Quick answer: On The Diary Of A CEO, historian Sarah C. M. Paine told Steven Bartlett about living in the Soviet Union in 1988-89. She recalled going into a grocery store that "had about total of 77 items," meat counters where "the smell from the rotting meat just about knocked you down," and goods sold simply by being labeled "imported." "I was eating rotting Hungarian apples," she said. "I made applesauce."
Source episode: "WW3 Threat Expert: The WW3 Warning We Are Ignoring, The Only Way Out Is THIS!", The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett, released Oct. 29, 2026, watch the full episode.
Who is Sarah Paine?
Sarah C. M. Paine is the William S. Sims University Professor Emerita of History and Grand Strategy at the U.S. Naval War College, where she has taught strategy since 2000. Her books draw on nine years overseas, including a year in Russia, and focus on relations among China, Russia and Japan and on naval strategy. Her titles include Imperial Rivals: China, Russia, and Their Disputed Frontier, 1858-1924 and The Wars for Asia, 1911-1949. Her official biography lists a fellowship for research in the USSR from fall 1988 to spring 1989, which matches the period she describes (sarahpaine.me).
What she said about Soviet shopping
"So I was living in the Soviet Union when it still was, '88, '89," Paine said. She called it "early Gorbachev," a time when the "supply systems" were falling apart. The store, she said, had "about total of 77 items," and she compared it to "a candy rack as you're exiting some convenience store."
The number is her own recollection of one store, not an official statistic.
She said people simply avoided the meat counters because of the smell, and that some goods were marked as imported because "anything from anywhere else is better than what we've got." She remembered eating rotting Hungarian apples and making applesauce, and added that "it was the Romanians who made some pretty good canned tomatoes." Her summary: "It was just incredible what the Russians couldn't do."
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The wider conversation
The full episode is mostly about modern geopolitics, including Russia, Ukraine, China and Europe. This article covers only her firsthand memories of Soviet daily life, presented as she told them. The Soviet Union dissolved in December 1991, about two years after her stay.
Real-name note: Paine publishes as S. C. M. Paine or Sarah C. M. Paine, and the Naval War College's photo caption calls her Sally Paine. There is no pseudonym here.
FAQ
Who is Sarah Paine? A historian of strategy and Professor Emerita at the U.S. Naval War College, specializing in China, Russia, Japan and naval strategy.
When did Sarah Paine live in the Soviet Union? She says 1988-89, and her official biography lists a USSR research fellowship from fall 1988 to spring 1989.
Did Soviet grocery stores really have only 77 items? That is Paine's recollection of one store she visited, not an official count.
What podcast was this on? The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett, in an episode released Oct. 29, 2026.