From vegetarian cooking class to speaking topic

Today I was at a Ukrainian cooking class, and I learned more than just how to make healthy food.

The smell of cinnamon finds its way to the nostrils from the vanilla latte tea, which gives the feeling of cosiness. I’m sitting in middle of Café Green, which is the m

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etropol for all of Lviv’s vegetarians.

I didn’t know anything about the event. Julia, who is currently in Denmark, invited me half an hour before the event took place. She registered me, while I sprang out of the shower, dressed quickly, didn’t do my hair and ran down the streets to make it in time.

The waitress is standing worried behind the counter and looks down at me after serving me the tea. I could imagine she thought I would not get anything out of a Ukrainian cooking class. Shortly thereafter, I am reminded again that perhaps it was a bad idea, when another woman walked around and collected money.Typically Ukrainian, it happened with cash, so you have no idea where the money ends. No receipt, no guarantee of white money.

Suddenly a beautiful middle-aged woman sits beside me. She smiles politely and asks if I need translation. Eased, I smile back to her, and accept the kind offer. Her name was Anna

The cooking class begins, and the room was full of people, both men and women. The dish of the day was a gluten and sugar free apple pie. People are listening carefully, while the teacher explains how she uses substitutions such as banana instead of sugar. And how she as a vegetarian feels more healthy and energized.

The whisper of Anna’s translation in my ear, makes it possible for me to understand the messages and tricks of the lecture.

The lecture is over, and Anna and I sit and eat the apple pie with a cup of decaffeinated coffee. And after going though the usual speaking topics, we somehow start to talk about the problem of prostitution in Ukraine in the 80’s and 90’s. She tells me about, how europeans came to Ukraine after the break of USSR. Apparently they abused the opportunity to offer women in Ukraine jobs abroad, and then afterward bring them to Europe, where they were treated as slaves.

The conversation gives me a lot of new angles of the Ukrainian history, and I am constantly developing my knowledge of the the history and how it affects the identity of the Ukrainians today.