From Samohonka to Champagne

By Volodymyr Kish

This past weekend I attended the wedding of the daughter of a good friend of mine, Les Salnick, who also happens to be the Chairman of the Board of this newspaper.  I would not be exaggerating in stating that this was one of the snazziest and most enjoyable weddings I have ever been to.  Les clearly spared no expense and effort in making this a truly special day for his clearly beloved one and only daughter, Leanne.

The reception at the UNF Toronto Trident Hall was a culinary and sensory delight.  From the moment we entered, we were subjected to a continuous stream of appetizers that covered the broad spectrum from sushi to barbecued shrimp to wild mushroom pure to rack of lamb. Fine wine and premium spirits were flowing freely. The first toast was executed with everyone partaking of Mot & Chandon, one of France’s premier champagnes.  The main meal was a multi-course gourmet extravaganza that would challenge Toronto’s finest dining establishments for taste and quality.  As a special treat, after dinner, the guests were treated to a special musical performance by Vasyl Popadiuk, arguably the finest contemporary violinist on this planet.

As I enjoyed the splendour of it all, I was reminded of what my late father once said when he experienced a similar though somewhat more modest celebration late in his life at the wedding of one of his oldest friend’s daughters – “Dorobylysia” he stated simply, which roughly translated means “they earned it through their own hard labour”. 

My friend Les is one of the more successful entrepreneurs and businessmen that I know in the Ukrainian community.  Through hard work and effort he has become fairly well-to-do to the point that he can indulge a little bit in making his daughter’s wedding day a memorable one. However, like me, the son of poor Ukrainian immigrants, he has certainly seen and experienced a different and much more frugal form of life. 

Our immigrant forefathers to Canada, particularly those that colonized the Prairies over a hundred years ago would not have had a clue as to what Mot & Chandon was, never mind sushi or shrimp.  I have heard stories from my Albertan cousins about what Ukrainian weddings were like back in the “old days”.  The food of course would have all been self-prepared, with friends and family working for days prior to the wedding making mounds of varenyky and holubtsi.  The wedding receptions were held in roughly built community halls constructed by the Ukrainians themselves with only the most basic of tools. Music was improvised by whoever of the guests could play an instrument.  Champagne was something reserved for the aristocracy; weddings then were lubricated by home-made spirits called samohonka and local beer.

Despite their humble state and lack of education, however, virtually all those immigrants were determined that their children and grandchildren would never have to live and sacrifice like they did.  They spared no sweat or toil to ensure that their kids got educated and found good jobs.  Their whole purpose for immigrating had been to build a real and prosperous future for their children and grandchildren, one which they knew they would probably not see or enjoy in their own lifetimes.

Our kids, now second or third generation-born Canadians, lead privileged lives.  They are well-educated and have been provided with all the same opportunities and material comforts that their non-Ukrainian peers have.  They have not had to experience the discrimination and sometimes outright persecution that our “bohunk” parents and grandparents did.  A wide world of possibilities awaits them.  And that is good.  That is what several generations of Ukrainians in Canada, struggled, worked and sometimes died for.  As parents we have done everything we could to ensure that our children never experienced the trials that we or our parents did.

As Ukrainians in Canada, we have gone from samohonka to champagne in the space of two generations.  Perhaps Leanne or my own kids may not be particularly aware of the enormity of that accomplishment, but I know for sure that Les and I do, and we are damn proud of it.