New and Old in Kyiv

I just spent a few days in Kyiv on this trip to Ukraine, as the May holidays approached. Kyiv is increasingly an international city and although I didn't get to any markets, a couple quick snapshots convey the changing nature of Ukrainian food in this capital city.  

Somehow over the last year and a half, many the food carts in the city all adopted a sort of Ukrainian village style--so now you see these (above) faux houses on faux wooden wheels all over the center.   In the year or so before that,  tiny expresso coffee trucks popped up--they're now a really common sight.  But because it's spring, I saw these coffee trucks doing double duty--they were also selling kvas from blue and yellow barrels.  So the coffee trucks have replaced the once familiar big kvas tanks that were a harbinger of spring.

Perhaps most surprising was my encounter with a raw food restaurant, just off Maidan.   I pondered villagers eating their dandelion greens and foraged berries while I ate my green soup and fresh pressed juice.  Ever-changing Kyiv-- a reminder that our food cultures are always combinations of old and new.

Spring has Sprung!

This past week, I was in Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine, where spring has finally sprung.  The combination of the May holidays with upcoming Orthodox Easter has meant a flurry everywhere of cleaning, painting, and most important, planting.

We didn't ever get to a market visit,  but I found it interesting that in many part of Donetsk, a highly industrial city, it still feels like a village, with residents intensively cultivating their small plots.  Here's a bit of what I saw.  At the top of the post, Lyumilla cultivates her front yard, just half a block away from a factory.

And as we walked along another part of the city, on a colder gray day, we saw many people, mostly women, out planting and preparing.

And turning a corner, a place that felt exactly like a village.  Jars of pickled mushrooms were tucked back into the back of a market stall by a bus stop and this woman brought flowers from her garden (that day, brilliant tulips) to sell in the city center. 

It was Palm Sunday and the city was filled with residents carefully carrying their bundles of pussy willows in honor of the day, like these two girls on the mashrutka.

And as we took the train back to Kyiv and twilight fell, I was reminded, once again, about how beautiful and fertile Ukraine's land is.  Lovely!

History at The Table: Join the Conversation

In April,  I'll be joining a dozen or so historians in a convening of the Public Historians and Local Food Movement Working Group at the National Council on Public History annual conference in Ottawa, Canada.  The working group is led by Michelle Moon and Cathy Stanton, who've encouraged us to begin the conversation through a series of entries on Cathy's blog.  Mine, inspired by a photo that came through by Facebook feed one morning (thanks Katya Kuchar)  explores the connections between the personal and the political as we think about food--in Ukraine, in the United States, and in museums.  For the full post (and other great posts as well) please go here.

And of course, remember that your photos: of your lunch in Ukraine, of your mom's pickles,  or old family dinners,  can inspire us to.  Please share!

What's Pickling for 2013?

Happy New Year, picklers near and far!  

In early December,  a small group of us gathered in Washington, DC (thank you Portrait Gallery and American Art Museums for having such a great, friendly space to work in) to brainstorm and plan for the future of the Pickle Project.  Joining Sarah and I were Christie Bond and Anne Laesecke,  both returned Peace Corps volunteers from Ukraine, and Eugene Chervony of the Museum of Natural History in L'viv and currently a Fulbright Scholar in Museum Studies at George Washington University.

We've taken our first steps to becoming a non-profit organization,  with the mission of encouraging thoughtful conversations about food in Ukraine and elsewhere.  We incorporated as a charity in New York State, with Christie joining Sarah and I as the fledgling board.  We're working on the next steps,  our IRS non-profit status and hope to have that paperwork filed soon.

Using survey results, feedback from audiences in Ukraine and the US,  and our own diverse perspectives, we looked at issues that might affect our work in Ukraine and here (both threats and opportunities),  and brainstormed a long list of ideas and possibilities. A few of our concerns:

• Political stability in Ukraine, which could impact free travel and access, in addition to the ability of Ukrainian NGOs to continue (ability for us to partner with Ukrainian organizations
• Tight philanthropic climate in the US (economic downturn – US & Ukraine
• Environmental impacts in Ukraine (increased mining and fracking, changing climate, land use, transformation of agricultural politics)
• Lack of trust in social capital in Ukraine (impact on partnerships)

 And a few of the many opportunities we identified:
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• Continued interest in food & preservation (homesteading, etc.)
• Look at the “why” and “how” of the project in Ukraine (in particular, consider the “how” of the project – Soviet influence)
• Environmental, Natural History perspectives
• Engaging through exhibitions
• Ukrainians have a more integrated “full systems” understanding of environmental impacts – could bring knowledge to Americans
• Engage high school students, & college students in Ukraine (youth)
•  Connect with people hosting agro-tourism in Ukraine (eco-tourism) – greater “tourism” in Ukraine opportunity & growing access to Ukraine

Our weaknesses boiled down, to a large degree,  to our somewhat limited capacity (more on that below, dear readers!)  But our strengths were primarily external ones that heartened us all as we listed them out:

• Strong intentionally cultivated partnerships – and existing connections
• Connection to Fulbright and Peace Corps Communities
• As an organization, able to live with uncertainty
• Creative and flexible as an organization
• 6,000 unique visitors went onto the blog from 110 countries in 2012
• Ability to use social networking platforms – access to a larger audience
• Diversity of Ukraine (landscapes and cultures) and diversity of conversations, partner organizations, and the open way in which we interact with partners.

