My Food

In my last post, I showed you what I typically buy when I go shopping. I also make several small trips each week for fresh bread, milk, and bottled water . . . and sometimes for beer. It’s hard to resist when a liter of good beer costs about 50 cents. Processed foods are rare as are preservatives, which means the bread and dairy products only last 2–3 days. BTW, the best dairy is located in the city of Brest, so the label says “Brest Milk” hee-hee! When I tell my friends that we can store milk for 1 week they are shocked. They also find it strange that we can buy so many ready-made products. People cook the majority of their meals from scratch and it took me a few weeks to adjust as it definitely takes more planning and time. For example, I make pasta with meat sauce at least once a week and I have to create my own sauce starting with plain tomato paste. After a few attempts I managed to create my own recipe. Onions, garlic, potatoes, and cabbages are available year-round and many other fruits and vegetables are too, but they are harder to find and more expensive. For the most part, people eat what is in season or what they have stored in their root cellars or canned for the winter. Pickling is also very popular.

For breakfast I eat oatmeal; cream of wheat; cereal with milk; or fruit, granola, and yogurt and wash it all down with a cup or two of coffee. I was pleasantly surprised to find a small kiosk that sells whole-bean coffee. Of course I brought my coffee grinder with me, as only a true coffee addict would do! I use a coffee press and boil my water in a tea kettle that sounds like a choo-choo train when it whistles. I love it as it adds an extra dimension to my morning ritual. For lunch I eat leftovers from the night before, or have something simple like bread, ham, cheese, and juice. Sometimes I have lunch at the canteen at school where you can have an entire meal for about $2.00. I don’t go out to eat very often, maybe 2 or 3 times per month. I live so close to school that it’s more convenient for me to eat lunch at home. For dinner, I choose from the following ingredients: rice, pasta, potatoes, beans, cheese, bread, ground beef, pork, sausage, ham, eggs, frozen and canned vegetables, olives, and spices. For a midnight snack, I often have pan-fried toast, jam, and a glass of cold milk. It’s amazing what you can create with a little creativity!

When I don’t feel like cooking I just boil some dumplings [пельмени, pil-main'-ee] and garnish them with fresh sour cream or ketchup. They are a basic staple in these parts and are filled with different types of meat and spices. Think of a ravioli minus the cheese. Potato pancakes [драники, dran'-i-kee], often referred to as the national specialty, are also easy to make. Just shred a few potatoes, add some onion, garlic, and an egg and fry them in a skillet. They are excellent served warm with salt and sour cream. I was also very happy to find popcorn . . . no, not the microwave packages, just good ole fashioned kernels. Look under My Photos and then “My Food” for more examples of my culinary creations.