Yet who would have thought the old "beet" to have had so much blood in him?

Yea, well, you'd be ripping off Lady Macbeth too if you had just grated 6 beets into your borscht and stained your palms a delightful shade of magenta.
"All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand" and ya know why? Just before serving, this recipe has you add some lemon juice and ten, count 'em, TEN squashed cloves of garlic. So not only are my hands purple, but they stink.

And the Borscht? Pretty good. I remember it tasting fantastic (rather than just good) when Halla made it for our book group to go with our discussion of Everything is Illuminated. But maybe it was the fact that someone else had made it and I didn't have purple stinky hands that pushed it up a notch from good to fantastic. Or maybe it was the effect of good company, good wine and a really good book that elevated the eating experience. But still, it was a pretty decent beefy, beety, dilly, garlicy bowl of heartiness which had the intended effect of helping me tolerate yet another sunless winter day.

And if you too are in need of a winter antidote, or if you just want the recipe, go here.