Monday, 4 March 2013

KIEV, UKRAINE: FOOD, FASHION, VINTAGE MARKETS, and SMETANA


      A visitor to Kiev, Ukraine, cannot fail to notice all the tall, thin, gorgeous girls in trendy clothes confidently owning the Khreschatik in their impossibly high heels.   How do they do it?

Sara Brajovic, a pianist and model, was in Kiev for Ukrainian Fashion Week.   She admired the “breathtaking churches” and visited St. Michael’s Cathedral and ancient St. Sophia Cathedral.  She also enjoyed the vintage markets, saying, “I was on the hunt for traditional Russian Kokoshnik hats to nurture my fantasy from The Tale of Tsar Saltan, a Russian cartoon I watched as a child.”   She also noted, “Three days in Kiev was not enough . . .   Ukrainian food is simple, soulful, and rustic: dill, beetroot, walnuts, borscht, pancakes with salmon or cottage cheese, and prunes . .  . all my favorite flavors now.”    (Vogue Magazine,  Feb 2013)

Ah ha!  Sara does not mention Smetana.  Perhaps there’s the answer to my question.  Or maybe not.  Can you imagine skipping the Smetana?

A close approximation to the slightly soured cream that is served in Ukraine, by the way, may be obtained by adding a little lemon juice to fresh cream. J

I picked this up at a stall on Andriyivsky Uzviz.

And the figurine.

No comments:

Post a Comment