If you hang out with me at all, you've probably heard me talk about how much I adore learning about food through studying a person or place's culture, history, and people...by hearing stories and spending time with people in the place they are the most comfortable- the kitchen. This story starts from the time Anna was very young and touches on the beliefs, religion, and symbolism that surrounded and embodied everyday rituals such as child birth, welcoming somebody into your home, harvest, and the evil eye. It shares Anna's sad tale of banishment after a tragic accident. One of my favorite parts of the story is when Anna meets up with and joins a band of gypsies. She learns to read tarot cards and tea leaves and experience a much-needed, more "free" way of life than strict one she has left behind. She eventually works for an old woman on a farm for years before buying her place amongst the other peasants on an ocean liner leaving Russia, bound for America. Years later...with a husband, kids, grandkids, and a home of her own, Anna has achieved the American dream...but she holds fast and strong to her upbringing and her beliefs, instilled in her when she was just a child in Byelorussia.
