Dana L. Yeoman, DDS
Dentures and Implants
The Power of a Smile to Transcend Borders Part 26
Site last published: 08/28/10
The Power of a Smile to Transcend Borders Part 26
During one of my trips to Ukraine, we visited a school for the visually impaired. The children were not completely blind, but their sight was extremely limited. It was a boarding school, complete with dormitories, classrooms, a gymnasium and beautiful gardens planted by the students. They were educated and taught trades they could do by feel and with limited sight so they could make their way in the outside world. It was a caring environment for these children, and the teachers and faculty were good people.
The school administration had planned a whole day with our group. We got a tour of the grounds, singing performances by the children in traditional costume, and a huge home-cooked feast for lunch. At this banquet I discovered a new cultural difference that made for a delicious but uncomfortable lunchtime.
Now I may have interpreted the whole thing incorrectly, but in retrospect it makes me laugh. We had a wonderful feast of Ukrainian cuisine, including traditional Borsht (my favorite), stuffed cabbage rolls, pierogi, fresh baked bread and fresh cheese just for starters. After the main entrees rolled in, the deserts started to show up, too. The meal included coffee and tea, sweetened with condensed milk and served with chocolates. Everything was presented “family style,” and the dishes kept rolling out one after the next. I couldn’t believe how much food was being brought out to us!
The Americans set in to eat like marathoners in a race. We tried to pace ourselves, giving it our best shot to finish with honors. We ate and ate and ate, but the food kept coming. Every time the door opened, my heart would sink because here came another dish of something yummy for which I had no room in my stomach. However, we were not about to insult our hosts by passing up on anything. We kept right on eating with determination!
It wasn’t until several months later that I saw the irony of the situation. Proper etiquette for the Ukrainians was to present more food than their guests could possibly eat. Proper etiquette for the Americans was to eat everything set down before us and clean our plates. Didn’t your mother tell you to never waste food? We were in an impossible situation. The more we ate, the more they brought. As we were leaving, I felt badly about all the food that was left untouched. I was worried our hosts would be offended. They probably felt relieved they out-served these ravenous Americans. Which then begs the question, did we eat more than was proper? Maybe we were rude for eating too much? It’s hard to tell, but I know I haven’t eaten that well since! It was a meal to remember!
With full tummies, we were glad for a chance to take a tour of the gym. The PE teacher was once a professional athlete and he was dead-set on making sure his children were exercised well. Having very little income to work with, this man used some serious creativity to build a gym... out of recycled junk.
