A L’viv Conversation, Food and Thought

Like each of the cities we visited on our conversational tour of Ukraine, L’viv is its own place. The capital of historic Galicia, L’viv is regarded by many as the heart of Ukrainian culture, language and traditions. Crumbling and complex, the city is known for romance, poetry and intellectual enterprise.

In recent years, L’viv has also sought to distinguish itself as a gastro-destination. Long renowned for its caffeine haunts, there is now a cohort of small brewers, chocolate shops and gelato stands, cropping up around town, not to mention the batch of bizarre themed restos.

Our wonderful partner, the Centre for Cultural Management, an organisation that works to promote the cultural sector in L’viv and across Ukraine, hosted the event at the Ye Bookstore. And, so, we chatted, amongst the books, while browsing customers paused to listen or join in the dialogue.

Unsurprisingly, our discussions reflected L’viv’s unique character, charting a thoughtful progression from traditions to the future. We launched with stories about first tastes and childhood temptations. One participant remembered that, under the Soviet Regime of her youth, there were few luxury foods to be had. However there were the rare delights, including chewing gum and sodas (Pepsi NOT Coke) and, for Christmas, mandarin oranges. In my circle, we talked a great deal about Ukrainian food customs and dishes. What makes a meal Ukrainian, one asked. But, Galician food has been so influenced by Polish traditions, another commented. Is it still Ukrainian? What if you ate the same meal in Canada? (On a plane, on a train? In a box, with a fox?) We explored gender roles relative to food, who cooks and who grows, then, now, and into the future. The group of participants in the L'viv discussion was more diverse in age than in the other cities on the Community Conversation tour. Thus, the conversations were infused with an array of perspectives, reflecting the generational and cultural influences of the participants.

As talk of food often does, the discussions turned to politics and governance, and, inevitably in Ukraine, corruption. Contemplative participants offered exchanged opinions on regulations, taxes and food safety. We talked about the influence of Ukraine’s current leadership and the future of rural Ukraine. We talked about lifestyles, health and who tomorrow’s farmers will be. The lively exchange went on for a while, in that smart, meandering and, sometimes, wistful L’viv of way. And, then, we retired for beer and more of the same.

Watch a video and read peculiar news coverage about the L'viv event here.

Now, We Raise a Glass...

As Pickle Project followers likely already know, our Kickstarter fundraising effort ended last week in success! In fact, I am delighted to report that we actually surpassed our goal! We have been overwhelmed and inspired by all of the support and encouragement that poured in. The Project’s backers come from around this great Pickle Planet. (And, yes, I believe I will use this phrase moving forward.) So, we have good cause to celebrate, giving rise to occasion for discussion of the wonderful tradition of toasting in Ukraine, a topic also discussed briefly in a previous post on infused vodkas. A centerpiece of any gathering, toasts are both formulaic and expressive, delivered in sequence, with high flourish and sentimentality. Although there is not consensus among my experiences or advisors as to the exact order of the toasts (this may reflect region, occasion and generation), a classic series is as follows.

First, a toast for health! на здоров'я! This phrase is used not only for drinking but also as a form of “you're welcome” when sitting down to a meal. According to a recent World Bank Health and Demography study on Ukraine, consistent with global trends, the country’s population is increasingly facing chronic disease, including obesity and hypertension. The rates of these diseases appear to vary both by region in Ukraine and socioeconomic background. This suggests that development, food system and diet patterns may vary dramatically across the country.

The second toast is for friends. Many of the posts that appear on the blog are inspired by experiences shared with friends, informed by consultation with friends or written by friends of the Pickle Project. We are grateful for the amazing network of friends and colleagues that contribute to this effort in one way or another! The Pickle Project is lucky to include among its friends students, members of the US Peace Corps community, Fulbright Scholars, restaurateurs, farmers, home cooks, archivists, museum directors, artists, sauerkraut enthusiasts and many more.

The third toast is always for love and women. For this toast, all men rise to their feet, glasses in hand, while another man extols the virtues of the female and/or romance. It is generally acknowledged, the more flowery and sentimental, the better. “Love is...” “A beautiful woman...” “My dear wife...” You get the idea. As Linda discussed in a recent post, most of the Pickle Project’s Kickstarter backers are women. And, gender is an interesting factor relative to food. Although it continues to be noted, as Charlotte Druckman did her winter 2010 Gastronomica article “Why are there no great women chefs?,” that the elite food world remains a male-dominated field, women are strongly connected to food cultivation, preparation and preservation, in both North America and Europe. We hope to dig deeper into issues of food and gender in future fieldwork and posts.

And, the fourth toast is for success. The Pickle Project’s Kickstarter triumph is a testament to resonance and importance of food, culture and sustainability in Ukraine and around the world. Linda has blogged observations, in two posts, about our experiences with Kickstarter and how it can be used to support creative projects at the Uncataloged Museum. A third post on Kickstarter lessons learned is forthcoming.

The final toast of the evening is typically given by the host, as the guests are preparing to depart. на коня or lietrally “on the horse,” is a friendly parting salutation, one last drink, as you ride away. I have heard that is both a Cossak and Hutsul tradition.

With that, we raise our glasses.. To health! To friendships, new and old! To loving what you do! And, to our success! We did it together! Будьмо!

Special thanks to Zhanna Tsemenko, Olga Collin, Irina Fursman and Nataliya Styamets for their thoughts on food and gratitude this week. And the images from top to bottom: a birthday toast, photo by Christi Anne Hofland; painting at the Museum of Modern Art, Kyiv; singing group in Opishne, and painting by Maria Primchenko,