A double drabble by Rob Kelk
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
September 22, 2016
12:07 PM ET
"Of course I've heard of borscht," Makoto said, somewhat indignantly. "It is one of the three grand soups, after all."
"In that case, I don't need to explain this. Would you care to join me for lunch?"
"Sure, why not?"
Rob grabbed two bowls from the cupboard and brought them over to the stovetop, where a pot of borscht was simmering. "I can't take credit for this batch; it's from a Ukrainian store in the west end of town," he mentioned as he ladled some of the soup into the bowls, then set the bowls on the kitchen table, then pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge while Makoto placed spoons and glasses by the bowls. There was already a basket of dinner rolls on the table.
They both sat down, and after the traditional "thank you for the food", tried the soup.
"This tastes different from what I'm used to. Do you know what kind of tomatoes are in the soup?"
Rob looked puzzled. "There's no tomatoes in borscht. At least, not in Ukrainian borscht."
"Tomatoes give the soup its red colour. What else could make it red?"
"The beetroot, of course."
"What's a beetroot?" asked Makoto.
--
Rob Kelk
Sticks and stones can break your bones,
But words can break your heart.
- unknown
Rob Kelk
Sticks and stones can break your bones,
But words can break your heart.
- unknown