I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 97 Food Politics and Mikhail's Dinner
After sending the letter to Nadya, Mikhail focused on preparing for the banquet. In addition to this, Mikhail also tried to stay home as much as possible, avoiding going to the publishing house whenever possible, and rarely reading letters from readers.

Although Mikhail knew that those hot-tempered men might not actually do what they said in their letters, reading too much of it still made him uneasy.
As for hosting guests, besides needing to purchase some items, other issues also gave Mikhail a headache for a while.

One of these issues was the appropriate protocol for entertaining guests. In 18th and 19th century Russia, what a person ate in public often determined their social class.

During this period, the Russian nobility continued their tendency to admire foreign things and be overly abstract. For example, the upper class often deliberately excluded certain foods, dishes, and drinks from their lives under the pretext of being "unrefined." For the past 150 years since Peter the Great began to learn from Europe, the Russian nobility had considered Russian food to be "unrefined."

People who can't resist eating these unseemly foods are considered eccentric, miserly, or vulgar by high society.

In short, during this period, every proud and wealthy Russian nobleman's household had to have a French chef, and in addition to French cuisine, Russian nobles also gradually introduced other European dishes, such as cod and trout.

In Russia, porridge, kvass, hot honey water, and cabbage soup were not allowed at formal lunches and dinners. Nuts and beer were also looked down upon. In the time of Alexander Pushkin, these two foods were considered a sign of vulgarity and lack of manners.

Of course, the nuts that were looked down upon were in their unprocessed state, but once they were ground into crumbs and sprinkled on cakes by French chefs, they immediately became a favorite at aristocratic banquets.

After Russia fought a war with France in 1812, patriotic sentiments within Russia began to rise. As a result, some upper-class nobles would deliberately drink kvass and other local rural beverages in public to show their love for their country.

In addition, food can sometimes be linked to political leanings. For example, Decembrist Kondrati would serve cabbage and rye bread to like-minded people at secret meetings held at his home.

In Mikhail's current era, the earliest Slavophiles would also put on some performance art at their gatherings. They would mix Russian kvass with French champagne in a large silver barrel and then drink the beverage to show that they were deeply involved with the masses.

While French cuisine isn't as popular as it used to be, some genuine old St. Petersburg nobles still appreciate it. For example, when Mikhail went to the general's house for a gathering, the food was all authentic French cuisine. However, Mikhail ate so quickly that he didn't really get a good taste.
The reason for mentioning this is that Mikhail's friends come from a rather diverse social class, ranging from cooks to top-tier rich kids, and they do all sorts of jobs.

Among these people, some belong to the type with a strong sense of class consciousness. Even if they may not show it on their faces, they will still feel awkward inside.

This was actually a common problem among some aristocratic children during this period. The ideas and education they were exposed to made them unconsciously feel close to the masses, but their background and the profound influence they received in that environment also made them unconsciously display aristocratic attitudes in many situations.

As times change, the inner struggles and entanglements of this type of person become increasingly prominent, thus forming another classic image in Russian literature: the "superfluous man."

If nothing unexpected happens, Mikhail will probably write about this kind of character next, and also summarize the related literary phenomena, since this image has already been vividly described in Pushkin's "Eugene Onegin".

Such writing might have some influence on some progressive young nobles. After all, literature always has the function of awakening people. Even if it doesn't have a big impact on some people, as long as it does influence a few people, then at certain special times, this influence will be very obvious.

So, to be honest, not many people actually knew that Mikhail had moved. And if you think about it carefully, Mikhail realized that the people he was closest to were actually a group of poor friends. Lao Bie and Lao Nie were typical examples. Even though they had become much richer along with Mikhail, they probably hadn't adapted to the change in their status yet.

In this light, Panaev and Turgenev might be the ones who need some consideration.

To be honest, although Mikhail is much wealthier now, the magazine is still in its early stages, and expenses are high in all aspects. It's not his turn to get rich as the publisher yet, so he certainly can't afford a genuine French chef. He can only hire a well-regarded female cook and use some high-end ingredients for now.

Mikhail did explain this to Old Pa and Old Tu, who was preparing to return recently.

When they learned of Mikhail's slight concern, they both laughed and said, "Don't worry, Mikhail, we know your situation. Your concern is unnecessary. Do you think we don't know your financial situation?"

Mikhail: “?”

Just wait until I surpass you two.
After settling these somewhat complicated matters, Mikhail was a little flustered, but in any case, the first banquet held at his home was about to begin.

The time was set for late evening, as only at this time could Mikhail's friends in the apartment escape their daily work and enjoy a period of rest.

Mikhail's house is much larger now, but there are not many more people. Mikhail has not yet recruited any maids or other servants, which are usually found in wealthy families. Therefore, even though the living room is decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations because of the banquet, it looks rather deserted at first glance.

However, as time went on, Mikhail's guests gradually arrived.

The first to appear were the burly landlady Pavlovna and the seemingly timid old maid Nastasya. While Pavlovna was happy for Mikhail's lively new home, she couldn't help but sigh.

