829: It’s Difficult to Talk About Soviet Food. Polina Chesnakova Is Doing It Anyway.

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
This episode is brought to you by Nordstrom. For 125 years, Nordstrom has been part of your story.

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The stylist who found the perfect outfit for your big interview.

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The first pair of walking shoes for your one-year-old. The tomato soup you shared with your sister at the cafe.

**Polina Chesnakova** (0:15)
These are the moments that make Nordstrom, Nordstrom.

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Big or small, we're here for all of it. Celebrating 125 years with new moments still ahead.

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Discover it all in Nordstrom stores and at nordstrom.com.

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Late-night bites with friends, already hard to beat. That first too-hot bite of fries you couldn't wait for, followed by ice-cold Pepsi. Now, that hits different. Suddenly the energy kicks back in. The night goes longer and the laughs don't stop, because Pepsi brings out more flavor, more fun, and more of the moment. Food deserves Pepsi. Grab a Pepsi Zero Sugar today.

**Polina Chesnakova** (1:05)
The recipe changed every time my mom made it. And when I asked, you know, called her up, she was like, okay, you start with five eggs. And I was like, five eggs? Last time you said four eggs. And she was like, oh, well, okay, okay, let's just go with four eggs. And I was like, and one and a half cups of flour, you know, that orange mug with the red flour, like one and a half mugs worth of flour. And I was like, I don't own that mug. Give me more detail. And so it was a lot of hair pulling.

**Matt Rodbard** (1:28)
This Is TASTE. I'm your host, Matt Rodbard. Polina Chesnokova's latest cookbook, Chesnok, opens with a hard question. What do you call the food of a diaspora that outlived the country that made it? Polina, born in Ukraine to a Russian mother and Armenian father, and raised in a Rhode Island community of Soviet refugees, joins us to talk about food in the context of post-Soviet. She also discusses the Book of Tasty and Healthy Food, her family's uncompromising Olivier Salat, and Polina's prolific cookbook career.
And at the top of the show, it's the return of Three Things, where Aliza and I talk about what is exciting us in the world of restaurants, cookbooks, and the food world as a whole.
Aliza, we are back with Three Things. How are you doing?

**Aliza Abarbanel** (2:20)
I'm doing well, Matt. How are you?

**Matt Rodbard** (2:22)
Just back from San Francisco and LA and a bunch of travels. And I got some Bay Area things to talk about. I had a great trip. How are you doing?

**Aliza Abarbanel** (2:33)
I'm doing well. I'm excited to hear about the Bay Area. You want to give me your first thing?

**Matt Rodbard** (2:37)
The first, the restaurant. And again, I was all over the place and was working on some future episodes, which are really super exciting. Up in Wine Country with our friends from Rezzy. Can't wait to roll those out in the fall.
But I got to have a meal at Lazy Bear, which has always been on my list of places to visit in San Francisco. A little background, it's a two Michelin star restaurant in the Mission District. And it's from Chef David Barzelli. And he is doing really cool things at Lazy Bear right now.
It is kind of this rotating menu of California produce in its highest level, but always with a narrative. And I've been thinking a lot about the tasting menu recently. I'm working on a freelance story for Rezzy about it. And I'm like the modern tasting menu is really like Charlie Mitchell and I. I'm just had a conversation about it. And it's like we're thinking a lot about what tasting menus are. And I think this one is really exciting. It's two and a half hours. So it's a commitment. But it's kind of vibing this room where the, you know, some folks are wearing flip flops. Some folks were wearing suits. And there's a lot of information given out. And I think it's for like real food nerds in the best possible way.

**Aliza Abarbanel** (3:53)
To the people who are wearing flip flops have painted toenails.

**Matt Rodbard** (3:56)
I didn't get that close. It was a little dimly lit. But I always appreciate nail care when going with the open toe footwear.

**Aliza Abarbanel** (4:05)
I think this is my like most old fashioned tendency is that I think especially if you're at a tasting menu and you have flip flops, maybe you've got a little accessorizing going on there. But very California, obviously, to have all kinds of attire in that setting.

**Matt Rodbard** (4:18)