Thanks for the info, Dan. Very interesting. Tea is still big in SA too –
about 50% Ceylon & 50% Rooibos (a local herbal tea). I’ve seen cheap
varieties of podstakannik like glass holders here too – stainless steel if I
remember correctly. On thing I can’t abide is tea in a take away plastic
cup.
BTW, I went to visit the volunteer Taro "plantation" near the Olifants river
this afternoon only to find it has been decimated, probably by elephants. I
suppose it will recover if they left some roots behind.
Alan C
From: Daniel J. Matyola
Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2014 4:52 PM
To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List ; [email protected]
Subject: Re: PESO: A Glass Tea
Thanks for looking, Alan.
Although I was surrounded by samovars on display in the restaurant, the tea
was brewed in a china pot on the table, This probably is because the RTR
has a menu of dozens of teas from which to choose. Russia, along with
Ireland, is the last bastion of tea drinkers. While I almost never drink
tea, having coffee at a Russian restaurant makes about as much sense as
having tea at an Italian restaurant.
Russians almost always drink tea from glasses, rather than from china or
other cups. The glass is called a stakan, therefore the metal (usually
silver) holder is a podstakannik, literally "under the glass." This
podstakannik is rather plain in style, although quite heavy. I have a
fancy set of podstakani at home, silver replicas of the ones used used by
the Russian officers in "The Hunt for Red October."
Russian tea ("chai," similar o the words used in Japan and China) is served
with lumps of white and brown sugar. The old drinking style to to place a
small lump of sugar between the lip and teeth as one sips the tea. The RTR
also serves its tea with cherries that can be dropped into the tea to
sweeten it and add another layer of flavor.
BTW, I asked the waiter where the restaurant stood on events in Ukraine. He
clearly had been asked the question before, and said with a smile that they
are neutral, and serve food from both countries.
Dan Matyola
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