More Pictures of Food: Thanksgiving comes to Kyzyl

I wasn't planning to celebrate Thanksgiving here in Kyzyl, but then earlier this evening I got a itch to do something... so I announced to my family, who was sitting around watching TV, that I was going to bake pies for my students.

Thirty minutes later, my adopted sister and I were bundled in our winter parkas and heading down our grisly staircase, stepping over the бумжи ("bums") who have moved in on the bottom floor--it's too cold to sleep outside anymore. We crossed the street and walked two blocks to the corner ГАСТРОНОМ - deli - only to find everything locked up! I was prepared to give up, but not my sister. We phoned home to say we would be a little slower, and hopped in a minibus that handily pulled up to the curb. Normally I'm not supposed to go out after dark, because the seedy side of Kyzyl comes out to play in the streets when the sun goes down. But we set off on a full scale quest for apples and all the fixin's for pies... with a half moon shining wickedly above.

Luckily, my sister knows what she's doing. She had planned out our route so that we went right by police headquarters, where an armed guard stands all night. So we were ok! We made it to the store, and even managed to talk the clerks into a rustling a lemon out of the back room. We caught a cab back home and then the work began...

I was looking at about six different recipes at once on the internet, trying to figure out what was simplest and didn't require a mixer, Crisco, brown sugar, or brandy (things we don't have). Thankfully it all came together... I am pretty impressed with the American apple pie, and even a little proud of what could probably be considered one of our national dishes. It's an amazing creation--apples in a butter casing. I have never before so seriously considered the constituent parts of the pie, how they fit together, what they could symbolize?? Suffice it to say the cooking experience was satisfying. Best of all, it was accompanied by a crowd of people in the kitchen, laughing and working together to cook something, which for me is the most important part of any holiday.

Tomorrow getting my pies to the students will likely be challenging. I have to make a special trip home in my free period on the wild minibus, but it will be worth it to give those poor kids living off fried macaroni some real American home cooking. Actually, I felt earlier today like a bit of a cad for not sharing something of my holidays and traditions with my students; they are so giving and open about theirs.

Anyways, that's all for now. I am supposed to go ice skating with my third years tomorrow, so I'll surprise them with the pie, and that will be my thanksgiving. I'm pretty excited. Happy thanksgiving to everyone! Miss you guys.

Riley