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Adventures of the Elders ENGin Food Ukraine

12 Ukrainian Christmas Dishes: Pea Cutlets / Січеники з гороху

Today we made another traditional Ukrainian dish, suggested by my ENGin buddy. The dish, Pea Cutlets / Січеники з гороху, is a simple recipe using dried peas. We found a recipe on the delightful Ukrainian food site Shuba. At the WLBOTT Test Kitchen, the Ladle & Lube, we made two executive decisions: Thoughts / Reflections […]

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Adventures of the Elders ENGin Food Ukraine

12 Ukrainian Christmas Dishes: Borscht

My Ukrainian ENGin buddy shared the twelve traditional dishes served on Christmas Eve. We are going to see how many we can make at the WLBOTT Test Kitchen and Tractor Lube Station. The menu: I’ll have to check with my buddy, but I believe that “Lenten” in this context means “vegetarian.” Lenten borscht — Пісний […]

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Hopeful Songs on Dismal Days Music Poland

Symphony of Sorrowful Songs: Background

Henryk Mikołaj Górecki Dawn Upshaw Helena Wanda Błażusiakówna A biography of Helana can be found here: https://www.gosc.pl/doc/6457342.Lamentacja-twardej-Heleny She was a brave young woman who fought in the underground resistance against the German occupiers. The Success of Henryk Gorecki and Dawn Upshaw’s Recording

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Food Ukraine

The Serenity of Dzembronya

I came across a lovely, peaceful video of a woman preparing a feast of Vareniki (Pierogi). The woman lives in the Carpathian mountains of eastern Ukraine, in a small village of Dzembronya, in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. The video reminds me of Ashe County, North Carolina, perhaps at the turn of the last century. Life is […]

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Food Germany Late Stage Capitalism Shareholder Value WLBOTT Corporate

WLBOTT and the German Heritage Society

(We laugh so we don’t cry) So, once a year the WLBOTT Elders eat bratwurst and sauerkraut, to maintain our corporate membership in the German Heritage Society. That day was yesterday. But due to leftovers in a leaky Tupperware container, this morning the entire corporate headquarters is enjoying the Fermenté d’Amour, Bavarian Bliss, Eau de […]

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England Italy Scholarship/Erudition

A Well-Curated Joke

I have been carefully curating my son’s life so that, at the appropriate moment, I could present him with this joke. His curating process included an immersion in American pop culture, European Renaissance history, Roman Catholic Cannon Law, a WLBOTT-compatible sense of humor, and a love of boiled eggs. So here’s the joke: Q: What […]

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Outer Space Russia

Russian Outgassing

[Thanks to UC#1 for bringing this breaking news to our attention.] WLBOTT, of course, sent a crew to investigate. From the ISS side, the unmistakable sound of clinking pots and a faint, cheerful hum of Russian folk music drifts through the hatch. Suddenly, two Russian astronauts, Yuri and Svetlana, appear, wearing aprons over their flight […]

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Current Events Food Heros - NOT Russia

The Buttery Ruble

Ruble to Rubble Earlier today…. A few hours later…. And just as we go to press…. Peering into the future…. Wednesday, November 27, 2024 Later the same day (11/27/24) Butter Behind Locked Doors WLBOTT Responds to the Russian Butter Crisis To respond to this crisis, WLBOTT is introducing to the Russian market a delicious blend […]

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Europe Fashion Tess Twinehart

Women’s Head Coverings: The Wimple (part III of VIII)

The wimple was a common medieval head covering, particularly for married women and nuns. It was a close-fitting cloth that covered the neck, chin, and sometimes even the cheeks, framing the face. The wimple was often worn with a veil draped over it and was seen as a respectable, modest form of dress. It symbolized […]

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Europe Fashion Fine Arts History

Women’s Head Coverings (part II of VIII)

Oh, have we discovered a delightful rabbit hole. We were continuing the theme of Women’s Head Coverings, this time focusing on Catholic traditions. But this led us to head coverings in medieval paintings, which led us to the Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck. WLBOTT: G, are there medieval or renaissance paintings that feature women’s […]