Steak Tartar Surprise

Grandma Stella recalls her trips to Poland with Peter, where they were guests of a wealthy man, Tomaz, who offered them a special treat of raw chopped meat, leaving them aghast but unable to refuse his hospitality.

In the 1990s, Peter and I made several trips to Poland. Peter was then an advisor to a Polish man, Tomaz, who had risen to incredible wealth and success. Despite Tomaz’s lavish lifestyle, a dinner party held a shocking surprise - raw chopped meat as a special treat.

The narrative takes Grandma Stella back to the winter skiing resort of Zakopane, which Tomaz wanted them to call home. With the setting’s heavy snow and historical weight of WWII atrocities, the evening’s dinner party introduced a culinary shock - raw meat with a raw egg yolk, a traditional dish that tested the guests’ palates.

As the guests excitedly indulged in the unique dish, Grandma Stella and Peter, feeling the weight of the freshly slaughtered meat, pushed through the discomfort to respect their host’s gesture. The evening unfolded with a mix of culinary disbelief and social grace, ending with a reflective moment gazing at the moonlit Tatra mountains.

Despite Tomaz’s generous hospitality and grand plans for their relocation, Grandma Stella and Peter’s unsettling experience with the unexpected dish of raw meat left an indelible mark, making their visits to Poland memorable but complicated.