Very interesting. Does not dwell on the rusian custom of drinking tea in glasses rather than mugs or porcelain cups. My grandfather always complained that porcelain cups tasted like milk.
Also, my grandfather (born in Ukraine in 1895), did not sweeten the tea. Instead, he would break a small lump of sugar, hold it between his teeth and sip his scalding hot tea through it.
He also claimed (and 5-year old me believed him) that it wasn't the sugar that sweetened the tea - it was the spoon. You only put the sugar in so you would know when to stop stirring. :-)
My grandfather didn't use a Podstakannik, just a glass. He had a special grip to avoid scalding his fingers: he would grasp the glass by the rim between his thumb and index. Since the tea didn't go all the way to the top and glass is a poor heat conductor, the rim was cooler. Then, as he lifted the glass from the saucer, he would slip his pinkie finger under the bottom of the glass to prevent it from slipping from his grasp of the rim. Because the glass was thicker at the bottom, that location was also cooler.
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Also, my grandfather (born in Ukraine in 1895), did not sweeten the tea. Instead, he would break a small lump of sugar, hold it between his teeth and sip his scalding hot tea through it.
He also claimed (and 5-year old me believed him) that it wasn't the sugar that sweetened the tea - it was the spoon. You only put the sugar in so you would know when to stop stirring. :-)