Haha, about that cardboard chimney, it's just a small DIY thing, a piece of cardboard rolled up and inserted in the center of the pie. I really should've taken a picture; it would've been more illustrative.

Sounds like you had a delicious feast! Handmade pierogi and kielbasi from an Eastern European store, pasca bread, potato salad, and sauerkraut... yum! I can imagine how stuffed you must've been, haha, but hey, it's worth it.

And you're right, luckily, it's just once a year. Here in France, the oysters were contaminated due to the numerous storms we've had, so if you catch the French news, you'll see that about a third of French people are currently dealing with gastroenteritis. Oops 😅