We boiled down our ideas into three primary goals for the next two years:
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Enhance our online presence through increased interactions
To this end,  you'll be seeing our blog convert to a full-fledged website with more ways for readers to engage with us and we hope, see a Ukrainian/Russian version as well.
Build capacity of the Pickle Project
Complete the 501c3 status;  build the board;  and seek new funding sources including  "Friends of the Pickle Project."
Cultivate in-person engagement in Ukraine and in the United States.
In 2013,  hold a Pickle Project event (or two) in American cities to build engagement and interest;  plan for a 2014 series of conversations in Ukraine. 

As it has since its beginning,  the Pickle Project wants to respond to your interests as well--and to invite you to participate with us in any part of our work.  So please share your thoughts,  invite us to speak, write a blog post,  share your fabulous social media, web development or party planning skills to help us move to the next level.  It's been an incredible journey with friends all over the world--we look forward to the next steps!

Foraging in Ukraine

Note:  Christie Bond of Burlington, Vermont is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer from Ukraine and has joined us in working on the Pickle Project.  We look forward to more posts from her!)

As winter approaches, I have been eagerly awaiting the first snowfall in order to tromp the grounds looking for tracks and other animal signs. As a prelude, I’ve been digging into Paul Rezendes Tracking & the Art of Seeing: How to Read Animal Tracks and Sign. The language used by Rezendes, “seeing” brought me back to tracking of another kind – foraging in Ukraine.

Although one might assume “tracking plants” to be far easier than following the signs of moving animals, it took me a while to find what my counterpart Maria described as my “mushroom eyes.” Not unlike tracking animals, it’s important to wait for the right conditions – rain after several warm days, and then the hope that your mushroom eyes are working! As Rezendes says, “If you know an animal well, you will know where to look for it and when,” - the same is true for mushrooms.

(Mushroom Pizza – Sumy)

When traveling the highways in Ukraine, it is common to see babushkas with foraged mushrooms for sale – fresh and dried. In addition, when the weather is right, any location will do. While on a weekend retreat near the Desna river, one of the program planners mentioned he had seen oyster mushrooms near the sanatorium entrance, so we happily ended our meeting in search of them. He brought them back the following day in the form of a soup that his wife had prepared.

(Mushroom Soup - Odessa)

Without Maria, Dr. Valarie, or Tatiana (all passionate foragers), I am reluctant to go on my own. Luckily this fall was particularly rich with giant puff ball mushrooms (which have no poisonous look-alikes). Rezendes believes that through tracking, a person can develop an intimate bond with the animal, and furthermore develop a more keen understanding of their relationship to the natural world. I believe the same can be said for foraging. Through the collection of mushrooms, one can develop a keen sense of their environment.

For helpful foraging tips, visit: http://www.foragingguide.com/

(Top photo:  Mushrooms at an Odessa Market)

Short Timers Food

Just off a leafy boulevard in Simferopol, you will find Crimea State Medical University. Every year, this small medical school welcomes hundreds of foreign students from around the world. Young people journey from African countries, the Middle East, Turkey and India, among other places, to study at the medical school, which is for many more affordable than training in their home countries.

Nestled on the second floor of the university’s high-rise dormitories, there is a cafe that caters to foreign students, serving pan-Asian dishes. Wandering up flights of stairs and through darkened hallways, we managed to find the little café recommended to us by several friends.

It was here, over curries and naan, that we met Seethala Devi, who just finished her medical degree a few days before. Seethala, 27, is Malaysian and comes from the Selangor district, about 45 minutes from the capital, Kuala Lumpur.  She has a warm eyes and a kind smile. 

Seethala first came to Crimea for her pre-medical training and decided to stay on for her full medical instruction. Coming here was really hard, at first, she said. It is tough to be alone in a new place with a new language and environment. Then, she told us, she started finding all the positives. “I like it here; I have really enjoyed it.” The hardest part now is missing her family, as she had not been back to Malaysia in four years. 

Getting used to Ukrainian food was part of the adjustment to life in Crimea. Seethala smiled as she recalled “When I first came, I became quite plump.” But, as it turns out, she explained, eating local food became a bit like a diet, with simple tastes, fresh vegetables and less oil than many Asian dishes.

She works long shifts at the hospital and packs along with her kasha, cookies vegetables and tea, for her breaks. “I actually really enjoy it. I will bring along some bread and I have a complete meal.” Eyes shining, she admitted that she has also developed a penchant for Ukrainian sweets (as many of us do!). Once in a while, for treat, Seethala stops by a local bakery for a sochnik, a puff pastry filled with the sweetened pot (cottage) cheese.

She still makes favorites from her native Malaysia, however, but access to spices for traditional dishes is limited. Once in a while, she will stop by the café for a quick meal alone, before heading to the hospital and meeting with friends. Like many restaurants in Ukraine, the café often does not have everything on the menu but does has a few daily specials. “It is a gamble, sometimes” Seethala told us and advised us to ask for “what is nice?” Then, you will get what is freshest.

After seven years in Crimea, she is preparing to go back to Malaysia and was hoping for an internship in Sabah, the oil rich province in the Northeastern part of the country.  It will be a transition too, she said. “I am really going to miss it here.”

Checking Out Markets

Today, I'm headed off to work on an exciting new project for Context Travel, helping to develop resources and approaches for their scholar/docents who present fascinating, indepth city learning experiences.  But that also means, I hope, that I'll carve out time to visit city markets in London, Rome, Paris, Florence and Venice.   I love food markets of all types, so I'll be sharing some images here and on our Facebook page with all of you.  A detour from Ukraine, but I hope you enjoy them!