Article by Angus Forsyth
Attending at Dacha Restaurant on Hollywood Road for the Slow Food Ukrainian Easter dinner on 13 April 2023. There were regular members of Slow Food Hong Kong and some new faces.
The dinner was on the upper floor of the restaurant. Approximately 20 people were coming to the dinner and when we arrived on the upper floor, we saw the menu which is headed up as “HAPPY EASTER” and then the menu of five courses starting with Easter cake & eggs, then appetizers, beetroot cold soup and main course of either pork kebab shashlik or halibut fillet with spicy vegetables, and raspberry & pistachio cheesecake as dessert.
We were seated at two tables. One was a smaller one for 9 people. The larger one was for 15 people. Terrence Annamunthodo made a speech of welcome describing why Slow Food has settled upon a Ukrainian restaurant tonight. Then the restaurant Manager, Oksana gave an introduction to the ceremony of Easter in Ukraine. On the next Sunday in Hong Kong (which would be the Easter Sunday in Ukraine) the activities would commence. Currently we were in the 40 days of Lent for the regime of little food.
Oksana gave us a rundown on each of the dishes on the menu starting with the Easter cake & eggs of which there were large full cakes set upon each table. Surrounding the Easter cake itself were hard boiled eggs and Oksana explained that the festivities begin with a game whereby a couple will each take one egg and smash it against the egg held by the other person and the resulting breakage will enable each participator to eat his own egg and open up the rest of the dinner.
A guest shared with us Georgian wine which, as most wine lovers will know, is actually matured in earthenware Amphorae buried in soil for up to one, two or three years; and this was pronounced very drinkable by all present.
We then were served with the five continuing courses of the menu. All present professed themselves to be very interested in the typical Ukrainian celebratory feast that we had just consumed, and we look forward to maintaining contact with our friends in Ukraine accordingly over the future times.
