{"id":3758,"date":"2021-05-17T17:06:12","date_gmt":"2021-05-17T17:06:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/?p=3758"},"modified":"2022-01-17T13:02:18","modified_gmt":"2022-01-17T11:02:18","slug":"kaliningrad-street-food-festival-a-cathedral-of-taste","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/kaliningrad-street-food-festival-a-cathedral-of-taste\/","title":{"rendered":"Kaliningrad Street Food Festival a Cathedral of Taste"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Food festival in the grounds of K\u00f6nigsberg Cathedral<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Published: 17 May 2021 ~ Kaliningrad Street Food Festival<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 9th<\/sup> May, after honouring Victory Day by paying our respects at the Mass Grave of Soviet Soldiers and the Monument to 1200 Guardsmen, we were driven by our hosts, Arthur and Inara, to the street food fair, held this Easter in the sculptured parkland and cobbled grounds of K\u00f6nigsberg Cathedral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kneiphof Island, as this area was once known and now more commonly referred to as Kant\u2019s Island for the very good reason that it is the historic resting place of the great German philosopher Kant with whose name it is eponymous, has undergone a series of successful gentrification programmes over the past few years, making its long, broad thoroughfare, which stretches from the Trestle Bridge on one side to Honeymoon Bridge on the other, the perfect place for cultural events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tourists and the majority of Kaliningradians approve but, as in every sphere of life, pleasing all of the people all of the time is as unobtainable as the Holy Grail, and the food fair, as well as other events held in this vicinity, is not without detractors, its critics arguing that the proximity of the cathedral and the hallowed ground on which it stands should prohibit such acts of sacrilege.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I personally do not hold with this. Reincarnation, as in the case of K\u00f6nigsberg Cathedral as much as in any other, is about breathing new life into something that would otherwise cease to exist, and the historical Phoenix that K\u00f6nigsberg Cathedral most assuredly is, is a good enough argument in my books for holding events nearby that celebrate life and, whilst I myself do not go in for Facebook snapshots of plates of grub, most people would agree that food and drink plays a not insignificant part in celebrating life or is, at the very least, a rather indispensable ingredient of it ~ something very much up there with oxygen and sunlight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, silently mediating between the cultural polemics by which my actions were guided, I was able to wend my way without a sullied conscience, heading towards the food fair by way of the riverside walk that fronts Kaliningrad\u2019s ‘Fishing Village’ ~ an attractive architectural fantasy of swish hotels and well-appointed restaurants that has nothing to do with fishing but a lot to do with tourism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kaliningrad Street Food Festival<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Someone, I believe it was my wife, suggested that we rest our weary bones at one of the outside tables and take light refreshment before going on to the fair. This was an odd idea considering that over the other side of Honeymoon Bridge there was about forty or fifty food stalls. But wives, as you know, know best \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mick
Kaliningrad Fishing Village ~ on our way to Kaliningrad Street Food Festival<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first mistake was quickly followed by the second, which was that the spot we had chosen was firmly in the shade and subject to strong gusts of wind; the second mistake was the restaurant\/caf\u00e9 itself. Foodwise, it had not been a good choice, even for snack standards, although I did enjoy my pint of Leffe!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might infer that having crossed Honeymoon Bridge we would be plunged into the troubled world of real life, but this was not the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n