Entertaining Russian Style

As in the days of the tsar, the Russians still love to entertain, and the center of any home is still the table, which stands in the largest room of the apartment, often in the middle of the floor. The Russians have a great knack for seating a large number of people around a small table. No one minds bumping elbows or knees: there is an intensity and excitement in such close contact. The table is spread with a clean linen cloth, and small plates are set at each place. Most of the table is taken up by bottles and glasses. Each setting requires a small shot glass, or ryumochka, for vodka and another for brandy, a goblet for wine or champagne, and a glass for juice, kvas (like home-brewed beer) or mineral water. Bottles of each of these libations are placed directly on the table and remain there throughout the meal. All of the bottles are opened before the meal even begins: an impossible amount to imbibe, it would seem. But Russian meals last for hours on end, and invariably, by the end of the meal, all the bottles are empty, some having even been replaced.