Cooking class experience — learning Solyanka properly

I took a cooking class specifically to learn how to make Solyanka correctly. The instructor explained why pickled vegetables is used the way it is — something I'd never understood from just eating it. The subtly sour from fermentation result when you make it yourself is different.

Russian New Year table is the most important annual food event, laden with Olivier salad, herring under fur coat, and other Soviet-era staples. We learned how a family New Year table shapes the way this dish is eaten. The class ended with the meal and a glass of kvas. I've made it three times since and each time it improves. Highly recommend the cooking class approach.