At Tonya's farm this summer.
Remember those cute little pigs I saw when Olga
Remember those cute little pigs I saw when Olga
and I visited Tonya at her farm in Kurychevka?
Well today I bought some.
Yes, Tonya and her husband came to town with a carload of fresh pork and had a good sale in the back of Natala's shop. All freshly butchered, cleaned and packaged. I feel I had a small hand in this exchange because Tonya and Natalia met through me, when Olga was looking for a new place for me to stay in town. Lots of good connections, and good cheer, ca
me out of it!
Neighbors, friends and customers of Natalia's came and got all the fresh meat they wanted for the winter. Stocked up. Natalia bought tons of pork herself to freeze and take to her family in Kyiv for the holidays. And Tonya and her husband Vlad went home with enough cash to see them through the winter.
I love seeing Tonya laugh. Her beautiful blue eyes sparkle and the worry lines on her face soften. Life is hard for Tonya, with the few hryvnia she brings home from teaching and her husband and two adult sons working on the farm but basically unemployed. The products of the farm have become more and more important to sustaining the family. So this day brought a Merry Christmas to Tonya, and I felt glad for it.
me out of it!Neighbors, friends and customers of Natalia's came and got all the fresh meat they wanted for the winter. Stocked up. Natalia bought tons of pork herself to freeze and take to her family in Kyiv for the holidays. And Tonya and her husband Vlad went home with enough cash to see them through the winter.
Natural friesh meat! Ukrainians care a lot about natural foods, from produce to meat. They
want to know if any fertilizer or other stuff has been added to the ground or fed to the animals. Tonya assured all customers the pigs were well fed with only the best food. I myself fed apples and corn to those little pigs, and to the big fat ones too, along with handfuls of fresh grain.
Now that I am at Natalia's and cooking for myself mostly, I've bought chicken and meat at the supermarket. It's been tasteless and unedible and I told that to Natalia when she saw me feeding it to the cat. "Is it okay for the cat?" I asked. "Yes, but why not eat it yourself?" "Because it doesn't taste good." That's when she told me Tonya was coming with her pig meat, and would be having a sale at the back of her shop. I was delighted, though my first thought was of those little pigs running around in circles and looking quite loveable. To think they would now be on the dinner tables of Starobelsk!
Today, when Tonya was busy selling the meat and it was my turn to buy, I turned to Natalia for help. I had never bought pork like this, kind of knowing the pigs personally as it were, and wasn't sure what I wanted. I asked Natalia to get what she wanted and I would pay for it. She told Tonya the story of my meat-buying experience and said "Даже не кошка съест мясо она дала." They laughed and laughed. Tonya translated. Natalia said "not even the cat would eat the meat you gave her!"
want to know if any fertilizer or other stuff has been added to the ground or fed to the animals. Tonya assured all customers the pigs were well fed with only the best food. I myself fed apples and corn to those little pigs, and to the big fat ones too, along with handfuls of fresh grain.Now that I am at Natalia's and cooking for myself mostly, I've bought chicken and meat at the supermarket. It's been tasteless and unedible and I told that to Natalia when she saw me feeding it to the cat. "Is it okay for the cat?" I asked. "Yes, but why not eat it yourself?" "Because it doesn't taste good." That's when she told me Tonya was coming with her pig meat, and would be having a sale at the back of her shop. I was delighted, though my first thought was of those little pigs running around in circles and looking quite loveable. To think they would now be on the dinner tables of Starobelsk!
Today, when Tonya was busy selling the meat and it was my turn to buy, I turned to Natalia for help. I had never bought pork like this, kind of knowing the pigs personally as it were, and wasn't sure what I wanted. I asked Natalia to get what she wanted and I would pay for it. She told Tonya the story of my meat-buying experience and said "Даже не кошка съест мясо она дала." They laughed and laughed. Tonya translated. Natalia said "not even the cat would eat the meat you gave her!"
I love seeing Tonya laugh. Her beautiful blue eyes sparkle and the worry lines on her face soften. Life is hard for Tonya, with the few hryvnia she brings home from teaching and her husband and two adult sons working on the farm but basically unemployed. The products of the farm have become more and more important to sustaining the family. So this day brought a Merry Christmas to Tonya, and I felt glad for it.
Snow fell on the town, soft and lovely. Spirits were high. Selling and buying were brisk and upbeat. Scenes of holiday sharing danced in my head. And I thought, with a song in my heart: This is the best kind of Christmas.
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