Chapter 33 old russian lady

Speaking of the old Russian lady, few people know about it today. More than 40 years ago, people living in Beijing were not very familiar with such a western restaurant.I remember that in the early 1980s, Mr. Wang Chang'an (Shi Xiang) mentioned the Russian old lady's western food in an article in "Chinese Cuisine". Besides, I haven't seen any other records. The Russian old lady is not the name and name of this western restaurant, but the actual person.This is a very special western restaurant, without a signboard, without a facade, or even a shop. It is just an ordinary residence, a few western-style bungalows.The location is probably where the Beijing Railway Station is today. I was too young at the time, and I can’t remember the specific alley and location. It seems that it is not too far from the former residence of Mr. Xu Beihong. In 1958, with the construction of Beijing Railway Station, one of the top ten buildings in Beijing, that area of ​​houses had been demolished.

Although I have no impression of the external environment, I vaguely remember the interior of the house. The so-called Western-style bungalow means that its interior is divided into several rooms through a corridor, which is a bit like today's unit room, and the kitchen is also in the room.The house in my impression is very old, with wooden floors and mottled paint.There are wainscoting, also very worn.Two of the larger rooms are used as dining rooms, with rectangular dining tables and high-back carved seats.Only the curtains and tablecloths are made of thick woolen, with beautiful tassels on the sides. There is a classical Russian wax stand on the wine cabinet, and a large silver-plated Russian tea drink, which seems to have been out of use for a long time. The appearance makes people feel a kind of exotic style.

The old Russian lady was over sixty at the time, very fat, with snow-white hair, and no one could tell her history.After the October Revolution in Russia, a large number of old Russian aristocrats fled abroad. Of course, the most powerful and wealthy went to France, and the lesser ones were scattered in various European countries.In addition, some of them settled in Northeast China, most of them in Harbin. At the beginning of living in exile, they were able to maintain an original upper-class circle. As time went by, jewelry and Russian diamonds were gradually replaced by bread and Oedek wine. , So many bearded doormen, sweepers, milkmen and teahouses appeared in Harbin, including marquises, earls and generals.In addition to Harbin, they can often be seen in the concessions of Shanghai and Tianjin. Those with a little skill, such as playing, playing and singing, can act as musicians in the dance halls of the concessions.Xu Critic, an influential writer in the 1940s, is described in many works.These people are called "White Russians", the last nobles of the Tsarist era.There are not many "White Russians" in Beijing, probably because the cultural atmosphere in Beijing is too traditional.Whether the old Russian lady herself is a "White Russian" of the first generation or a second generation "White Russian", no one knows.No one remembers when she settled down in Beijing and ran a western restaurant, but from the time I can remember to the demolition around the Beijing Railway Station, I knew there was an old Russian lady.Since she has not officially opened a restaurant and is in a deep alley, people always use the five words "Russian old lady" to summarize her and her Russian-style western food.

When I went to eat at the Russian old lady, it was recommended by relatives and friends.She is very old and can only receive guests two or three nights a week, and each time there are no more than ten people. When going to dinner, she must call in advance to make a reservation. If someone else has been arranged, she can only postpone it one by one. about a month.In the mid-1950s, my family always went to the old Russian lady's place for dinner three or four times a year, but due to my young age, I only went there twice.One time it was a dinner with relatives at home, and there were no outsiders, but Mr. Xi Xiaobo came to visit before leaving, so we went together.The other time was to entertain film director Cen Fan at the Russian old lady's place.We arrived first that day, and Mr. Cen Fan was caught up in other things and arrived very late. We waited for him there for an hour or two.In one or two hours, I was very impatient in the old Russian lady's house, first playing with the silver plated tea, and then running to the kitchen to see how she cooks.The thing I remember most is that in her dining room there is a big, old battered couch, which might have been gorgeous in the first place, but it was worn out then.That day I brought a nice toy revolver, and I hid it in the gap between the armrest and the seat cushion of the sofa. I wanted to scare Cen Fan when he came, but I went to the kitchen to see that everything was fresh, so I put it away. The incident was completely forgotten.Cen Fan served the food immediately after he came, and he didn't remember it until he left.The pistol was a replica toy gun made in Germany, and I was very sad about it.I don't even know what kind of expression that chubby Russian old lady would have if one day she accidentally took out a pistol from the crack of the sofa.

The old Russian lady is the chef. It seems that there are only two helpers, a man and a woman. At most, there is one table setter, all of whom are Chinese.Although only two or three tables of guests are accepted at a time, they are busy enough to complete the purchase, garnishment, cooking, table setting, and serving of dishes.The kitchen is huge, with white tiles on the walls, a unique stove, different types of ovens, and a refrigerator in the kitchen.In terms of the conditions at that time, it was already very modern.From the kitchen to the dining room, there is a mixed smell of onion, garlic, butter, cheese, bay leaf and vinegar essence, which is a very standard western food smell.

Before setting the table, remove the thick woolen fringed tablecloth covering the dining table, and the white tablecloth underneath. Although it has been used repeatedly, leaving a lot of oil stains and vegetable juices, it is washed very clean.The silver cutlery was also Russian and beautiful.Eating here is very casual, not as restrained as in a restaurant, and just like in your own home, there is at most one table of guests in the next room, and they don't disturb each other.The dishes are served one by one, and at the end the old Russian lady will come out of the kitchen and greet everyone in the dining room in her not-so-fluent Chinese. This is a routine ritual.

The old Russian lady cooks authentic and authentic Russian food. Compared with British and French western food, Russian food has a richer taste and is much greasy, or more satisfying.The reason why people do not hesitate to make reservations in advance and wait patiently for ten or eight days is because the dishes are authentic and cannot be eaten in ordinary western restaurants.At that time, I was too young to appreciate the benefits of her cooking. I didn’t have a deep impression on many dishes, but I remember her cold dishes were very good, such as salad, cold beef tongue stew, carrot and cabbage rolls in tomato sauce, eggs Empanadas with red caviar and more.It seems that there are Russian-style fried buns, such as Baiju Guochi, which was already 40 years ago.

The smaller ones from Stone Gold are also better.Grilled fish with milk sauce is also better than western restaurants outside.At that time, there were no Moscow restaurants in Beijing, and the dish of roasted duck with apples could only be eaten at the old Russian lady’s. In "The Little Match Girl", I always felt that the Christmas roast goose she saw when she lit the second match was probably similar to this apple roast duck. The western restaurant of the Russian old lady is family-run, and she only does business in a small circle. Even so, she is overwhelmed. Rather than doing business, it is better to say that everyone pays her to cook, and she earns some money to support her life and helpers. Expenses are really a bit like the early Tan family dishes, just Western food.What's more, there is no need to leave a vacant seat for the master.At that time, the Russian old lady was already staggering, slow in movement, and her body was heavy, which made her seem powerless, so since the demolition, she has nowhere to go.Time flies, like a fleeting moment, this is already 40 years ago.