Epilogue

In January 2024, my friend Linde sent me a link to an advertisement for the Word of Mouth exhibition. The condition of the partaking event was to create a work whose key element is food. It had to be an art object, drawing, photograph, collage, or, of course, a literary work. When this advertisement came into my hands, there were two weeks before the deadline. The first week, I ruined my brain trying to find an idea. But all my attempts were in vain, and my concepts were banal. And, as always, the moment of inspiration came suddenly.

That day, I bought condensed milk and prepared tea in the kitchen on the recipe by my grandma Lyalya. I remembered our gatherings in her kitchen and conversations. At that moment, I realized what I wanted to write about. And I figured out in what format I should present it. What could be better than basing a recipe on happy memories?

I wrote three stories: "Watermelon for Two", "Salad for a Bad Mood", and "A Full Cup of Tea" in a couple of days. Then I spent a long time editing, rewriting, and finally sent it for review. A few days later, I received approval from the exhibition organizers. At the end of March, my draft appeared on the wall of the Scottish Storytelling Centre. And it was an incredible feeling.

However, in early February, I realized I didn't want my memories of my grandma to remain an exhibition draft. That's how this semi-comic cookbook (full of love and delicious food) was born. Ten recipes in which I immortalized the memory of a wonderful woman. But my grandma Lyalya is much more than these ten recipes. So, in this epilogue, I want to compliment her image with cute facts.

Grandma Lyalya was very beautiful. She had black eyes and long, luxurious black hair, which she wore in an old-fashioned updo. She loved clip-on earrings, beads, wide-brimmed hats and high-heeled shoes.

Grandma Lyalya was cheerful and friendly. She knew how to approach people and made acquaintances skillfully. She was always generous and fair towards her family and friends.

Grandma Lyalya never gave in to offenders. God forbid someone should anger her or offend her family. I swear, it was better to be friends with her because it was impossible to "survive" the war with her.

Grandma Lyalya loved only one man all her life. It was my grandfather. She lost him at thirty and never remarried.

Grandma Lyalya was very strong. She knew how to achieve her goal and never lost her heart. Her favourite saying was the phrase: "Our street will have a holiday, too."

Grandma Lyalya loved long walks and trying new things, from food to visiting exhibitions and cinemas.

Grandma Lyalya had a set of strange hobbies and sometimes surprised people with her food preferences. For example, she collected buttons and loved to untie knots. She could also eat raw garlic as an appetizer for any dish.

Grandma Lyalya loved Brazilian TV series, but always with a detective component. She watched some episodes twice to figure out what was going on.

Grandma Lyalya believed in God but wasn't religious. She observed traditions selectively and without much fanaticism. However, she knew definitely what and in whom she believed.

Grandma Lyalya loved her family and me in particular. And my faith lets me know that she still loves us. Somewhere. On another star. On her big journey.