darra: the russians have two words for hospitality.one simply means the reception of guests, but the other comes from the words for bread and salt: khleb i sol': khlebosol'stvo. so you're giving people that which is most of the earth's most elemental, abundance, and the sense that you were regaling others goes to the core of who the russians are d to russian hospitality. israel: the first time i met bonnie's parents, i showed up thinking that it was going to be maybe a couple other people, and it was, like, 20 people, all extended family, all speaking russian. i do remember there was a lot of noise and a lot of, like, commotion, but when i sat down, all of a sudden, like, that's when things hushed. everyone filled their glasses, and someone would stand up and give a toast all in russian. and i would just, like, hold my glass, hold my glass until everyone stopped and then clinked their glasses and drank. this dance, this cadence, this pattern would continue, and i was enamored. bonnie: eating and drinking are two sides of the same coin