International Supper Club: Ukraine
As I flipped my calendar on March, I reviewed my plans for April realizing that this month’s International Supper Club was heading to Ukraine. And honestly, my heart sank with the weight and importance of doing justice to this month’s meals. Ukraine has been engaged in a war with Russia on and off for many years; most recently, since 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. Based on my research, the history between Russia and Ukraine is extremely complicated steaming from Russia’s tension with NATO and desire for global expansion.
I am no historian, nor do I understand all the nuances of the geopolitical relations of Ukraine’ but as a registered dietitian and personal chef I know that food is political. One of Care Doula’s core values is to acknowledge the dynamic ways food shows up in our lives. Typically, we think of the physical nourishment we get from food. However, food also nourishes our mind and spirit; it affirms our cultural identity and traditions, and is a powerful tool to bring people together to enhance our social belonging. The political climate and food policies impact all the unique ways food touches our lives.
There are powerful examples of the way food has been demonized throughout history. For example, Pilgrims wouldn’t eat Native foods, because they couldn’t eat the same things as “savages”. The destruction of Native food systems continued when American Indians were stripped from their lands and traditional ways of growing, hunting, and gathering foods. Since slavery, foods eaten by Black Americans have been vilified. This stems from racist idea that Black people are gluttonous. Chinese food has been criticized due to the ingredient MSG found in many dishes. Many believing that MSG causes headaches and other health problems. These claims have now been refuted but the damage has been done. There are endless examples of the cultural foods that have been demonized in United States. The impact of this means that these cultural foods are not grown by farmers, subsidized by the government to be grown or made available in food programs like food stamps or WIC. So, when people eat their cultural foods, it is an act of resistance.
The International Supper Club was created to celebrate cultures and cuisines around the world, and to help de-stigmatize dishes that have been othered and demonized. We stand in solidarity with those that are building food systems and communities that encourage and celebrate growing and eating cultural foods.
So with that, this month we are celebrating Ukraine and its hearty, flavorful cuisine. We will be serving Beef Borscht and Cabbage Rolls. Beef Borscht is a rich and hearty E beet soup, slow-simmered with tender beef, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots in a vibrant, tangy broth. The cabbage rolls are stuffed with a savory belnd of rice and ground beef and topped with a rich tomato sauce and cooked carrots.