Janefan

I have read The Brothers Karamazov and The Idiot but was never able to finish Crime and Punishment. I hope the tea helps you to hang in there :)

If you have some floral tea and a Lapsang Souchong, throw a pinch of Lapsang (or other smoky tea) in (just a little) and you’ll have a smoky tea that’s like a Russian Tea. Then, put in a tablespoon or two of strawberry or cherry jam and stir. Eat the jam and sip while reading. (Fr. Basil at the Russian Orthodox Church fixed this jam tea for me)

thanks for the support inguna , and thanks for the great idea Bonnie ! I do have a bit of LS (mainly for cooking), and I’ve heard about the Russian jam in tea tradition. I think I even saw it mentioned in the novel. Why didn’t I think of it? I know there’s been a mention of sipping tea with a cube of sugar between ones teeth (sounds messy to me!). And there’s more than a few samovars making an appearance. And the kind housemaid Nastasya who saves the households’ tea and resteeps it for Raskolnikov. I’m not quite halfway through it yet, and this is really my first foray into Russian lit. Maybe not the easiest place to start, but I am enjoying it so far :)