For the past 15 years I’ve managed to always wait for my next visit to Finland so I can indulge with what in my opinion is a national institution: Karelian pies – “Karjalanpiirakat”. Since the nearest shop selling them is some 4500 kilometres away at the moment, the day indeed came when I finally bit the bullet and decided to make them myself. I’m not big into cooking – after putting materials together with tools most days, thus “cooking” ideas into physical form, making food feels like work I guess, I rarely do it for fun. Well, didn’t quite now either, as the reason for this 4-hour project was plain and simple: I had to have them. Could not go another day without eating a Karelian pie. So there was no choice really. And so, after 4 hours I had 40 Karelian pies, each looking different from the next but like my childhood saying goes: “They’ll look worse once they reach your stomach!” Now, a few hours later, half of them are gone already and there certainly won’t be any left by end of tomorrow, if I have anything to do with it. But I’m exhausted. Now I think I’ll just wait for the next visit to Finland. (Jun08)

For the adventurous among you, here’s the Karelian pie recipe in English.