Community celebration returns to Grinnell

sian-speaking community. “This was the first time in years that it happened as it should and was able to gather all of campus together. I would say that this year Slavic Coffeehouse returned in its full glory,” he added.

During the event, every table in the HSSC atrium was full and a long line formed as attendees awaited dishes including syrniki, plov and pierogis. According to Armstrong and Imomnazarov, cooking and serving such a meal required a vast amount of work. Likewise, the Russian Student Educational Policy Committee, other Russian language learners and community members, alongside Armstrong and Global Kitchen Culinary Coordinator David Stanley, planned the details of the event before spending several days preparing all the food.

“It was really a collaborative effort,” Imomnazarov said. “We used multiple kitchens all over campus. For two days people were always on the clock in shifts, changing one after another. Overall it was an incredible amount of effort on the part of the students involved,” he continued.

Though its aim — using food as a way to celebrate and educate about Slavic, Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian cultures — remains unchanged, Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine has added new dimensions and significance to Grinnell’s annual celebration, Armstrong said.

“It makes us think more carefully about how we talk about Russian and Russian language speakers,” he said. “We’re trying to support all the students who speak Russian in a respectful way, and the importance here too is to recognize that the language doesn’t belong to Putin. Russian culture is incredibly rich and valuable in its own right.”

Armstrong finds that food can be a crucial lens in which to view the current political reality. He used borscht as an example, relating how he had for most of his life associated the red beetroot soup with Russian cuisine before more recently learning of its Ukrainian origins. “Just through this one dish I’m able to observe different aspects of identity, of conflict, of historical narratives of colonization, and the need to rethink how we teach Russian culture,” he said.

Imomnazarov said that he views Slavic Coffeehouse as a way to strengthen community-bonding in Grinnell in spite of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“It really is about bringing all of us together—all of us who have ties to the region—celebrating something that unites us from before the war, before even the Soviet Union or the Russian Empire existed. The holiday Maslenitsa is ancient, from a time when there were no nation states to speak of, so I think it’s super significant for that regional dynamic, but the way we do it in Grinnell also celebrates the rest of the post-Soviet space too,” he said.

Looking ahead, Imomnazarov said that he hopes future Slavic Coffeehouses can further educate people about the cultural significance of the event beyond just eating food. Meanwhile, Armstrong said that he would like to add a dimension of fundraising for local food insecurity.

“Here we all are enjoying this amazing feast and yet there are people going hungry in Poweshiek County,” he said. “How is that possible? Whenever we’re eating, we have to always think about those who have not. I think that’s just an underlying ethical demand. Feeding people offers a way to engage and somehow make the world a better place.”