Name and costume origins for Bliniposhka Ninja
Blini: plural noun, singular blin. Russian Cookery.
Pancakes made with yeast and either white or buckwheat flour and traditionally served during Shrovetide with caviar and sour cream. – [blini. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved July 31, 2016 from Dictionary.com websitehttp://www.dictionary.com/browse/blini]
Eric didn’t have many culinary skills. Cold pizza was always a good option. Ramen noodles were easy and cheap. Anything that could be thrown in the microwave was fair game as long as it didn’t require any kind of other preparation.
The one thing that he could cook better than everyone else he knew – blini. His Russian grandmother taught him how to make the delicate, delicious pancakes. They spent weekend after weekend making blini in grandma’s Bliniposhka pan and eating them with all sorts of fillings, both sweet and savory.
After seeing the family Eric thought back to his time with his grandma. She was always willing to spare some blini for the random passer-by or neighbor who dropped in. Everyone was invited to eat when grandma cooked. She was generous in other ways as well, but Eric knew he couldn’t house the family. He would have to just do what he could, which was make blini. Night after night, Eric went to the alley with his blini. He fed more than just that family as word got out about the tasty pancakes.
One night Eric thought he would get fancy with his cooking. He was feeling good about himself, and there was a great song on the radio. He poured the batter into his Bliniposhka pan, and when the time felt right, he flicked his wrist. This was a move that his grandma did not teach him and with good reason. The pancake stuck to the pan for just a moment longer than Eric expected. Then it flipped up into the air and landed on Eric’s face. The hot batter burned, and Eric panicked while clawing eyeholes. His flailing arm knocked the flour into the fan, which dispersed the flour into the air. When the flour molecules hit the open flame of the stove top, they ignited and exploded in Eric’s face.
The freak accident put Eric in the hospital for weeks, and the resulting burns to his face were repulsive. When he was finally recovered enough to be released from the hospital, Eric felt bad for himself. He wanted to help feed people again, but he didn’t want to disturb their appetites with the way he looked. The he remembered the blin that had hit him in the face. He was able to make eyeholes, and he was sure that he could make a mouth hole.
Eric decided to test his theory. He cooked up another pancake and made eyes and a mouth in it. He attached the blin to his face with honey. He thought it looked kind of scary, but scary was better than disgusting. Eric cooked up a huge pile of blini, and with the pan attached to his waist, he walked down to the alley.
It had been a while since he last saw the place, and it was relatively the same. There were a lot of new faces and some familiar ones. Eric handed out blini to everyone. Some people looked at him weirdly, but they all welcomed the Russian delicacy. Eric had distributed all of his pancakes and was leaving the alley when a black truck pulled up. There were 2 men in the cab and 2 in the back of the truck. They all got out carrying bats.
Continued below the ad.
Pancakes made with yeast and either white or buckwheat flour and traditionally served during Shrovetide with caviar and sour cream. – [blini. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved July 31, 2016 from Dictionary.com websitehttp://www.dictionary.com/browse/blini]
Eric didn’t have many culinary skills. Cold pizza was always a good option. Ramen noodles were easy and cheap. Anything that could be thrown in the microwave was fair game as long as it didn’t require any kind of other preparation.
The one thing that he could cook better than everyone else he knew – blini. His Russian grandmother taught him how to make the delicate, delicious pancakes. They spent weekend after weekend making blini in grandma’s Bliniposhka pan and eating them with all sorts of fillings, both sweet and savory.
After seeing the family Eric thought back to his time with his grandma. She was always willing to spare some blini for the random passer-by or neighbor who dropped in. Everyone was invited to eat when grandma cooked. She was generous in other ways as well, but Eric knew he couldn’t house the family. He would have to just do what he could, which was make blini. Night after night, Eric went to the alley with his blini. He fed more than just that family as word got out about the tasty pancakes.
One night Eric thought he would get fancy with his cooking. He was feeling good about himself, and there was a great song on the radio. He poured the batter into his Bliniposhka pan, and when the time felt right, he flicked his wrist. This was a move that his grandma did not teach him and with good reason. The pancake stuck to the pan for just a moment longer than Eric expected. Then it flipped up into the air and landed on Eric’s face. The hot batter burned, and Eric panicked while clawing eyeholes. His flailing arm knocked the flour into the fan, which dispersed the flour into the air. When the flour molecules hit the open flame of the stove top, they ignited and exploded in Eric’s face.
