“Sam, make sure everything is set up on the table,” my mother yells out.
“Got it!” I respond. I run over to the dining room and examine the table.
Tonight’s menu consists of homemade Russian cuisine. Tonight’s appetizer consists of an assortment of smoked fish. The specials are my mom’s famous olivye, plov, and pirozhki. The drink of the night is everyone’s favorite drink, Alizé. The table is all set, the only thing that is missing is a family of loud Russians.
“Wait, what time is everyone supposed to be here?” I ask my mom.
“Well, the dinner is supposed to start at 7:00, and it’s 7:05 right now, but I told them to come at 5:00 PM so they should be coming soon,” my mom responds.
About twenty minutes later a thunder of Russian chatter roars in the hallway. The doorbell rings and the family affair begins.
My sister rushes to open the door, and a whole parade of people come marching in. My grandmother comes in holding a bowl of pelmeni. My grandfather comes in holding even more alcohol… Which we really don’t need. My two uncles come in empty-handed, typical. Finally, my aunt comes in holding everyone’s favorite cake: Russian Napoleon cake.
Hugs, kisses, and strong scents of perfume fill the air as we all greet each other. We all act as if we haven’t seen each other in ages although we live right across the street from one another.
“I’m hungry!” my grandfather yells out, and that initiates the feasting.
Usually, we all start off with the smoked fish. Everyone usually goes for the smoked salmon. Russian family gatherings are NEVER complete without smoked salmon.
After the smoked fish, everyone digs into the real stuff. First up on my plate, my mom’s olivye aka the best olivye ever made (no offense to everyone else’s olivye). Olivye is a Russian potato salad that consists of potatoes, pickles, peas, carrots, eggs, and mayonnaise. You can add meat and dill into it, but I personally like it without it.
Next up on my plate, a little bit of plov. Plov has always been one of my favorite dishes ever since I was really young. My taste buds always felt comfort in the spices of the rice and the tenderness of the meat.
Now it’s time to indulge in some pirozhki. Pirozhki are small Russian pies that are basically filled with anything you can think of. Some are stuffed with chicken, some are stuffed with beef, some are stuffed with the potato, the options are endless. Eating pirozhki always takes me back to my childhood when my grandmother would take me on Brighton Beach and buy me a steaming hot one in the blistering cold.
Suddenly, my grandfather decides it’s time to make a toast. Everyone, expect me, holds up their glass for some Alizé as I innocently sip on my club soda. My grandfather repeats the same toast he makes at every other family dinner we’ve had, and finally, everyone gets back to feasting.
The last thing on the dinner table that I will indulge in, before dessert, will be my grandmother’s pelmeni. Pelmeni are Russian dumplings that are filled with meat most of the time. My grandmother usually makes them stuffed with beef. The combination of the soft dough and the juicy meat is bound to make your mouth water and beg for more.
After taking a small break to clean up the table, it is time for dessert.
Russian Napolean cake is the safest cake to get at all family dinners. Each flaky layer is filled with moist cream that melts in your mouth. The more bites you take, the sweeter the cake tastes. It is the perfect way to end a big and heavy family dinner.
By the end of the night, my eardrums are ringing from all the chatter and everyone at the table knows exactly what Sveta from Brighton 5th Street was doing on Saturday morning, thanks to my grandmother.
After ingesting a lot of heavy food and listening to a lot of alcohol-induced conversations, it is time for everyone to go home. Another chaotic family gathering is scheduled to happen next week.
Until next time.
– Sam
The Junction Journal 