1/24/09

The banya beckons

I am shocked it has taken us this long to get it set up but tonight is the first banya since we've come back to Ukraine.  Unlike the standard version (all male), tonight will be a family affair with kids welcome.  It's also my first time at Sergey the dentist's home banya since it's been completed.  I'm not exactly sure how this is going to work for us but I know a few things for sure...
  1. I've already bought 6 liters of kvas, so not much can go wrong from here.  I don't think I've ever explained kvas on this site.  It's sort of a sweetened non-alcoholic beer drink (maybe like meed?) that is one of my very favorite things about Ukraine.  These days the kvas you buy at the store ranges from OK to pee pee water.  It isn't uncommon to make some lame kvas-flavored soda drink and pass it off as the real thing.  We have a few brands we prefer but I've been told they are nothing like the old days.
  2. Sergey is the chef at the normal banya so I suspect there will be meat and very tasty meat at that.  He also does a mean shashlik.
  3. I NEED to sweat something out.  Last night a woke up in a lovely coughing fit which nicely matches my perpetually clogged sinuses and other assorted allergic reactions.  I've had these kind of unidentified allergies and thus I'm having a hard time isolating how to combat them.
It'll be a great night, I'm sure and I expect that Sarah may do a post as this will be here first banya experience.

1 comment:

  1. Ok I'm officially missing Eastern Europe---although I have never been able to get on the Kvas train...but I do miss some yummy Shashlik! A family banya experience sounds fun! Can't wait to hear what Sarah thinks!

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