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 anto 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