RFA: You came to Hong Kong 16 years earlier.
Oksana: Yes, Olena can be found in 2005. And I followed in 2008.
RFA: Why Hong Kong?
Oksana: We love to take a trip. And at that time we were very young, and we would take a trip with our friends, households, and just occurred to be going to Hong Kong … a couple times, really and we … simply chosen to remain..
Olena: I fulfilled my other half in London, however he happened to be based in Hong Kong. And then I pertained to visit him a few times in Hong Kong. And he came to Ukraine a variety of times. And after that he proposed me and after that I ended up in Hong Kong. However it was absolutely a good choice because I enjoy Hong Kong a lot. Its like a mix of whatever in Hong Kong– it was an extremely cosmopolitan city.
RFA: So your parents deal with you in Hong Kong?
Olena: Yeah, when they retired, they came here since I have two kids and they wish to see them grow. And they simply came and they started assisting with the restaurant and to simply be around the family. After so numerous years living here, we currently feel [ that] Hong Kong is our house– our households are here, our service is here. Whenever we go, like, taking a trip to Europe, after one week, we seem like we want to go house [to Hong Kong]
RFA: What changes have you observed in Hong Kong over the previous 16 years?
Oksana: I believe it has actually changed a bit, but we still live in sort of … in our bubble [with] our organization. We work very hard here and we still see people go and come. Since its kind of tough to make pals, this is the hardest part. They come for 3 years for their contract and they leave. And that was the hardest struggle for us to not have steady pals [who] will remain here for a long period of time. Absolutely Hong Kong is extremely safe. I imply the kids simply can go on the MTR even though my daughter is 12, she feels completely fine to go on her own. Unbelievable yet, a huge draw to stay in Hong Kong. I started with a reliant visa and after that … he got a permanent ID. And I type of got a work visa. And then [Oksana] Came on sufficient to get irreversible ID. When it comes to our parents, they are of retirement age, so when we got our long-term ID they might come and be here as a dependent. [We are] so grateful we can be together.
A sample of pan-Eastern European food served by sisters Olena Smith and Oksana Shevchuk in Dascha, their seven-year-old restaurant in Hong Kong. Credit: Olena Smith/Oksana Shevchuk.
RFA: How did you begin cooking for Ukraine?
Oksana: For the first couple of days we feel helpless due to the fact that we are here, and [there was] absolutely nothing we can do. … after a couple of days when the emotions simply relaxed down a little bit, we were believing, fine because we are here, what we can do for our country and for [ its] individuals? As you see in the news, many individuals are now in requirement, and weve been believing about how we can assist them … so we joined this project and truly chose to act … and assist by doing what we do best.
RFA: And what has the response been like?
Individuals find ways, their own methods, to support and house, some of them with great and extremely warm words, some of them with cash. Some Hong Kong individuals directly transfer funds to Red Cross Ukraine or UNICEF … any assistance counts. We just hope to raise more cash so we can assist more people.
RFA: Anything you want to say to Hongkongers?
Olena: First of all an enormous, enormous thank you. They feature anything from simply messages and words to simply being here, simply to be around, whatever counts. And we are very, extremely grateful.
RFA: How numerous individuals have been coming?
Olena: Hundreds of individuals … they come to say a few words of assistance and go, or they remain for lunch, or they purchase a cake, whatever they do, however they come, and they come, and they come, so weve been extremely overloaded in an excellent method, about how humankind can come together … in extremely severe situations. It feels truly fantastic that people can relate and can support us and can in fact feel our pain and be so caring about the situation. We join them under one umbrella as Eastern European, so for us we never felt like we have to state are you from Russia.
RFA: Can you tell us more about the dining establishment?
Oksana: Dacha was opened seven years earlier, with an idea of joining the Eastern European neighborhood, like Ukrainian, Czech Republic, you name it, all Eastern European nations in one place at the table. Like a home away from house. So this was the concept behind the restaurant. Before the dining establishment, we had an Eastern European store, the very first online store in Hong Kong to supply … items from Eastern Europe like sausages or pickles, dairy products, we had more than 300 items in store. Then later on, we chose to open the restaurant.
