Year: 1878

You cannot pass day in Russia with
out learning the Russ for cup of tea,
pronounced. as nearly as 1 can convey
the sound, "Stackan tchay." Indeed,
as soon as you take a seat upon one OF
the divans, and have table drawn up
before you, the tall servant brings tea
at once, without an apparent doubt in
his mind that you would order it any
way, if you only knew how. In some
of the smaller traktirs the metal tea
kettles stand upon the fire in full view,
and you superintend the brewing of the
tea in person. Here, however, two
white teapots are brought, one large
and one small, the larger containing
hot water, and the smaller one the tea.
In place of the ordinary teacup glass
tumbler is placed before you. Now, if
YOU follow the native custom, you slowly
fill the tumbler half full of hot water,
in order to warm it thoroughly; after
which you empty the water, place the
requisite amount of sugar in the bottom,
then pour in the tea, and weaken with
water TO suit the taste. If you like a
stick in it, slice of lemon accompa-
nies the tea, and imparts pleasant
flavor.


This done you are ready to drink
that is if mouth and throat are suffi-
ciently fireproof to stand the beverage
while it is scalding hot. The native
Russian will drink tea while it fairly
boils in the glass, and does it without
the passing trace Of tear in his eye.
If you can follow the custom, you are
likely to get better tea than it will ever
be your fortune to drink again. There
is one great difficulty, however, in do
ing il. The glass has no handle, and
to pick it up in the ordinary manner Il
like handling a live coal. The only
way to obviate the difficulty is either
| to hold the thick bottom of the tumbler
in the hollow of your hand, or bend
| low enough 10 drink from it as it stands
upon the table. Neither of these meth
ods are considered particularly grace
full at home, am aware, but one or the
other you will probably adopt if you
drink tea in the native fashion. To
wait for it to cool requires too much
time, as the glass retains the heat much
longer than porcelain or crockery
cup would.


A very necessary accessory of tea
I drinking in traktir is tobacco and re-
ligion. All the guests of the Moskov-
ski were smoking between their sips of
tea. and nearly everybody made the
sign of the cross before raising the first
glass to his lips. Cigarettes were used
for the most part, though one can buy
cigars of good enough quality if will
ing TO pay an extravagant price. AL
ways expensive, the war has put the
price of cigars beyond the reach of tie
average patrons of the traStir, passa-
BILE one costing about half rouble,
war currency, or about thi-ty-eight
cents. To keep up the illusion of the
East, however, you indulge in the
more luxurious mode Of smoking 10 be
found IN pipes with large earthen
bowls of Il red color, and having long
cherry stem. As inevitable as he
brings you tea the servant brings one
of these pipes. He fills it in your pres
ence with the fragrant yellow tobacco,
lights Il with a coal, draws few
whiffs to fairly set it going, then wipes
the mouth-piece carefully and hands il
to you. By judicious smoking. one
pipe full will last half an hcur, during
which you can sip tea, watch the tea
merchants bargaining. and study the
graceful effects of the semi-Orienral
costumes they wear. .