I wanted to get some food prepared today that we’ll be able to enjoy for Christmas dinner. Cabbage rolls with rice (not meat) and perogies, two traditional Ukrainian foods that I grew up eating. I wouldn’t list them among my favourite foods while growing up, probably because we ate them regularly. They were all right for me, but I preferred other foods. Something within me changed as I grew up. I found myself wanting to eat those foods. That was strange for me. I wasn’t sure if it was taste or culture but I had to eat them, and to eat them I had to learn how to make them. And learning I still am. My mother can whip these up in no time without thinking about it. It takes me hours, though the work is not difficult. I guess I need more practice.

First up was the cabbage rolls. Traditionally in my family and many other Ukrainian families these are made with rice, not meat. I was surprised coming to Japan to find that people eat them in Japan, and even more surprised that in the land of rice these are made with meat! Yes, they taste good but to me, they are not real cabbage rolls. I made a small amount using a small head of cabbage and I know that for my family this will be plenty. My kids have eaten more of the meat filled ones than the rice filled ones. My mistake. Oh well, at least I’ll enjoy them.

Next up were the perogies. I made a double batch as these are also our dinner for tonight. My daughters love perogies. Love them. After a couple of hours of working, I made over a hundred of these, mostly potato and cheese filling and a few cabbage filled ones. I’ve saved a good portion for Christmas and left the rest for dinner. Most of them will be devoured tonight and the few remaining ones will be enjoyed tomorrow for breakfast, I’m sure.

Dinner’s done and now I can take a breather.