«Coffee is a Power That Holds Us»
The historic border city of Uzhhorod offers coffee, conversation, goulash, homemade wine
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Travel & Nature
In Uzhhorod, «Coffee is a Power That Holds Us»
On Ukraine’s Slovakian border, near Hungary, is an ancient river city of outdoor cafés, pizza, goulash, mountain wine, local beer—and, most especially, coffee and conversation.
UZHHOROD – «Why do we stay in Uzhhorod? Ah, because we like to stay and drink coffee. Coffee is a power that holds us,» said Natalia, as she made me a V60 pour-over with beans from Rwanda. A Lviv native, she’s a barista at Duffort, a half-indoor, half-outdoor coffeeshop with lots of plants, down an alleyway in one of the city’s many pedestrian areas. «Maybe you will stay too.»
«The typical Varoshskiy drinks 4-5 cups a day,» a new friend told me. «We drink coffee and we talk. We go to church and we drink coffee.»
Story by Joe Lindsley. Read more about this city of coffee-drinkers …
Wealth & Democracy
«No Matter What Happens,» Ukraine Faces West. Conversation with Council of Europe official.
«In Ukraine-China Relations, Where Goes the Spirit of Maidan?»
The Soviet Monument of Glory is Finally Dismantled in Lviv.
Hammer and Sickle Monument to Be Destroyed on the Field of Mars
Soul & Culture
Legends Speak Amid the Aroma of Linden and Spices: Immersive Museum.
Why Do People Start Wars? Lviv Stories.
«People Need to be Scared of Being Fake.» Lviv Stories.
United in Blues: How Music Heals. Lviv Stories.
Food & Drink
Guide to the Cuisine of Ukrainian Galicia
Borsch (Борщ): This red soup might be the soul of Ukrainian Galician cuisine, as central as gumbo is to the people of Louisiana. Its essence is red beetroot in a base of bone broth. Often, except for times of fasting, it includes a chunk of tender pork. Customarily served with sour cream (smetana), it turns bright pink when you mix it. Different micro-regions, restaurants, and households have their own variations. Kidney beans and dill are commonly added. Ukrainians say it pairs well with dark bread and salo.
Ukrainian chef Eugene Kloptenko, based in Kyiv, has been working to promote borsch as Ukrainian, in the face of Russian efforts to claim it for their own (link to Washington Post story).
Find out more about Ukrainian cuisine here.
About Us
Lviv Now: Showing How Strong a Community Can Be When Creating Quality Changes Together
LVIV NOW is a project of Tvoe Misto (“Your City”), Lviv’s solutions-focused media hub, working with American journalist Joe Lindsley.
Each week, the journalists of Tvoe Misto, led by editor-in-chief Svitlana Zhabiuk and publisher Taras Yatsenko, host problem-solving public forums, one topic at a time, to activate democracy for all citizens. Their newsroom provides daily reporting as part of their solutions-focused journalism. We welcome you to share this newsletter or individual stories with digital nomads, creative people, travelers, diplomats, researchers, entrepreneurs, the Ukrainian diaspora, and more!
“Through the Lviv Now project, we want to tell the English-speaking audience about Lviv as a lively and attractive city, with its unique architecture, history, and entrepreneurial initiatives. We seek to show how strong a community can be when creating quality changes together,” says the director of the media hub Tvoe Misto, Taras Yatsenko.
“We hope Lviv Now will be useful and interesting among the English-speaking audience of scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, journalists and tourists, as well as firmly establish Lviv on the global map of the world,” Yatsenko says. “Therefore, the slogan of our project is "Let's Open Lviv to the world!"
For more stories and to leave comments, please visit our website LvivNow.com. We welcome your ideas and responses.