November 24, 2005
A Very Fruity Thanksgiving
As Ben Franklin tells it, Thanksgiving was originally slated to be a day of fasting and beseeching the Lord to help carry the Pilgrims through these difficult times. Instead, one farmer suggested that things were indeed getting better, and perhaps we ought to show our thanks for the Lord's help with a feast.
Once again, Thanksgiving finds me alone. However, just as with the original pilgrims, things have been getting better, and it's time to show my thanks at the introduction of new foods into my diet. Thanksgiving has, over the past three years, become my favorite holiday. In general, Russian food sucks, and Thanksgiving food is truly amazing, especially the side dishes. In October, before I came back here for another year, a friend's family made me a Thanksgiving dinner. The food was fantastic, and it was the best going-away present I have ever recieved. There is supposed to be a Thanksgiving dinner at one of the bars in town, but I'm feeling rather under the weather, it's a two hour round-trip trek, and the temperature is -2 Celsius (with humidity and wind, -7).
On my first Thanksgiving I had just three weeks prior arrived in Russia, I didn't have any friends, I didn't speak the language, and I didn't know what I could eat. Two years hence, I have quite a bit of Russia experience under my belt, and I have experimented with numerous foods, finding many meals that I never tried before coming here. In particular, I have shifted my diet away from fast-food and towards fruits. All in all, a very positive development.
Before moving to St. Petersburg, I had never really understood the seasonality of fruit. I remember hearing things like, "Oh good, strawberries are in season," but since strawberries are always available in the supermarket, the words went right through my head. Such are the benefits of growing up in California. Now, I am very aware of seasons. The weather changes considerably, and some foods are simply not available, period.
With each season, the fruit kiosks stock various items. There are staples that are always available, such as bananas, oranges, and apples. Bananas, strangely, are actually cheaper in winter than summer. However, there are fruits on the periphery that change. In winter, I eat tangerines, in Summer, peaches and cherries. This fall, for the first time, I've noticed the appearance of some new fruits, particularly feijoas, sweeties, and kumquats.
I was introduced to feijoas this summer, while home in Los Angeles. A friend brought some over from a tree that grows in his backyard. My friends and I were perplexed and scared by their strange, plastic-like odor. I tried a bit of one, and subsequently rejected it out of hand. Last month, while strolling through the supermarket, I saw some in a tucked away corner of the store, and decided to give them another chance. Apparently, they are predominantly produced in New Zealand and California, so you'd think that I would have heard about them before. They have a very unique, sweet flavor, and I definitely recommend them. I've become hooked, and even find their smell appealing.
Additionally, I found a new fruit that I had never heard of. It's called a Sweetie, and after some investigation on the internet, I find that it is only grown in Israel. It's a mix of a grapefruit and a pomelo, though I have no idea what the latter is. I thought I'd try it for this Thanksgiving. It's called a sweetie because it's supposed to be sweeter than grapefruit, which I hate. Unfortunately, I don't find that it lives up to it's advertising. It's a lot of work to eat, and it's just too bitter for me.
The other two fruits in my dinner I have previously been exposed to, but only really started consuming over here. I first tried dates in France, they get a lot through their connections to the Arab world. The best dates I've ever had were made in Iran, but I've only had them once, they were brought to Russia by a friend. I have, fortunately, found some nearly as good at one store here, they're from Tunisia. Brands aside, and I do have my preferred, dates from Tunisia are solid all around. Kiwis I'd tried a couple of times, but now they occupy a pretty big portion of my food distribution, though they do border on being too sour for my taste.
The drink you see is a combination of milk, strawberry juice, and vitamins that is sold here in an aesthetically pleasing package, which is important, because that's what caught my eye. It's similar to Nesquick, but the consistency of the juice carries through a bit and dilutes the milk.
As you can tell, I have a serious sweet-tooth, which is a major discriminating factor in my food consumption, even the fruits. I usually have one central meal a day, and fill in the rest with snacks of fruits and nuts. In fact, a friend yesterday commented that she often thinks I'm a vegetarian. A large part of my non-consumption of meat has to do with my fear of not cooking it properly. I try to throw in vegetables every now and then, but I just don't like them very much. I guess Sesame Street didn't do a good enough job of indoctrination.
With this Thanksgiving, instead of attempting to substitute local products for traditional, I'd like to show my gratitude to the Lord for expanding my food options. That's one good thing that has come from my time in Russia. If I had stayed in America, I would probably have never challenged the standard routine of fast-food and candy. Which is funny, because everything new that I find happens to also be grown in California. While I still eat more cookies than I should, I have a much better diet over here, due mostly to my having to scrounge for, and experiment with new foods.
Posted by Owen at November 24, 2005 11:55 PM | TrackBack