Tea, of course, is ubiquitous, but the way people drink it in the United States is not the same as in Russia. Here, if you ask for tea somewhere, you're given a cup full of hot water and a teabag – there, I'm sure you can figure it out. But the best tea is made is a teapot and drunk out of mismatched flowered teacups. My grandfather grew up in a village, in a traditional Russian izba from the 1800s. He grew up not only using a teapot, but also a samovar to heat the water. Coals are inserted into the center tube, and used to build up a fire, heating the water in the main container. It's perfect for guests, because you can sit and talk, going through teapot after teapot. Of course, there are snacks to go with tea – bread with cheese or kolbasa, many jams, sweet condensed milk, candy, cookies, sushki and bubliki. The idea is to feed your guests so heavily that they have to roll home. Using a samovar takes some skill and know-how – things my grandfather possessed in spades in any given area of life, except perhaps in optimism. Now his izba is long gone, and so is he. He never visited me in the United States once I moved here for good – something about documents, and his age. Now that the pandemic has hit, I am unable to visit my old home, and perhaps by the time I can, my grandmother will be gone, as well. But tea, tea can still be found and made properly. It is best from a teapot, of course, but most importantly, drunk with a friend as you talk about everything and nothing. 

– M

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