Food Encounter

So, we ventured out on our own while Viktor slept to forage for food for the family. There is a little market at the corner. They specialize in Vodka, candy, Cognac, candy, Beer, candy, Wine, and, oh, yeah, a few food items. ;-) There is a freezer just inside the door with Varenykys- think of raviolis with your favorite vegetables and/or meats stuffed inside. We ate these in Kiev with the Carey family. Very good.

Since Doris and I left our translator at home, we brought the “Lonely Planet-Ukrainian phrase book” with us to impress the locals………..they were not impressed. First of all, there were, at least, 20 varieties of Varenykys. And there were different brands (so, we were not sure if we were trying to read the brand name, the ingredients, or the low-fat claim on the front of the bag. Also, and this is my suspicious side showing, I now believe that they code their Varenykys in order to make fun of the foreigners. I am looking everywhere for “potatoes and mushrooms” and the label probably says “ground tubers with non-toxic forest fungi”. Or the ever-popular “diminutive bovine skeletal components with muscular sub-sections” (short ribs of beef).

Worse, once we identified the first item of our purchase, the lady behind the counter moved it to the cashier’s area. Not a problem except that now the cashier could no longer help other customers since we were “actively checking out”. After we finally did check out, we headed to the door….only to remember what we previously forgot…eggs. I ordered a dozen..oops, no word for ‘dozen’….just hold up 15 fingers and hope for a graceful exit. When we got to the apartment, we remember a crucial item- sour cream (like we were going to find that on our own). So, we ate our boiled Varenykys with Pork, just pork, bathed in butter. Anyone want to open a restaurant with us in Indy?