Seeing the regret on her face, Mikhail wisely refrained from pressing the matter. Instead, he smiled and looked at Nastasya, who seemed somewhat reserved, and said, "What's wrong? Go find a place to sit down. Didn't you bring a cat with you earlier? Why do you seem like you don't recognize me now?"

“You look almost like a gentleman now, Mikhail!” Seeing Mikhail’s smile, which seemed not much different from before, Nastasia, whose status in Russia was indeed somewhat low, relaxed a little and said cheerfully, “If you didn’t see it with your own eyes, no one would believe it!”
Pavlovna has recently started trying to sell your little attic, but no matter what she says, very few people believe you've ever lived in a place like that! They say, "You mean Mikhail lived in a place like that? I admit it's a funny joke, but if it were that gentleman, with his talent, he could easily afford a place ten times better!"

Mikhail: “?”

It's not that easy; young people are still too naive.
If you think about it carefully, Mikhail has endured more than half a year of hardship from the very beginning until now.

"Because so many people didn't believe it, Pavlova was furious. In the end, she simply decided not to rent it out anymore and planned to seal off that little room once you became more famous! Anyone who wanted to take a peek would have to pay ten kopeks!"

Mikhail: “.”

Wow, that's a brilliant idea, and it actually seems like it could work.
Mikhail talked with the two for a while, and seeing that they had relaxed, he let them go in and sit down. Not long after, the junior civil servant Smirnov arrived with his family, and he was still bickering with the small merchant Versilov who was with him as they walked.

Upon meeting Mikhail, Smirnov immediately said to him, "Look at this gentleman! He told me on the way that he gave you a whole set of furniture for free! If I hadn't asked you about it beforehand, I might have actually believed him!"

However, there's one good thing: I'll have more jokes to tell, plus another ridiculous businessman's story!

“This is not ridiculous, Smirnov.”

Habitually inflating his numbers, Versilov, who hadn't expected to be exposed, continued to argue despite a slight blush on his face: "At the price I gave to dear Mikhail, I was practically giving it away! If you were buying it, I would definitely increase the price by more than five times!"

Go to hell!

Hearing the familiar noise, Mikhail simply shook his head and smiled before inviting them to the dining table.

The table for this banquet was custom-made by Mikhail; it was a long table that could seat nearly twenty people, which should be enough to accommodate the guests Mikhail was hosting.

After they were seated, a short while later, Belinsky, Nekrasov, and Old Tu, who had recently returned from the countryside, along with Old Dostoevsky who had come to join in the fun, appeared at Mikhail's door.

Their arrival caused those already seated at the table to fall silent. Even the usually cheerful junior civil servant, Smirnov, seemed momentarily at a loss.

There was no doubt that they had seen Mikhail's friends before, but only from afar. This was the first time they had met them in such a formal setting.

However, this delicate atmosphere did not last long. As Mikhail invited Belinsky and the others to sit down, and also eased the tension, and with Mikhail serving them some vodka and other drinks, after a few drinks, the atmosphere naturally became lively again.

Faced with this occasion, which seemed unusual in contemporary Russia, Belinsky appeared quite excited, talking incessantly to those around him while also glancing at Mikhail and saying:
“Look, Mikhail, if everyone can sit together like this in the future, talk, drink happily, and discuss all sorts of things, then the best of times will surely come.”

To be honest, Belinsky and Mikhail's friends in the apartment had a lot to talk about. After all, in some ways, Belinsky's situation was not much different from theirs, except that he was working as a long-term laborer in a different form.

Faced with such a situation, Turgenev, who had just returned from the countryside, seemed to be the one who was not quite used to it. For a young nobleman like him who had always wanted to climb into high society, the scene before him was even quite surprising.

If it weren't for Mikhail, he probably wouldn't have had this opportunity.

Although he was somewhat unaccustomed to it, Turgenev did not appear too uncomfortable. Instead, he showed a thoughtful expression. Ever since Mikhail mentioned a novel like "A Hunter's Sketches" to him, Turgenev had actually started writing, but perhaps because he had not been back for a long time, he was unable to put pen to paper.

But witnessing this scene today, Turgenev seemed to gradually understand what he truly lacked.
When he snapped out of his deep thoughts, he said a few words to the people present, and then suddenly found Mikhail somewhat annoyed and quietly asked, "Mikhail, why does Vesalion keep staring at me? It's like I've done something terrible, but I swear, I haven't done anything except read lately!"

"I really don't know."

Just as Mikhail's gaze began to wander, new guests arrived one after another. When someone Mikhail knew very well arrived, a pair of strong arms firmly embraced him, and then Dmitry's cheerful voice rang out:

"It's been a long time, Mikhail! I'm so happy to see you like this! I'm sorry that I'm only now formally congratulating you, but I really have some good news to tell you today. I'll tell you after the banquet; it's the thing you used to love the most!"

Mikhail, whose eyes were black: "."

What are they mumbling about? I can't hear a word they're saying.
(End of this chapter)