My dear pal and former student Phil Saparov took me out to supper, as he so generously continues to do, as if the ‘A’s he received from me were not sufficiently merited (were they always? Yes! Why not?) and, in the true Russian fashion, deserved to be rewarded, if not outright bribed. But we’re way past the bribery stage and Phil continues to pay for a wonderful evening together. Phil is in fact not Russian but Azerbaijani – another Azerbaijani student of mine, 20 years ago, brought to one of our at-home parties, as a present for our daughter, Chiara, a huge doll taller than Chiara herself – and this time instead of going to a Russian banya as we have in the past, he took me to the Baku Palace, a formidable home of Azerbaijani food, on Sheepshead Bay, with a view of the water. And a half bottle of Belvedere vodka (is there better?) Phil brought to the meal. (Ah those banya visits! They would leave me absolutely legless: violently hot steam then freezing cold as ice cubes were poured on us, then heat again, then run into the back yard to grab snow off the fir trees and rub into our naked, shivering bodies – and, all the time, vodka and beer and more vodka and beer – and ladies present! Decorously toweled, but still! Ah, only in a Russia banya! After 5 or 6 hours of this I had to be escorted home, almost comatose.) The Baku Palace was a delight, though, as was the food, a lovely waitress, Phil with his tales of tutoring, and, across the road, when we’d finished, a Turkish establishment full of Phil’s Russian pals (former CUNY students). More food and drink. More lovely waitresses (current CUNY students). What an experience!
Carey, you’re always welcome, and let’s do it again soon 😉 !