December 17: Fun with Friends in Khmelnytsky
My bus arrived in Khmelnytsky half an hour late. It was freezing cold and the wind was whipping the snow around. I made the mistake of getting off at the first stop in the front of the station; I had to drag my big bag up a slick ramp into the bus station building, then lug it down stairs to get to Tina and Victor, who were waiting for me at the actual platform.
We hugged and cried and piled into a taxi back to Tina’s flat. I felt like Santa Claus with my pack of gifts: 1) a gallon of Moldovan wine from Grigore; 2) a box of Moldovan chocolates from Grigore; 3) Moldovan cognac; 4) two big jars of peanut butter; 5) two old videos and a tape of American TV shows; and 6) art supplies for Tina and her students.
We sat in the cozy warmth of Tina’s apartment eating chocolates, drinking cognac and catching up on old times. At about 3 in the afternoon, we bundled up and walked to the local bazaar so Tina could do some grocery shopping before things closed down. Tina introduced me to a friend of hers who sells condiments, and I bought some hot Russian mustard from him.
Next, we went to a café in the bazaar which is run by Johnny and Eka, a couple from Georgia (the former Soviet republic, not the American state). I love Georgian food and was hoping they would have hachipuri (a kind of cheesy pizza), but they don’t serve it there. Instead, we had an excellent spicy Georgian soup and a common Ukrainian food called chebureki. Chebureki is a large piece of dough that is filled with meat and then fried. As with most things in Ukraine, it is diet unfriendly but absolutely delicious.
While we were eating, Johnny sat down with us. He opened a bottle of vodka and a box of apple juice. Eka brought us a plate of oranges and persimmons. Tina unfortunately hates persimmons, and Victor wasn’t interested either. It fell on me to be polite and try one. It was like biting into a mushy, slightly sweet tomato. Yuck. I did my best to finish one, but next time I will definitely turn it down.
Anyway, we had a good time talking and drinking. Johnny sang some traditional Georgian songs. He has a beautiful voice. When it was time to leave, Eka refused to take our money. Tina said Eka and Johnny never charge them money. I was pleasantly stunned by that kind of friendship and generosity. I had to do something to repay that kindness, so I gave Eka a postcard I had with me from Florida.
Tags: drinking, Travel, Ukraine
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