Page 69 - @ccess 2 Reader´s Book

all over Russia, and each and every place I went to, be
that a small wooden house in the middle of a Siberian
forest, or the large luxurious office of a government
clerk in Chechnya, I was invited to have a cup of tea,
and with tea came, inevitably, sweets. Some of these
sweets would be challenging not just challenging
calorie-wise; certain caramels would be (adj.):
hard as a rock and require extra effort to desafiante
barnacle (n.):
digest, and a certain type of candy, chewy percebe, lapa
otherwise
and sugary, would tend to stick to one’s (adv.): de otra
teeth like a barnacle. But the challenge of manera
Russian tea-drinking goes both ways, and it can be
quite demanding for the host, who feels obligated to
treat guests to desserts which otherwise could have
been saved for solitary consumption. There is a popular
joke about a host who serves her guest tea along with
a plate of freshly baked jam-filled pirozhki, and seeing
the guest quickly consuming the baked goods, she
exclaims, “Eat, my dear guest, eat and enjoy your sixth
pie, no one counts how many you eat!” And another
classic joke: “How many spoons of sugar do you usually
have with your tea?” “It depends. Two if I am at home,
four if I am a guest.” “Then make yourself at home!”

Yes, Russians do drink vodka. However, the next
time your curiosity about Russian culture begins to
arise, you might want to try asking your friend for a
cup of tea instead. You will talk, and you will drink, and
if all this caffeine will keep you awake all night long,
don’t you worry. Russians have lots of stories to tell,
and the night will pass by quickly. Just don’t forget to
bring the sweets: cookies, chocolates, caramels. And
maybe even a cake.

Adapted from: https://goo.gl/twqFuA

68 Reader's Book