The freak accident put Eric in the hospital for weeks, and the resulting burns to his face were repulsive. When he was finally recovered enough to be released from the hospital, Eric felt bad for himself. He wanted to help feed people again, but he didn’t want to disturb their appetites with the way he looked. The he remembered the blin that had hit him in the face. He was able to make eyeholes, and he was sure that he could make a mouth hole.
Eric decided to test his theory. He cooked up another pancake and made eyes and a mouth in it. He attached the blin to his face with honey. He thought it looked kind of scary, but scary was better than disgusting. Eric cooked up a huge pile of blini, and with the pan attached to his waist, he walked down to the alley.
It had been a while since he last saw the place, and it was relatively the same. There were a lot of new faces and some familiar ones. Eric handed out blini to everyone. Some people looked at him weirdly, but they all welcomed the Russian delicacy. Eric had distributed all of his pancakes and was leaving the alley when a black truck pulled up. There were 2 men in the cab and 2 in the back of the truck. They all got out carrying bats.
Continued below the ad.
“ALRIGHT, YOU BUMS! IF YOU ARE JUST GONNA BE A CANCER IN SOCIETY, WE’RE GONNA CUT YOU OUT!” The men swung their bats at the homeless that they could get close to.
Something snapped in Eric. He was no match for 4 men with bats, but bullies could often be cowed with a showing of bravado. “STOP!”
The men turned toward him. Eric usually thought it was best to go unnoticed. However, it was too late for that.
“LOOK AT THIS FREAK!” shouted one of the men. “Hey, sideshow, what’s wrong with your face?” The man pointed and laughed.
“These people are just down on their luck. They just need a little help and time, and they deserve compassion and respect.” Eric stammered and inwardly cursed his voice for betraying him. He needed bravado, but he didn’t deliver.
“HEY! PANCAKE FACE IS A BLEEDING HEART LIBERAL! LET’S KICK THE CRAP OUT OF HIM!”
Eric grab his pan and held it in front of him in a defensive posture. The 4 men approached swinging their bats nonchalantly. “Hey, circus freak, what you got there? A pan? You gonna sauté us something?”
This was going to be a slaughter, thought Eric. The first man swung his bat, and Eric stepped back. The bat missed Eric’s face by a whisker, and Eric stepped back into the man and hit him with the blini pan to the back of the head. The resulting clang was satisfying as it sent the first man flying forward.
A piece of the blin that was covering Eric’s face came loose and blocked his vision. Eric quickly pulled the blin off and flung toward the closest attacker. The blin stuck to the attacker and caused enough confusion to distract him. Eric stepped by the man while bringing his blini pan in under the man’s chin. The assailant’s neck snapped back hard, and he collapsed to the ground.
Eric was already facing the third attacker who was mid swing. Unfortunately, all Eric could do was get his free arm up to block the blow. The resulting crack of bones was both ugly and painful. He was going to need a frequent visitor card for the hospital he thought as he brought his pan into the man’s ribs. There was a nice crack that Eric followed in with a knee to the same area. The man collapsed in a heap and appeared to have trouble catching his breath.
The fourth man looked at his 3 companions and held up his hands in supplication. Eric’s left arm was hanging loosely at his side. The man saw this and decide that he had enough of an advantage that he could win this battle. He stepped forward and twirled his bat in a flourish. This gave Eric just enough time to hit the man in the wrist holding the bat. The bat went tumbling away as Eric brought his pan up in a wax-on, wax-off maneuver. The man dropped to the ground and Eric applied a knee to his face.
Eric turned around to see what had happened. He had never been in a fight before, and he had no idea how he had gotten the upper hand on these 4 men. Of course, he had suffered his own wound, but the results were amazing. He pulled out his phone and dialed 9-1-1. While explaining to the operator what had happened, Eric opened the truck door with his one good hand, put the vehicle in drive and let it idle straight into a brick wall.
Soon the police and 3 ambulances had arrived on scene. When the press got a hold of the story, they dubbed Eric “Bliniposhka Ninja.” His exploits gained him some fame, but he still had to get a lawyer to defend his actions. Everyone agreed that it was self-defense, but it still left Eric with lawyer fees that after 2 stints in the hospital, he could ill afford.
