The program “Family Studio” goes to visit the mother of six-year-old Jānis and the producer of the program “Zinamais nezinamaama” Sarmīte Kolāte.
She is currently working behind the scenes on both radio and television, writing for the print press and Internet portals, as well as giving lectures to journalism students, but – as is often the case in “Family Studios” recordings – asked to apply, Sarmīte starts with Jānis’ mother .
Public perceptions of what the right family is like are disturbing, she admits at the end of the conversation and jokes that single mothers are also interested in new skirts and parties.
That is why today our focus is on them as a full-fledged family – Sarmīte and Jānis – with their story about how their two everyday life and celebrations take place.
Also about the work of the producer of the radio broadcast and how Sarmīte feels in her surname Kolāte in this house and organization called Latvijas Radio.
“Radio has always been played in the background since childhood – both in Riga and in the countryside,” says Sarmīte. “Grandmother said: turn first Riga, then you have to listen there, especially the weather. It all depends on the weather, when we mow the wall, when other works. When something is inaccurate, the news reader is blamed. There were cases when Dzintris Kolāts was blamed. [Sarmītes tētis]because he promised something that is not, or vice versa. “
The radio house for Sarmīte is associated with Sandra Glasups, whom she met from time to time, and she always said: “Sarmīt, how have you grown!” Now, at the last meeting, she doesn’t say that anymore. “I understand that I have grown up,” says Sarmīte.
Sarmīte admits that she likes Radio, and she is the third in the Kolāti family to work for Latvian Radio.
Both her father and younger sister Elīna have worked here.
“There is a feeling that I have a quilt around me. It is a very safe feeling to be in that team. It is also cool that the understanding of what journalism is and what media work is is similar, and I think it is right. It gives a lot of freedom. and responsibility. You are trusted both in the choice of content and topics, and in the form in which you do it, “says Sarmīte.
She reveals that in the background, when not working, Latvian Radio 1 plays. But together with Jānis, they both watch “Panorama” in the evenings.
“I also think it is very important to raise a child as a citizen, that he is interested in what is happening in Latvia and in the world, that he will definitely be the one to go to the polls, that he has no one who doesn’t care what is happening in this country opinion, “admits Sarmite.
Sometimes both have disputes as to why there is a “Panorama” in the evening, not cartoons, but now it’s cartoon time.
Sarmīte and Jānis are a family that conservative people call a non-traditional family. She shares the boy’s upbringing and care responsibilities with John’s father. Sarmīte says that both of Jānis’ dads act according to their feelings and needs.
“When there is an unpleasant and painful process related to divorce, it seems why something is not happening the way I want. The imaginary agreement, which does not exist, does not come true,” Sarmīte mentions.
She admits that it is convenient for both of them that Jānis has spent much more time with his father during this “covidaika” than before. But remembering the time of her divorce, she says that people are in a sense ashamed that they are divorced.
“Although there are many divorced families in Latvia, when people face such a reality, they do not really accept it. It is difficult for women to say that they are divorced,” says Sarmīte. She also tells a case from her life that it has not been easy to explain to others that she is no longer with her husband. She helped herself by attending support groups for single parents.
“It disrupts the notion of what a real family is. When a divorce takes place, it is also a problematic aspect that prevents families from normalizing as soon as possible, establishing good relationships with each other,” Sarmīte believes.
She points out that the best interests of the child are paramount in media discourse when it comes to divorce. “Of course it is, but
somehow it is forgotten that it actually hurts those adults the most. Everything about children is how adults deal with it.
Too little attention is paid to the feelings of the divorced man and woman. It is not respected that they need time to go through the mourning phases. It is clear that they can not pull in, but the other ‘s feelings must be taken into account, “admits Sarmīte.
The conversation, as usual on Fridays, takes place in the kitchen, because Sarmīte is happy to prepare and even today kindly agreed to share with the listeners two recipes, which she loves herself.
During the conversation, Sarmīte reveals that she has many cookbooks, and at one time she also collected cookbooks from the Soviet era. She draws inspiration from them, but doesn’t look at specific grams or vegetables to add.
“Everything can be replaced, you just have to look to have different flavors combined, not just sweet or sour, to have wider dimensions, that we add something bitter or sour, or salty. And in the end everything turns into umami or delicious,” admits Sarmīte.
Cannons in the Sarmite version
Bologna sauce must be prepared first. Stew in a pan minced meat, celery stalks, onion, carrot, garlic. Add spices such as a mixture of Mediterranean herbs, salt, pepper. Then put the tomatoes in their juice or something similar. Stew the classic Bologna sauce for as long as possible.
For bechamel sauce, put butter in a saucepan and melt it with flour. When a homogeneous mass is formed, add milk and stir, slowly allowing a little thickening. You can add a little grated nutmeg, salt and pepper to the finished product.
You can also add grated cheese to the sauce (or sprinkle the cheese on the already filled canelons).
Then fill the canononi paste with Bologna sauce. Arrange in a baking dish and pour over the bechamel sauce. To make the result juicier, it is good to put a self-made foil lid or something similar on the dish at the beginning. Make sure that the edges of the cannononi are moistened and you can see it again halfway through baking. Allow to cook for the last 10 minutes without the lid.
Especially juicy apple cake
Ingredients for the dough:
- 10 tbsp. premium wheat flour,
- 8 tbsp. icing sugar,
- 8 tbsp. milk,
- 4 tbsp. oils (sunflower, olive or vegetable),
- 2 waves,
- 3 tbsp. almond flour,
- 1 pack of baking powder (14g),
- a little rum.
For the top layer:
- 2 waves,
- 110 g butter,
- 110 g icing sugar,
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract or 2 tbsp. sugar.
More: 3 apples.
Preparation: Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease a pan 23 or 26 cm in diameter with removable edges and spread on parchment paper. In a bowl, mix all the dough ingredients with a wooden spoon or mixer, just enough to make the dough smooth and homogeneous. Pour into the form of dough and sprinkle apples on top. Put in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a pan, melt the butter very slowly, then add the icing sugar, stir to melt. Remove from the flame and only after the cake is baking time, add the eggs to the butter. Whisk lightly with a whisk, add vanilla and mix again. Pour on top of the half-baked cake and put back in the oven. Bake for another 20 minutes, until the top is beautifully brownish golden.
–
