4.9 Jewish Breakfast

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9. Jewish Breakfast

Olga follows Boris to the downstairs kitchen and they sit at table, Boris at its end facing the cooking stove and Olga around its corner on his left. The table is oak wood, its top is 2 fingers thick, its corners are on log legs. It has similarly massive chairs, 2 along each length and 1 at each end. It is in center of kitchen and Olga has good view of Ludmilla, or as Boris calls her, Meela.

   Olga – from her American jazz words – has mentally named Meela, Mrs. Five by Five. She stands at stove with tan apron tied over black cotton, ankles-length, high-neck dress, and her brunette hair is gathered in bun at nape of neck and covered by white kerchief and her fat feet are on wood clogs. She is frying latkes – Jewish potato pancakes giving off sizzles and pops with piquant aroma.

   Grigori comes down the stairs in old, red-flannel shirt and stained-brown burlap pants, and sits at other end of table from Boris.
   Meela has already set table Each diner's place with plates that have Chinese-story scene depicting the 

            S                                  

lovers escaping from wicked parent over a bridge.
   To right of each plate is a clear glass mug for chai, the black tea Russians love to see through the glass as they drink. It is being brewed in a tall silver samovar, an arms length from Grigori's head-of-table. Also on table, on a plate, is a stack of napkin-size squares of home-made matzo, the Jewish biscuit that comes in rectangles one sixth centimeter thick and very crumbly. Meela, as good Communists are, is atheist; she does not keep kosher kitchen and dairy products are mixed with kosher type food.
   On mid table - in serving dishes each with small smearing knife - is brown chopped chicken liver spiced by small pieces of fried chicken fat, and, beside the chicken liver, heaping creamy potato salad. Then, Jewish gefilte fish, which is a fish loaf with gelatin that Meela made from whitefish Grigori caught yesterday in the Amur River. Near her place, Olga recognizes the piece de resistance - slabs of well-salted lachs called ‘lox’ in America - and beside it highly spiced chopped herring. And cups of butter, and with white cheese from goat's-milk, honey, and, for the gefilte fish, shredded tangy horseradish so powerful it brings tears to eyes if not spread thin.
   Now Meela carries to table, on one hand, a plate loaded with the round latkes, and on her other hand a bowl of freshly homemade sauce from apples picked last fall but stored underground. The latkes, Olga learns must always be eaten topped with the tart cinnamon-spiced applesauce.
   The drinks are in carafes; they are juices from apples and canned peaches and fresh milk that Grigori just obtained from Empress Alexandra their goat. Coffee is also perking since Boris had mentioned that Olga likes to start her breakfast with it.
   Freshly homemade long cylinder-shaped apple shtrudel covered with cinnamon powder and cut into bite-size segments attracts Olga’s attention by its stimulating fragrance that stimulates Boris to give a big sneeze, and Olga alert to and prepared for everything claps a table napkin over her darling Bo's nose before his sneeze can blow away the table.

   Meela pours the fragrant coffee into Olga’s cup then goes to head of table, standing beside Grigori. "Pliss mine dollinks, commenz tsu essen,” she announces in what to Olga is a way of speech that is as piquant as the sauces and spices on the table and which freely interpreted is “Go on and eat like happy pigs!”

   Eating is an excuse for Olga to act out her elegant lady role and it starts with being last to start, which does not take long because Boris and Grigori being Russian men do not stand ceremony where Jewish breakfast is concerned. Boris starts eating the gefilte fish on a rectangle of matzo with the red horseradish. Being an expert he holds it over the plate while biting off edges because one bite usually crumbles the thin matzo and had it been held in front of face unthinkingly, as most food is when one eats, it would have crumbled all over him. This way the pieces fall onto his plate keeping his lap clean and also allowing him to pick each one up on finger tips. Much of the fun of eating matzo is its crackly, crumbly chew. Grigori in particular loves eating matzo with chopped liver and chicken fat spreads.

   Meela, being a good Jewish mama – she has 3 children in school in Moscow under care of seventy-year old grandma – does not sit to eat with guests at start. At intervals she samples her artistry, but later when tea and cakes are taken she will sit.

   Olga prefers strong coffee as leisurely preface to eating because she has learned that coffee on an empty stomach gives a quick euphoria and, as bonus, cuts appetite. But Boris, political smoothie, feeling that Olga’s not quickly eating Meela’s cooking might insult the hostess, explains, “My Olga is artiste, vocal stylist who appears in public much. So she must eat small to keep trim waist. Am I not right, Olenka?”

   “Boris, darling! Meela! Grigori! Give me a moment and I will do justice to this superb breakfast. I see that Meela is an artiste like me but one of food." She pauses for the effect of her next. "Takes one to know one.”
   Olga notes approvingly that the coffee is not boiling hot but just right for mouth and lips, hot enough so its heat will stay in right range for best taste. She guesses Meela test-drinks it to be sure its temperature and taste are perfect
   Olga gets up and catches Meela in a hug saying “Darling, if you ever decide to go into business I will set you up in Tokyo as Russian Tea and Coffee Room!” And Meela’s delighted look indicates appreciation.

   Boris, being aware of everything despite his great eating, reaches and squeezes Olga’s hand. He understands and approves of her gesture of common humanity with Meela.

   Meela fetches the soup and ladles it out. It is her special chicken soup with a matzo ball in each small cup. Olga now joins in the eating while still trying to retain the pose and poise of a connoisseur: No ferocious fresser she; rather one who savors small bites slowly, taking maximal time to string out the pleasure.

Ooh, the crunchy matzo under cool tangy gefilte fish layered with red radish and chicken fat shred!  Smelling, tasting and swallowing give moment of near ecstasy!
              For next, click 4.10 End of Jewish Breakfast