Meals in Russia

The Russian custom of having meals varies from family to family but we generally eat three meals a day. They are breakfast, dinner and supper. Some people also have late afternoon tea.

Breakfast generally comes before eight o’clock in the morning, as most people start for work and the children must leave for school. Some Russian families have a light continental breakfast. But most of the families make breakfast quite a big meal of the day. It usually includes some kind of porridge, fried eggs or sausages and vegetables followed by coffee or tea.

Dinner is the main and the biggest meal of the day. Russians generally eat somewhere between one or two o’clock. The working people eat dinner away from home as a rule. Every factory and office has a dining-room or some kind of cafeteria. They generally plan some meat for dinner or fish for a change. In addition to the meat dish Russian dinner always includes some soup, potatoes or rice as garnish. They finish dinner with coffee, tea, milk or juice.

Supper is the third meal of the day and the lightest one. It comes somewhere between seven and nine o’clock in the evening. It consists of some sandwiches, fruit or biscuits and tea or hot milk.

Remember the following formulas of etiquette concerning table manners. Do you often observe them at table? Under what circumstances don’t you keep these rules? Tell your partner the new information you learnt from the text.

Table Manners

1. Sit straight and close to the table. Don’t put your elbows on the table. Don’t cross your legs or spread them all over the place under the table.

2. Never lean across the table or over your neighbours to get something out of your reach. Just say: “Please, pass the bread.” or “Would you mind passing the bread, please?”

3. Your hand is quite correct for getting a slice of bread for yourself, because it is you who is going to eat it.

4. When eating one should produce as little noise or sound as possible. It is decidedly bad manners to speak with your mouth full.

5. At a small party do not start eating until all are served. At a large party it is not necessary to wait for all. The hostess gives a signal to her guest saying: “Start eating, please.”

6. Do not empty your glass too quickly – it will be promptly refilled and you will find that you have drunk more than you intended.

7. There is no rule about eating everything on your plate to indicate that you have had enough, place knife and fork together not criss-cross.

8. Don’t hold your spoon in your fist. The fork should be held in your left hand, the knife in your right.

9. It is wrong first to cut all the meal you have got on your plate in small pieces and then eat it. Cut off a slice at a time, eat it, then cut off another, holding your knife in the right hand and your fork in the left.

10. If you have chicken, you should cut off and eat as much as possible by using your knife and fork; the remaining part eat by holding the piece in your hand by the end of the bone.

11. Fish dishes are generally eaten without using a knife. Anything that is soft enough to be comfortably eaten with spoon or fork is eaten without using a knife.

12. Never cool your food by blowing at it. Just wait a bit, there’s no hurry.

13. Don’t put your tea in your saucer. Don’t leave your spoon in the glass while drinking, put it on your saucer.

14. While eating stewed fruit one should take the stones from his mouth on his spoon and place them on his own saucer.

15. Choosing a meal in a foreign country can be a problem sometimes because dishes are called unknown names. Do not guess – ask the waiter to help you.

Brush up the knowledge of the etiquette at table by answering the questions:

1. What is the correct way to sit at table?

2. Should you use a fork or a knife for taking a slice of bread from the bread-plate?

3. What is the correct way of using a spoon, a fork and a knife?

4. How must one eat meat and fish?

5. What are the dishes for which a knife should not be used?

6. What is the right way to eat chicken?

7. What should one do with the stones while eating stewed fruit?

8. What is the appropriate place for a spoon after stirring tea?

9. How should one eat a cake?

10. What should you say to refuse a second helping?

11. What should you say if you like or dislike the dish?