Forced to eat kasha | Catherine the Great | Derby County | Hands to dinner | The Who’s Baba O’RileyAs someone who was forced – and I do mean forced – to eat kasha as a child (Super bowl, G2, 3 October), I can confirm that both I and my brother have suffered a lifetime’s trauma because of it. Offered it for breakfast a few years ago in Minsk, he fled the room – and my son ran after him and took up smoking that day. I was trapped and forced to eat their portions. This is the first time I have been able to talk about it. I can feel myself healing.Clive HorbackiBroadstairs, Kent• Your photo caption tells us that Helen Mirren’s Russian ancestry makes her “the perfect casting choice” to play Catherine the Great (TV review, 4 October). Except, of course, that Catherine was German, born in Stettin – which is a significant part of this extraordinary story.William WallaceLiberal Democrat, House of Lords Continue readingreadfullarticle
