I walk into the store just like I walk into my house. I’ll take 10 minutes to find the one specific frozen bag stored somewhere between isle 7’s mini pizzas and perogies. My  large school bag slips off my shoulder frequently, unable to sink itself into my collar bone. I breathe deeply and let the freezer’s air waft into my face. The nostalgia of my younger years rushes back to me, of me having to stretch on my tippy toes and reach my arm out as far as possible. Good routines always last a while, because even though I’ve grown and I don’t have to struggle anymore, the memories stay put. I shift the frozen bag around. It feels as though I'm carrying little rocks in my hands. I pay for my pelmeni, the cashier’s attitude as cold as my hands. I venture home, excited to experience the joy of pelmeni once again.  The moment I step foot into my home, my two timelines start. The pelmeni takes 30 seconds to rip open, it takes 30 seconds to unpack my school bag. It takes 10 minutes to boil, and all I need is 10 minutes to be ready for practice. It takes a minute to plate and to add the sour cream, just as it takes 1 minute to calm my nerves down before a recital. This planned out schedule that I’ve followed since I was 7 and a half always gave us just enough time to sit down at my family’s empty pine dining table. My family spewing nonsense, rushing about their day, using up the 5 minutes we have together before continuing into our hectic lives. I've never had time to make a dish from scratch, let alone remember when I've baked something with my family, however the pelmeni that takes just 10 minutes to boil tastes just as good to me. Even though the bag only costs $12.99, the happiness it brings is priceless.

​recipe:
one bag of frozen pelmeni
boil inside pot of water for 10 minutes
serve with sour-cream