For the record, "semechki" refers to (in the shell) sunflower seeds, which used to be a very common and affordable snack for people in the Communist days. People still eat them, but they're considered an "ignorant hillbilly" food these days, and no cool urbanite would touch 'em with a 10-foot pole.

But yeah, making hungry kids grub in the dirt for some sunflower seeds is pretty evil.