From: alexander koryagin    
      
   Hi, Paul Quinn!   
   I read your message from 15.04.2014 19:25   
      
     ak>> So, in Russia, a gentleman's set for drinking tea consists of a   
     ak>> glass, a teaspoon and a saucer.   
      
     PQ> I have seen this 'ritual', in at least one film. The use of a glass   
     PQ> cup, replete with handle, is a point of interest. Alexander, why is   
     PQ> glass used in lieu of similar 'china' to match the saucer?   
      
   Do Russians like flowers on china saucers? ;-)   
      
   In Russia we also produce china caps. Such a cap always has a handle. So    
   it is more difficult to produce it. In hard time, especially after WW2    
   when all utensils were broken :) glasses and saucers (and tea spoons)    
   became the main mean for tea drinking.   
      
   It must be said that there also was another tea set. It consisted of a    
   glass (with a teaspoon) and a special metal glass holder (podstakannik    
   in Russian). It has been widely used in trains, canteens etc. A waiter    
   takes a tea tray, puts glasses on it, in glass holders, and carries it    
   along the train, canteen etc. As you can see if they would use glasses    
   with saucers they could carry much less glasses per one tray.   
      
   Bye, Paul!   
   Alexander Koryagin   
   fido7.english-tutor 2014   
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