"Coffee, please"

A quick anecdote from today's "Russian Excursion". Enjoy this one while you're sipping your Starbucks (Joe) and reading our blog before you start your day.

I asked my my Russian teacher, Nelly Alexandrovna Roslyakova: "Do Russians prefer tea or coffee?" She answered "tea" and then went on to explain that tea is traditional in Russia while coffee is imbibed usually only in the cities; it's a "foreign" drink. She continued to explain that Peter I introduced coffee and had a special plan for guaranteeing its popularity in Russia. How? He gave his nobles a choice: "Pi'ye ili v tyiurmu". The phrase is funnier in Russian, but it roughly translates to "Coffee or prison." The favorable reception of coffee in Russia was thus secured.

I never know what I'll learn when I ask questions here.

--Matt