Vancouver's monthly calendar for regular cultural and activist events is pretty stacked, but in terms of a regular food "event", the pantry is a little bare once our Farmers' Markets shut down. It's time for that to change. 3rd Friday of every month -- the "57 Varieties" open stage. Last Friday? Critical Mass. First Fridays? Folks, I'd like you to say hello to a little friend I like to call "dinner". Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce... perogies.

97% of the time, the Ukrainian Orthodox Auditorium (154 E. 10th. Avenue, just west of Main) appears to be of little interest to those unfortunates among us (myself included) who happen, through no fault of their own, to not be members of Vancouver's Ukrainian community. The Ukrainians aren't known, after all, for throwing all-ages shows like the Croatians over on Victoria Drive, or for hosting burlesque shows like the Russians in Kits. It's true: no one's clothes need to be taken off to appreciate the appeal of what legions of babushkas, labouring in the auditorium's kitchen, dish up from 5 to 8 pm the first Friday of every month. (For the calendarly-disadvantaged, that would be... tomorrow night.)

Perogies, cabbage rolls, beet borscht, rye bread, fried onions, red cabbage sauerkraut, sour cream, sausage, salad, coffee, dessert. The components are deceptively straightforward -- the hearty, handmade perogies a far cry from the sorry lumps of tortured potato mush exiled to the gulag of the supermarket's frozen goods section, and even people who don't ordinarily like borscht will be glad to take a shot at speculating as to the herbs flavouring what's served up here. (Is the mystery ingredient... dill?) The prices of the set menu combinations have been shifting as the seasons change, but there are varieties and quantities enough to suit most appetites (do note, however, that while the cabbage rolls can be had meatless for vegetarians, sadly the artery-clogging gallons of molten butter oozing out of everything render this dinner setting inappropriate for your vegan friends.)

It's more than just another dinner option around Main + Broadway for those times when the Foundation is full, a Wink comes across as overly coy and the pocketbook, like New Orleans, can't withstand another hit from a tropical storm. After all, the auditorium is just an auditorium; the ambience is largely absent and the food is admittedly simple stuff. What it is is a way to satisfy a basic human need -- for sustenance (or, more specifically in these cooler evenings: fat) -- while helping to support the activities of a local community. (I'm sure you tip your servers well elsewhere, but chances are those quarters and loonies aren't going into anything as efficient as the upkeep of communal facilities.)

Now that I've put these mouth-watering images in your head, do you find yourself craving hot, buttery goodness but can't bear the thought that you'll be paying sit-down prices to eat with strangers (a peculiar mix of Ukrainians and hipsters) in what amounts to a cafeteria? In one final gesture to the outside community, you can pick up at significantly reduced rates ($5 all said per item) to-go packages of borscht by the litre, perogies and cabbage rolls by the dozen, and sausage by the ... coil. If you're lucky they're still warm and you can bike up Ontario to tuck into a picnic supper and watch the sun set from the top of Queen Elizabeth Park.

(I bet the Ukrainians aren't the only ones who use the culmination of centuries of culinary tradition to fund their community activities and facilities; tip me off to other regular regional food celebrations beyond a tired restaurant context and I'll be sure to gush here just as fervently about them!)

First Friday of every month, 5-8 pm. Ukrainian Orthodox Auditorium (154 E. 10th Avenue at Main). Bring your appetite.

Brad and Angus of Solitary Extraction like perogies. Can you do no less?

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