As someone who was born in a family of Russian immigrants, I have had the pleasure of growing up around both the culture and tradition of Russians and Americans equally. There are many things that I could talk about pertaining to Russian customs, culture, heritage, and traditions, but what I have heard praised by many others about Russians (and something I have dealt with first hand) is Russian hospitality. First and foremost, guests are sacred to a Russian. A guest is immediately offered the comfiest seat in the house, and any and all food and drinks that are in the house will be brought out onto the table and offered. Tea is immediately made and questions begin to pour out of the welcoming household. Refusal to eat or drink anything is near sacrilegious and deemed offensive at times.
Whether the guest came over to spend the evening with the family or just popped in for a few minutes, tea and delicious goodies are offered to the honored guest. While the food is being prepared or brought out, the guest will be entertained with stories about various objects in the house (because even a small wooden spoon will most definitely have some story attached to it) and anecdotes or jokes to keep the mood light and happy. If the guest is staying the night in a Russian household, the best blanket and pillow is brought out and any and all arrangements for comfort are made.
There are two primary reasons for this level of hospitality among Russians. The first reason is closely tied to the harsh natural environment of Russia and its history of dealing with it. Long, cold winters and great distances between towns and cities would often spell out danger when traveling, so when a guest came over, the welcoming party would assume that the journey was not an easy one and would try to make the stay as easy and pleasurable as possible. The second reason, closely tied to the first one, is the Russian perspective of what eating food together is. While many other cultures will eat food simply to eat and move along in their day, for Russians food is a bonding pass time, a unifying experience where the goal is not necessarily to devour the food and then part ways, but to share life experiences, stories, news, business, politics, and almost anything one can possibly talk about or discuss.
One great example of this happened in my house several years ago. Distant family came over to visit us, so we naturally prepared enough food to feed an entire homeless shelter. The guests arrived in the morning and at approximately noon we all sat down to eat and catch up. Hours went by, food kept getting eaten and replaced, bottles and tea kettles were emptied, stories and discussions flowed. When all was said and done, and we all officially stood up from the table to say our good byes, it was 2 am of the following day... 13 hours! For 13 hours straight we sat, ate, drank, and talked about everything you can possibly imagine. When the guests left, there was not a single crumb left to eat in the entire house (the fridge looked brand new because it was that empty). So if you want to have a friend with whom you know you will never go hungry when you visit, find yourself a Russian friend.
