Once a year, in a few days before Maslenitsa the pancakes become something more than just a flat cake made of flour and water. This an old solar symbol now – a crucial element at the winter-ousting feast, an old pagan feast that is widely celebrated in Russia still.
This sound recording is made at the 22nd College kitchen (the colleges and technical schools in Russia – pretty much like the avenues in New York – usually tend to have numbers not names). Hear the blin (that’s pancake in Russian) being cooked!
The first part of this recording is made at the heart of the kitchen, near the stove. The second part was recorded closer to the dish-washing department and counter, bringing to the listener the cups and dishes’ clatter, the trays being taken away, etc.
Recorded February 9th, 2010
Published February 28th, 2010 (2.5 mb).