The days of hunting down herring and bargaining for tangerines may be long gone, but, in the Russian mind, this is still what the perfect New Year’s Eve table looks like. S novym godom!
1. Seven-string guitar - perfect for playing
Petr Nalich2. Bread - not fancy enough to be on the table, yet indispensable
3. Moroccan tangerines - a very special midwinter treat
4. Mors - homemade cranberry drink
5. “Soviet Champagne.” After extensive litigation by the actual Champagne winemakers, it was renamed Soviet Bubbly
6. Cheese salad - originated somewhere in the Baltic Republics. A tasty mix of grated cheese, garlic and carrots
7. Cold cuts - the presence of imported Hungarian salami highlights the importance of the holiday.
8. Pickles (left to right): garlic, cabbage, cheremsha (pickled garlic greens), gherkins, and tomatoes. No fresh vegetables this time of year.
9. Sliced lemon - to garnish Cognac glasses!
10. Olivier salad - neither French nor much of a salad, this is a mix of chopped ham, potatoes, eggs, canned peas, and other winter ingredients bound by another French impostor - mayonnaise Provencal
11. “Herring in a fur coat” - herring, as the name implies, all snug in a coat of beets and pickles. Inedible without a shot of vodka
12. New Year Tree - not to be confused with a Christmas tree. This one is a non-denominational joy
13. On TV: An Irony of Fate, a New Year classic. The film is in color; it’s the TV set that’s black and white.
=============== THE POST IS SPONSORED BY ST PETERSBURG:)) =================
A
LIMITED EDITION ART PRINT BY RUSSIA! MAGAZINE. A MAP OF RUSSIA'S
LITERARY CAPITAL MADE FROM QUOTES ABOUT IT. FEATURED IN THE NEW YORKER.
WILL ARRIVE NUMBERED. THERE WILL BE ALSO A VINTAGE NEW YEAR CARD FROM US.
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