A Big Banquet

Tamada for the party

 Russians sure know how to throw a party.  The banquet table shown above was set for the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the founding of the scientific center set up by Svyatoslav Anatoleyvich, a.k.a. "Slava."  The man shown standing is the party's tamada, which roughly, roughly translates into master of ceremonies.  The ta-ma-DA recognizes people who wish to make a toast, give a tribute, or make a joke. My ability in Russian is just good enough to tell the difference between those three activities and catch a few of the things being said.  Fortunately I was seated between Slava and the young woman shown below, who could help me better understand the goings on.

Civil engineering instructor and a speaker at the conference

A Russian banquet table is set lavishly with platters of zakuski appetizers, bowls of fruit, and various types of drink.  There can be several types of Russian salads, platters of smoked or salted fish, sliced meats, and canapes such as the caviar canapes on the table above.  When everyone is entirely full, the hot food comes.  I noticed last night that the head table was served something different from everyone else (they had scallops of meat; Slava ordered fish for us because it is his preference).  What we would call "the main dish" is not the important part of the meal -- the zakuski table is.  Accordingly dessert is not a big deal, and the fresh fruit on the table served as dessert.

Kudos for the party organizer