This weekend we discovered Aleksey’s Russian & Eastern European Market near 100 Oaks. We’d noticed it before, and maybe for 4 years we’ve been saying that we should check it out. So, on Saturday, during errands, we finally went. And kids, if you see something, you should always say something. I can’t believe that for 4 years we were basically too lazy to walk into this place.

The irony is, I think that if we weren’t so miserable here, we might not bother doing these weird new things. We had just spent 4 glorious days back in the Boston area the week before, where we saw as many old friends as we could and ate, drank, and danced our hearts out. It was really hard to be back here, where good food is not as readily available, the folks we became adults with are far away, and the queer community just is not a good fit. Anyway, Aleksey’s was a nice reminder just at the right time that we’re going to make it, and enjoy ourselves in the meanwhile.

In the store we encountered all kinds of unrecognizable goodies, many of which we bought. An array of enticing canned fish and pates, pickles, smoked fish, baked goods, juices, jams, frozen items, candies. And if that weren’t enough, a whole case of sausages! We bought some cans, a bottle of black currant juice, some pickles called “grandma’s salad,” and a kinder surprise. Then, The Little Red Haired Girl asked the nice lady behind the counter which sausages she recommends, and she gave us samples. We walked away with half a pound each of something called “Karpatskaya” and something called “Tsar Salami.”