Eric can’t feed the world even with his Bliniposhka pan. You can help. Check out the Legacy Initiative in Utah, or find the nearest food bank and make a donation. The National Healthcare for the Homeless Council, citing a study released in 2009, says that medical debt caused 62% of the 1 million bankruptcies in 2007.
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, in 2014 about 45 percent of homeless people report indicators of mental health problems and 25% of those have serious mental health issues. In 2015, 8% of the homeless were veterans, and just over a third of those who experienced homelessness were people in families.
Not all people who are hungry are homeless. According to feedingamerica.org, 14% of households in America were food insecure in 2014.
Read how Eric got involved with feeding the hungry.
Something snapped in Eric. He was no match for 4 men with bats, but bullies could often be cowed with a showing of bravado. “STOP!”
The men turned toward him. Eric usually thought it was best to go unnoticed. However, it was too late for that.
“LOOK AT THIS FREAK!” shouted one of the men. “Hey, sideshow, what’s wrong with your face?” The man pointed and laughed.
“These people are just down on their luck. They just need a little help and time, and they deserve compassion and respect.” Eric stammered and inwardly cursed his voice for betraying him. He needed bravado, but he didn’t deliver.
“HEY! PANCAKE FACE IS A BLEEDING HEART LIBERAL! LET’S KICK THE CRAP OUT OF HIM!”
Eric grab his pan and held it in front of him in a defensive posture. The 4 men approached swinging their bats nonchalantly. “Hey, circus freak, what you got there? A pan? You gonna sauté us something?”
This was going to be a slaughter, thought Eric. The first man swung his bat, and Eric stepped back. The bat missed Eric’s face by a whisker, and Eric stepped back into the man and hit him with the blini pan to the back of the head. The resulting clang was satisfying as it sent the first man flying forward.
A piece of the blin that was covering Eric’s face came loose and blocked his vision. Eric quickly pulled the blin off and flung toward the closest attacker. The blin stuck to the attacker and caused enough confusion to distract him. Eric stepped by the man while bringing his blini pan in under the man’s chin. The assailant’s neck snapped back hard, and he collapsed to the ground.
Eric was already facing the third attacker who was mid swing. Unfortunately, all Eric could do was get his free arm up to block the blow. The resulting crack of bones was both ugly and painful. He was going to need a frequent visitor card for the hospital he thought as he brought his pan into the man’s ribs. There was a nice crack that Eric followed in with a knee to the same area. The man collapsed in a heap and appeared to have trouble catching his breath.
The fourth man looked at his 3 companions and held up his hands in supplication. Eric’s left arm was hanging loosely at his side. The man saw this and decide that he had enough of an advantage that he could win this battle. He stepped forward and twirled his bat in a flourish. This gave Eric just enough time to hit the man in the wrist holding the bat. The bat went tumbling away as Eric brought his pan up in a wax-on, wax-off maneuver. The man dropped to the ground and Eric applied a knee to his face.
Eric turned around to see what had happened. He had never been in a fight before, and he had no idea how he had gotten the upper hand on these 4 men. Of course, he had suffered his own wound, but the results were amazing. He pulled out his phone and dialed 9-1-1. While explaining to the operator what had happened, Eric opened the truck door with his one good hand, put the vehicle in drive and let it idle straight into a brick wall.
Soon the police and 3 ambulances had arrived on scene. When the press got a hold of the story, they dubbed Eric “Bliniposhka Ninja.” His exploits gained him some fame, but he still had to get a lawyer to defend his actions. Everyone agreed that it was self-defense, but it still left Eric with lawyer fees that after 2 stints in the hospital, he could ill afford.
Eric can’t feed the world even with his Bliniposhka pan. You can help. Check out the Legacy Initiative in Utah, or find the nearest food bank and make a donation. The National Healthcare for the Homeless Council, citing a study released in 2009, says that medical debt caused 62% of the 1 million bankruptcies in 2007.
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, in 2014 about 45 percent of homeless people report indicators of mental health problems and 25% of those have serious mental health issues. In 2015, 8% of the homeless were veterans, and just over a third of those who experienced homelessness were people in families.
Not all people who are hungry are homeless. According to feedingamerica.org, 14% of households in America were food insecure in 2014.
Read how Eric got involved with feeding the hungry.