The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1879-07-23
Russian Tea Houses.

from Nj. Lecocq's last operetta. But for
| this tune, and for the fact that some Gus
toners are seated at little wooden tables
driu king tea, you might fancy yourself
in a ritualist church. A statuette of the
Virgin, fronted by night light always
Pickering in its bath of oil, stands in
proximity to the yellow advertisement
of an English firm that exports bitter
beer, and a glaringly-illuminated por-
trait of st. Isaac, who is, perhaps, the
patron saint of the landlord faces the
play-bill of the Imperial Theater of
French Comedians. We are in a Mos
cow tea-house 1t differs from the new
tangled cafes in having no looking glasses
or velvet settees. There is pile of
cushions in the corner near the counter,
where the landlady sits with spangled
diadem, neither reading or sewing, but
Just folding her arms and smiling vaguely
| till walters shall come and ask her for
small change. When habitue of the
tea-house enters he signs himself before
the statuette bows to st. Isaac, perhaps,
and makes for the pile of cushiC MS
where he selects his own and carries il
to the wooden bench on which he is
| going to sit. Regular customers keep
! their private cushions at the tea-house,
! just as Germans keep their pipes and
! schoppen ut the brauerei. If a stranger
! comes in, one of the walters in white
! linen tunics, with red-topped knee-boots,
| brings him a folded red rug to sit down
| upon. These walters are not always
! Russian; in a good tea-house there will
| be one or two Germans speaking french,
/ but they all wear the mUjick costume
and have their hair clipped short. They
never ask n Russian customer what he
wants; they bring him small brass
samovar containing about a pint of tea,
half q lemon and cruet of vodki. The
charge for this refreshment is five
copecks.
! A Russian goes to the tea-house to
drink tea only, with flavor of spirits
in it; if he wants other beverages, he
drinks them at home. In summer he
takes cold tea instead of hot, and
| squeezes more lemons than vodlIi into it !;
that is all the difference. He seldom
| takes sugar, and the waiter does not
! present it unless asked for. Cigarettes
are the rule in the tea-houses, not pipes
or cigars; and the Russian never twirls
! them himself Spanish fashion, but buys
them ready-made. On his saying
"Papyros," the waiter brings him a
polished brass plate holding Il dozen
! loose cigarettes of divers dimensions and
of three colors-white, buff and pink
| The last are the most delicate in flavor.
and are reserved for the bOnne bOuche.
The Russian epicure begins with the
white ones, and rs he sits divested of
his furrcd touloupa and wrapped in his
cattan, with his head leaning against the
wainscot, and dreamily beating time to
the music of the organ, he offers a per-
feet picture of Oriental repose. The
wainscots are marked with rows of
greasy black circles made by the heads
of customers. There is scarcely more
talking than in Turkish cafe; but Off
cials in uniform, who may have imbibed
the tastes of the West, sometimes got up
games of cards, and intersperse their
Play with squeaking iuterjections ex-
pressive of their emotions at winning
or losing. Only second-rate officials
| patronize the tea-hOuses; and if haply a
parsonage of colonels rank strolls in
with his crosses on his bosom, all the
other customers stand up and salam.
For this reason an honorary Russian
colonel (perhaps an upper telegraph
| clerk) when he receives a foreigner will
generally take him off to the tea-house,
| in order to give him an idea of what
| digniti1s are in Russia.
The prudent reserve which Russians
exhibit in the tea-houses does not ore
vent them from engaging very readily
in conversation with any foreigner who
chooses to introduce himself; only the
foreigner will hear from them nothing
but praise unstinted about everybody
and everything that he may talk of
The doors open twenty times in an even
ing to admit itinerant sellers of food; fol
no edibles eXcepo biscuits are sold by the
landlord. An old woman, booted, nut.
fled and wrapped in a sheepskin, comes
in with basket of hard boiled eggs
salted sardines (Which taste like the Skin
of red herring), and little rolls. Then
comes girl with selvas, or apple-cakes
then man with slabs of raw ham OF
German sausage; then another with ;
portable stove, which he installs in the
middle of a tea-house, that he may cool
fritters for all who may order them
The walters provide salt, wooden plat
ters and knives to the customers for
charge of a copeck; and as the refresh
ments sold by the hawkers are very
cheap, mah may get long supper a
no great cost.
The tea sold in the tea-houses is yer,
good, and Russians swallow surprisin!
quantities oft; three or four pints, will
IL proportionate quantity of vodki, will
not seem an excessive evenings allow
ance for a sober man. Coffee is neVe
asked for In the lower kinds of house
(where hand barrel organs discours
music) the tea is said to be rebrey
from the leaves that have been used b,
Ian ger establishments; and here it i
customary to serve the tea ready flavore
with vodki 1t makes a potent beyer
age, which will send glow all over tn
body of an iSU0Stchib (cabman) in col
weather, and make him drive his sleigI
or drosky in wild zigzags, with man
yells. In the tea-hOuses of the lowe
4 orders the shrine of the Virgin stand
! Just within the door, and a custome
would no more think of taking tea with
out paying his devotions than he woul
90 out into the snow without having hi
boots on When he has well drunk h
4 will make another stand at the shrin
0 on coming out; and ifa customer cannc
a remain quite steady on his legs durin