novembre ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- stablilizing the local eastern european economy lisa is falling asleep inside her sister evelyn's sleeping bag from camp allinim. i was like, i don't know, in third grade when we went. we went to a russian deli today. lisa reasoned that they probably weren't anti-semetic because they carried hummus. she bought israeli chocolate spread, estonian sardines for her grandmother and a fish for her father. (you made me sound so eastern-block and funny. but you didn't say that the fish had a head and a tail. and eyes.) i bought poppyseed bread, a russian form of baklava, dill potatoes and these palm-rolled chicken balls carrying such intense taste that lisa was prompted to say the russians know what to do with chicken. i wore a red and pink striped sweater, the brightest thing in the deli. my russian-speaking co-customers gave me sidelong glances as i discussed dill with the woman behind the counter. we cater. not american style. european much better. you try this. the girl at the cash register conversed in russian with every customer she rang up before it was my turn. without looking up, she mumbled (without any trace of accent) how are you today? in such an indescernable gruff way. her normal mannerism, or was it obviously directed at my sweater and germanic nose? i felt oddly comfortable; i'd never been in a russian deli before, but i didn't feel exactly disoriented. it felt like i was in another country and not at thirty-second and clement in san francisco. 1:52 am - 05.05.02 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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