Vasily N. (SLI) about Food

One of my favorite dishes is mashed potatoes and a sausage—but the sausage must have the exact taste I like: not sour, not salty, not too soft. I know there’s nothing good in it, but it tastes like real meat.

Different people cook differently. I get used to specific tastes made by a particular person, and I like simple dishes: dumplings, pasta with ground meat. I love cooking myself—I make breakfast for my child and for us. I enjoy beauty—I serve food attractively: even if it’s just a basic scramble with herbs, or green peas, I’ll make it look nice.

My dream is to open my own little restaurant. It would serve my own dishes. They could be simple, homemade, but very tasty.

Cucumbers, for some reason, grow at night. In the morning, you come out, lift the plastic cover, and it’s all frosted over, covered in a white coating. You take it, and it’s firm, prickly—each bump has its own flavor. When you bite into it, each bump fills your mouth with sensation: the sunny side has a sweetish taste; the side facing the ground is a bit bitter; the northern side has a slight tang. Inside, the flesh is a bit astringent.

The best moment is to walk into the garden during the hottest time and find a tomato facing the sun. Pick it with the stem attached. Ideally, don’t wash it. That stem holds a lot of solar energy—eat it just like that.

If you want to experience the full charm—don’t wash the tomato. You’ll feel the taste of the sun, the scent of purity, freshness, and a touch of romance.