Perpetual Change

Watersheds

I want to reiterate, that these are my opinions, and only mine; no research or scientific evidence was used in there devising, and they don't represent any group's ideas, American or Ukrainian, public or private.

This may be a leap of faith, but those of you that know me well, know my fascination with watersheds (growing up in Florida, with an interest in ecology makes it inevitable; the current trend of eventual destruction of the Everglades - the only ecosystem of its kind in the world- is lamentable and distressing). On a separate issue, I have long believed that the fastest way to the heart of a culture is through its stomach and its church. Study of cuisine and religion together teach the physical and mental demands of a culture's geographic and socio-economic situation. You learn about agriculture, work, work ethic, climate, and terrain from one, and the values, myths, history, architecture, traditions, oppressions and faith from the other. Here in Ukraine, I find many similarities to American and Italian culture, but surprisingly few similarities in cuisine or religion. I think in biology this convergence of features from different sources is called analogous evolution - something like the similarity of a whale flipper, shark fin, and penguin wing.

I think a lot of the culture here has to do with the Ukrainian watershed. I have heard that the Black Sea is the largest single watershed in the world. It is large and proficient indeed, and Ukraine's boundaries encompass almost the whole Northern portion. This translates to plenty of water, a necessary addition to their rich soil. The weather patterns sweep uniformly across the whole country and then pile up in the Carpathians near the South West boundary (and me). The geography is almost a half bowl-shape with a major European river (the Dniper) running from the capital in the middle of the country down to the Sea. Having been dammed many times it is navigable to large ships for its whole length and an important stabilizing element of the water table (although not wonderfully clean). The ancestors of the modern Slavic people were Nordic (ie.Vikings) and the navigability of the river even then gave them their basis for the Amber route.

This situation creates a uniquely unifying, patriotic, and self-sustaining character among the people. They are quick to be pessimistic and to differentiate themselves in the East and the West, but there are truly fewer differences than they perceive; they are very hard working and determined, and they always think of themselves first as Ukrainians, and then they differentiate themselves, as contrasted from Italians who still today see themselves first as Tuscans, Ligurians, etc.

Another interesting thing that seems to relate is that they worry about everything and they have nothing to be afraid of. There are no natural disasters here, except for an occasional extreme frost and flood, but they are not common. (I recently learned that periodically with intervals of years they get extreme, localized winds, as strong as a low grade hurricane.) They do seem rather well versed on natural disasters, and they think that all people that live in the way of hurricanes, which they know are inevitable, must then be crazy. I must say that if the few years of hurricanes are the normal part of a cycle as meteorologists are saying, I am a bit inclined to agree with the Ukrainians.

But now is a time for cuisine. I am off to help my Ukrainian family with the Easter preparations. I wish I could share them with all of you. They are some of my favorite Ukrainian traditions. Isn't it interesting that this year both Orthodox/Greek Catholic and Catholic/Protestant Easter falls on the same day, and the same week as Passover.

Happy Easter everyone.

posted by jjs @ 4:03 AM