In 2019, Christine, Andrea, Phyllis, Gladys and I went to Doma Kitchen, a Ukrainian restaurant in Marina Del Rey. Robbie, Christine’s service dog, waited patiently under the table while we enjoyed pickled herring, Ukrainian style borsch, chicken pelmeni in broth, plov (rice with herbs, spices, vegetables, and golden raisins), various breads, layered honey cake and berry pavlova. We had barely heard of Ukraine and had never had Ukrainian food before. It was delicious! After lunch, we walked through Marina del Rey, Venice Beach, and the Venice canals for a light, fun, and completely enjoyable afternoon.
My next Ukrainian adventure came up unexpectedly when Heidi, Linda and I were strolling through Pasadena in 2021 and discovered Mignon Chocolate. The owners are proud of their Ukrainian heritage and the generations that have produced quality handmade chocolates.
I still want to make it to Leleka, a Ukrainian restaurant in San Francisco, but it is only open on weekdays. I plan to go with Sheryll and meet Cathy at Traktir in Tarzana next week to have more Ukrainian food. In the meantime, here are some Ukrainian recipes: https://ukrainian-recipes.com/
There is plenty of Ukrainian literature to enjoy. I chose the following and it taught me a lot about the resilience of the Ukrainian people:
· The Kobzar of the Ukraine by Taras Shevchenko is a book of poems by an iconic Ukrainian author who championed Ukrainian independence in the nineteenth century: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/68486
· Taras Bulba, and Other Tales by Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol is a famous story about the value Ukrainians place on supporting their country: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1197
· Sholem Aleichem wrote the stories that inspired Fiddler on the Roof. Here is the movie: https://tubitv.com/movies/100002779/fiddler-on-the-roof
· Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham reports the details of what happened in the nuclear disaster of 1986. I found the book at the Los Angeles County Library. The author is interviewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sphj5qLvf94
· The Fight of Our Lives: My Time with Zelenskyy by Iuliia Mendel gives the back story on Volodymyr Zelenskyy. I listened to it on CDs from the Los Angeles County Library.
· Recent Ukrainian literature is introduced here: https://wordswithoutborders.org/read/article/2014-08/metamorphoses-of-reality-an-introduction-to-new-ukrainian-writing/
· A collection of writing by Ukrainian women is found here: https://wordswithoutborders.org/read/collection/writing-by-ukrainian-women/
· A collection of Ukrainian writing since the war started is found here: https://wordswithoutborders.org/read/collection/april-2023-writers-respond-to-the-war-in-ukraine/
I admire literature and the librarians who make sure it is available, so I particularly appreciate this recent article about the warrior librarians of Ukraine: https://apple.news/A6csNGE6TS3y7eaF_DT_dlw
There is quite a variety of music from Ukraine with just a few examples here:
· Ukrainian folk dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOgdrrzOi1A
· Soviet symphony by Andriy Shtoharenko: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svKz9rV5dm8
· A new version of an old song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py6eSV5BesM
If you want to find a place to experience Ukraine in California, check the Balboa Park International Cottage for Ukraine. Upcoming events are listed here: https://houseofukraine.org/events/
There are also festivals and rallies at the Ukrainian Culture Center Los Angeles. I’m going to try to make it to this one next year: https://ukrainianculturecenterla.com/pysanka-festival-2019-2/
There are beautiful places to visit in Ukraine https://www.thecrazytourist.com/15-best-places-visit-ukraine/ and yes, I would love to go! I hope for a time when broad travel gives us new perspectives. In the meantime, I’m hoping we all survive, thrive, recognize our mutual humanity, and allow peace, health, and safety to flourish in Ukraine and throughout the world.
Photo Credit: Sheraz Shaikh https://unsplash.com/photos/LxXM7UBCfPM
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