About This 'Zine
When I was a little girl, my Ukrainian grandmother made me watch her cook. From Cream of Wheat (which I hated) to scrambled eggs (which I loved), it took me a long time to understand what she was doing: she was passing down a skill. I owe my love of food to her, as I spent my childhood visiting Christmas bazaars and summer festivals, eating homemade pierogies and sauerkraut prepared in church basements, and learning how to cook.
The author and her Grandmother, Olga, in 1987. In 2019, I had the opportunity to visit Ukraine, traveling to Kyiv and L’viv, where my mother’s side of the family is from. I was so eager to try pierogies (there, called varenyky), and remember sitting down at a modest restaurant in downtown Kyiv, excitedly ordering boiled pierogi with a side of sour cream. They were good, but like so many pierogies, they couldn’t compare to the ones my Grandmother brought home from church.
Olga and her grandchildren in 1997, author Melissa to the right.We each have our own unique food story, rooted in our family, where we’ve lived, where we’ve traveled, and our day-to-day lives. The contents of my refrigerator and cabinets vary from the basics (oyster crackers, Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup, angel hair pasta, green olives, and fresh mozzarella cheese) to commodities (different flavors of sparkling water and juice) to eccentric condiments and spices I’ve learned about through my Food Studies program (jaggery and chaat masala). The most incredible thing about food stories is that they’re always changing, always evolving, reflecting who and where we are in our lives. Just a year ago, I could have told you I always need a bottle of red wine in the house (I don’t drink anymore). A year before that, I preferred spaghetti over angel hair. At one point, I ate broccoli with almost every meal. Things change, people change.
The author at St. Sophia's Cathedral in Kyiv, 2019.
This project is a reflection of us as individuals – the food routines, splurges, and memories that everyone has. To start, ten people were polled and asked fourteen questions. Each person completed a ‘zine template, and either scanned and photographed their responses back to me. Some even typed their answers in. The participants range from strangers to co-workers to my own sister.
As you read through the first edition of this food ‘zine, titled Drifty Eats, based on my blogs Driftyland and Driftygal, I challenge you to ask yourself - what’s your favorite grocery store? What are your comfort foods? Where do you go to get coffee? This is a time capsule, and even in a year or so, every single person who participated could have a different response.
Bon Appetit!
Melissa
Want to submit to the next edition? See details here!