Transcendent Ramen at the Hands of 3-Russian Chefs in Tallinn

Kolm Sibulat, or 3-Onions, is a pleasant walk from Tallinn’s Old Town

When does ramen leave the realm of the mundane and become something else? The age-old economy and food conveyance of students and struggling proletarians says “I am ready to move on, to be elevated.” Here at Kolm Sibulat, or 3-Onions, three Russian chefs have taken their ramen artistry to new heights. And so too, your budget, where versions of scallop (rear) and beef (foreground) ramen reach $25. Yet, the journey is other worldly. Fresh hand-made noodles, premium beef or seafood, rich broth. The home-made kimchi, where sweetness marries heat, much to my palate’s pleasure, brought wonderment, and requests for more. “Let go,” I told myself, “Allow yourself to be carried away.” And I was. The most delicious ramen imaginable.

Beef Ramen, like no other

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A Powerful Memorial Stands in a Quiet Forest in Eastern Latvia

One of the most precious gifts we receive as State Department English Language Fellows is the opportunity to visit off-the-beaten-path places that lie at the heart of a place’s history and culture…Such was my experience yesterday in a sparse forest just west of our little city of Daugavpils, Latvia. We were introduced to this Memorial to all the Jews killed in Europe, by Anatoly Fishil, 87, a respected local civic leader and member of the small Jewish community here. Each country is represented by an 18th-century headstone of a Jewish person, whose own grave had been bulldozed-over by the former authorities here. Our guide personally created this memorial in 1991, 33-years to the day of our visit. We stood here yesterday, cold, awe-struck and emotionally humbled. Anatoly has his own amazing story of origin, survival, and, as this Memorial implies, incomparable generosity.

Anatoly Fishil, 87, a Daugavpils civic leader and Jewish elder, guides us at the forest Memorial
17th Century Jewish headstones were saved from a demolished Jewish cemetery and given a new life here
Mr. Fishil, describes the history of the Memorial he created in 1991, by sharing one amazing story after another
A somber moment for me; this headstone reads “Hungary 450,000.” That’s the number of Hungarian Jews killed in slightly over 4-months, just before the end of World War II
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