The Immovable Feast
1. Seven-string guitar – perfect for playing Petr Nalich
2. Bread – not fancy enough to be on the table, yet indispensable
3. Moroccan tangerines – a very special midwinter treat
4. Mors – homemade cranberry drink
5. “Soviet Champagne.” After extensive litigation by the actual Champagne winemakers, it was renamed Soviet Bubbly
6. Cheese salad – originated somewhere in the Baltic Republics. A tasty mix of grated cheese, garlic and carrots
7. Cold cuts – the presence of imported Hungarian salami highlights the importance of the holiday.
8. Pickles (left to right): garlic, cabbage, cheremsha (pickled garlic greens), gherkins, and tomatoes. No fresh vegetables this time of year.
9. Sliced lemon – to garnish Cognac glasses!
10. Olivier salad – neither French nor much of a salad, this is a mix of chopped ham, potatoes, eggs, canned peas, and other winter ingredients bound by another French impostor – mayonnaise Provencal
11. “Herring in a fur coat” – herring, as the name implies, all snug in a coat of beets and pickles. Inedible without a shot of vodka
12. New Year Tree – not to be confused with a Christmas tree. This one is a non-denominational joy
13. On TV: An Irony of Fate, a New Year classic. The film is in color; it’s the TV set that’s black and white.
(Art direction and photo: Art. Lebedev Studio)