What is the first thought that comes to mind when you think about food? Maybe it’s your favorite meal or dessert, or you think of your favorite restaurant. Maybe you remember days when there was nothing and people around you were starving? We learn to appreciate things when after we lose them and for many of us who never went without food, even for a day, we don’t realize the true value of it. Let’s talk about food in Ukraine and what it means to the people here and what foods are available.
We are so blessed in Ukraine to have basic foods and to fill our stomachs with bread and potatoes because the stories and memories of those who survived through the famine of 1932-33 are still ringing in our ears. Our Nation lost millions of people in that single year of famine. We were raised with limited food availability in Soviet times and now 20 years later, we still struggle to put food on the table.
Traditionally, Ukrainians think of large amounts of food as a source of good health. Generally, we eat large portions of very low nutrient foods. Our diet consists of potatoes, cabbage, onions, with tomatoes, and cucumbers in season. Meat, if you can afford it, consists of chicken and pork. We also have traditional dishes like Ukrainian borsch, dumplings, and Chicken Kiev. Fruits such as apples, pears, plums, strawberries, cherries, apricots, and watermelon are available from late summer into the early fall. We cook a lot of soups and vegetable stews (using root vegetables). On the way home from work, we can buy meat in the underground passes or at a bus stop. Farmers sit under the hot sun all day trying to sell meat in the City to make some money. The flies cover the exposed meat and are all around it. People don’t worry if it’s safe, they just want some meat and this is their chance. Buying food at the open-air markets can be very risky due to the lack of cleanliness and sanitation. People take a these risks buying food this way, but they have little choice. Risk has become a normal part of life.
There are some foods our people have never tried. They have no idea even what they taste like: sweet corn, peanut butter, marshmallows, steak, bacon, casserole, lasagna etc. These things just aren’t available here and people never heard of them, except in Hollywood movies.
There is more food available now than in Soviet times, but it is too expensive for the average citizen. When we see a need, our natural desire is to help. A few years ago, faced with worsening reality of life in Ukraine, MPI prayed and then opened a Food Bank in Kiev. Today, we help hundreds of seniors, handicapped, poor, and families with many children through this ministry. We give them food for free! In doing so, we share our care and love of God with them, presenting the Gospel in a tangible way to all those in need, just like Jesus did (Galatians 2:10, James 1:27). This food gives our people hope that God hasn’t forgotten them and they can live and be saved. To us it is a great honour to be a conduit between Canadian churches, brothers, and sisters, and the needy people in Ukraine. With your help, we can give the people of Ukraine, seniors, and children the opportunity to hear the Gospel and meet their immediate pressing need – the need for food. Today only 20% of the income of the average Ukrainian is spent on food – housing and medicine consume most of the rest.