were serious supply crises. US President George Bush promised his opponent Mikhail Gorbachev a remedy: America sent chicken legs. The Russians were amazed: they had never seen such lush and bright parts of Soviet chicken. They stood for Wonderland USA, were nicknamed “bush legs” and from then on had a permanent place on the menu.
Source: Stern
