All people are born with gifts. Some people can play the piano really well. Others are great athletes. Felicia can make a mean bowl of oatmeal. Brandon, well, his gift is a little different. Everywhere he goes, he always ends up finding people that speak Russian. It's like he's got a Russian radar going all the time, seeking out his Slavic brethren. Case in point: we went to a birthday party the other night at an Indian restaurant, and the guy that sat down opposite from us was from Belgium. But leave it to Brandon to fish out of him that he is also fluent in Russian (he's fluent in nine other languages, as well--Brandon's hero).
So, since moving to Cambridge, Brandon has been amassing a cadre of Russian speaking allies, with whom he wanted to celebrate Russian Culture. After several aborted attempts, the first annual Russian Movie night was held! We watched a classic movie from Soviet Times, "Operation i and Other Adventures of Shurik," a much appreciated Christmas present from the Dyal folks.
Operation i ("Операция Ы")
Because we were having Russian Movie Night, it was essential that we make some Borscht. We found a SWEET recipe on the internet, and with a little coaching from Brandon, Felicia had a nice big pot steaming. Ah, bless the foods of the Motherland! After the party and the initial round of soupy-goodness, we still had leftovers of all the main ingredients, so we made Borscht 2.0, but this time Felicia did it all without a recipe. She's amazing! Again, sweet loving from the land of ice and vodka.