vappu

I guess you've really become an adult when you celebrate Vappu, First of May, with plenty of eating instead of plenty of partying. That's what I did - and I much preferred it. This year I even skipped the May Day picnic.

The one tradition I very much want to keep alive is the First of May lunch (or perhaps lunner) at my sister's. This is something we started I guess the first year I lived in Helsinki, before she started dating J, my brother-in-law, and I think we've repeated it most years since. My sister is an amazing cook and I really miss cooking and eating together - another thing we used to do when living in a same city, first the two of us, then J came along and we all cooked together, and then when A was born my duty was to keep him happy while the others cooked (when I say "duty" I really mean "pleasure"). I miss all this so much it might be one of the main reasons why I want to move back to Helsinki when it's possible. I used to feel bad about it, but hey, if being with the people you love isn't a good reason for changing cities, then what is?




So this year we celebrated with the addition of the Boy. It felt extra special to have this little party with my sister this year, as she has been through a lot with her cancer in the past few months, most of which I can't even understand. It's times like this when you really remember to appreciate what you have - and I'm happy to see many May Day lunches in the future.




Sister had really outdone herself. We started with pink cava (courtesy of the Boy) or pear lemonade and cute asparagus pastries sister had made with A (A is taking after his parents and showing some serious interest in baking). Then we had my favourite, a wonderful spring salad with strawberries, walnuts, brie and avocado; lamb and fennel with honey sauce; and last but not least, a devil's food cake (my contribution to the meal) with mascarpone, quark and raspberry filling.





The cake was absolutely delicious although very rich and the five of us didn't manage to eat even half of it on one go. It didn't matter - the Boy and I took a chunk of it home with us, and I ate it for breakfast on both Sunday and Monday.