The “Mushroom” Everyone Had
Growing up in Russia, you eventually encounter a strange creature in someone’s home. People simply call it “mushroom” — or “гриб.”
It sits quietly in a jar. It looks unusual. Yet everyone seems to have one.
For years, we would keep it, forget about it, let it die, and then get another one. Usually, it came from a neighbor or a friend. The cycle continued.
At the time, I didn’t know its real name. Today, we call it a kombucha SCOBY.
Moving Countries, Losing the Culture
When I moved to France as a child, we didn’t bring a SCOBY with us. So for a while, it disappeared from my life.
Eventually, we found another one. However, I still didn’t know what to call it.
Back then, the internet was not what it is today. In fact, this was before Google became widely used. So information was hard to find.
When I shared the drink with friends, they were often confused. Some were even slightly horrified. Drinking something grown from a “mushroom” seemed strange to them.
Art School and an Unusual Idea
In 2002, I entered art school in France. A few years later, I had an unusual idea.
What if I grew SCOBYs inside shaped glass forms?
I decided to make it my main project. I created molds, thermoformed glass, and spent a full year experimenting. Each SCOBY grew into unexpected shapes.
At the time, I still didn’t fully understand what I was working with. I only knew what my mother had told me. The culture came from China. It was shared like kefir. When it grew too large, you divided it and gave part away.
A Surprising Discovery
Then one day, I came across a strange piece of information.
According to a magazine, Madonna drank a tea-based beverage made with sugar and a mysterious culture.
That was my moment of realization.
This “mushroom” had a name. It was kombucha.
From Underground Culture to Mainstream
A few years later, I moved to the United States. By then, kombucha was everywhere. You could buy it in most stores.
Out of curiosity, I tried it. However, something had changed.
When it was rare, it felt special. It connected people. It was shared quietly, from one home to another.
Once it became mainstream, I lost interest.
That may explain why, despite being a tea lover, I never wrote about kombucha before.
An Experiment That Stayed With Me
Still, that year-long project remains one of my most unusual experiences.
I shaped glass. I grew living forms. I explored the boundary between craft, biology, and art.
At one point, I even considered growing SCOBYs in a bathtub.
Looking back, it feels both strange and meaningful.
A Living Culture
Kombucha is not just a drink.
It is a living culture; biological, but also social. It moves from person to person. It adapts. It transforms.
And sometimes, it even becomes art.
This experiment sits somewhere between tea and art. If you’re curious about my broader work in visual art, you can explore more on my portfolio. I also write more personal reflections on culture and language on my Substack, Dreams in All Languages.