Olena Smith and Oksana Shevchuk sell honey cakes to help the humanitarian help effort Cook For Ukraine, a project started by Ukrainian chef Olia Hercules and Russian food writer Alissa Timoshkina. Credit: Cook for Ukraine.
The Ukrainian owners of an Eastern European restaurant in Hong Kong have actually started offering treats and meals from their hometowns to fund their countrys humanitarian efforts after the Russian invasion, they informed RFAs Cantonese Service. Smith and Shevchuk informed RFAs Cantonese Service how they came to be offering honey cakes to contribute to the humanitarian aid effort back home, under the Cook For Ukraine job begun by Ukrainian chef Olia Hercules and Russian food writer Alissa Timoshkina.
RFA: How are the people of Hong Kong reacting to your task?
Some order four cakes or five cakes for the week.
RFA: As a Ukrainian, how are you feeling right now?
Oksana: We feel discomfort, remarkable discomfort, devastation. We felt fear at very first because we dont understand whats going to take place. Huge uncertainty for our friends and family. We do not know if they are going to be safe today. Or maybe not safe tomorrow. That kind of thing. Very standard safety issues are top.
RFA: How are your household and buddies in Ukraine? Are they safe?
Oksana: Its extremely unsteady. They are out of food, out of electrical power, out of water. At this stage it is extremely like peak tension.
RFA: Can you correspond with them? Does the internet still work?
Oksana: They might be opted for 2 days and after that come back online. Fortunately, another cousin, she lives more or less in the safe area right now. So she can call her and after that report back to us. So we still keep in close touch with our family back house. To be truthful, its really brief messages. For the first couple of days it was simply crying. It was constantly– we couldnt talk because they had plenty of fear; they never experienced this before. This is the very first time ever they go through it as civilians being bombed. Whichs why at this stage, they sort of understand that for us, its important that they stay online and let us know that they are fine, we cant truly sleep. These two weeks [have been] the hardest weeks of our life. For sure. Its extremely tough to see those pictures, I inform you. Its incredibly unbearable. Its like you go through it yourself. Thats how we feel. You relive the moment and how much for them it would be stunning. I cant envision the pain [they are going] through right now. Obviously we enjoy our country … our people [are] really terrific in their method. And Ukraine is very friendly country with, I would state, 8,000 years of history. And the river, lots of towns and cities with historical buildings, [that are] truly lovely and really old. Food, tasty food. Blue sky, rich memories. Sometimes its actually beautiful, [blue] skies, lots of flowers, green trees, various trees. Its a really green country … a gorgeous nation.
RFA: Olena, do you have kids too?
She considers herself to come from here anyway. She constantly stresses … how gorgeous Hong Kong is. Were still attempting to change to whatever changes come, we just change and we continue doing our work and represent our country through food.
Equated and modified by Luisetta Mudie.
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Ukrainian honey cakes, a popular dessert in Slavic countries referred to as Medovik, are being offered in Hong Kong by sis Olena Smith and Oksana Shevchuk to fund relief efforts in the wake of the Russian invasion. Credit: Olena Smith/Oksana Shevchuk
The Ukrainian owners of an Eastern European dining establishment in Hong Kong have actually started selling snacks and meals from their hometowns to fund their nations humanitarian efforts after the Russian intrusion, they informed RFAs Cantonese Service. Some Hong Kong people directly transfer funds to Red Cross Ukraine or UNICEF … any assistance counts. Prior to the restaurant, we had an Eastern European shop, the very first online store in Hong Kong to provide … items from Eastern Europe like pickles or sausages, dairy items, we had more than 300 items in store. Olena: I satisfied my spouse in London, but he occurred to be based in Hong Kong. And then I came to visit him a few times in Hong Kong.
