Aspic

             The next story I read was in the New Yorker. It is "Aspic" by Tatyana Tolstaya. It was originally written in Russian, but was translated to English by Anya Migdal. When I started reading this story, it was formatted almost like a recipe in a cookbook; however, I realized that it was anything but a simple recipe. In this story, the narrator tells the story of how aspic, a jellied-meat dish, is made. First, she narrates that the dish is typically made during the New Year. She writes that she walks through the cold to the market where the butcher hacks off pig legs. Next, she buys the other ingredients such as onions and garlic and then drudges through the snow to get back home. After washing the ingredients, she boils the death away. After the meat is cooked, she ladles golden broth over it. Finally, she stands on the balcony as she smokes a cigarette and cries.

           I had to read this story two times to get the full meaning of it. The story is chock full of imagery and symbolism, which made it a very interesting read. For example, when the narrator is walking through the market, she walks past the "...creme fraiche redolent of girlish innocence, past the artillery depot of potatoes, radishes and cabbages, past the hills of fruits,  past the signal lights of clementines...". Another thing I noticed was that there were many parallels to death and rebirth. At one point, the author writes "Then it's time to dump this death water, to thoroughly rinse the sedated pieces under a running faucet, and to put them back into a clean pot filled with fresh water. If this is not a reference to reincarnation, I don't know what is. The death of the meat is being erased in a way, and it is being put into fresh water or into a "new life". Finally, I thought it was really beautiful how the author hinted at the fact that the human cries in the end because she is taking life in order to sustain other life, through food.

           I would recommend  this book to anyone who likes finding symbolism in writing. There are so places in the story to interpret and mull over. The translation job on "Aspic" was amazing and I think part of the reason this story was so impactful is because of the translator's skills.