Spotlight on Kseniia Markova

        Meet Etiquipedia Contributor, 

Kseniia Markova

Below are links to Kseniia Markova’s articles on Russian etiquette you’ll find on Etiquipedia:

• The Etiquette and History of Vodka
• Etiquette and the Russian Zakuski Table

I'm very proud that I've never given two same lectures in my entire career, I always add something or change the way of view. To be honest, I'm not a teacher, but a researcher. 

The following is a Q. & A. with Kseniia:

What was the impetus for starting your Etiquette business?

I would say it was happening by accident, but on the other hand, it could not have been any other way. It is very logical. On my dad's side of the family, we have a dynasty of diplomats, and on my mom's side, writers, artists, screenwriters and historians. No one forced me to choose, but these are such different fields of activity... 

When you grow up among people who are passionate about their work, who have achieved s real success and recognition, it is very difficult, but you really want to find your own way and make your own contribution to something good. And so, in our Etiquette748 project, I managed to make “homage” to both parts of my family. I write about etiquette, about history of etiquette and cross-culture. 

Kseniia is a holder of diplomas and certificates from leading schools and teachers in Europe. (including: Institut Villa Pierrefeu, Debrett’s Academy, The Minding Manners etc... She is the author of several books, including, “European Etiquette: Conversations about good manners and subtleties of behavior in society,” and “Etiquette. Traditions and history of romantic relationships,” and “Dress code: Etiquette and classics as ways of self-expression.” In 2022, this book won an award as the best in the field of etiquette. She is a member of the National Association of Protocol Specialists (NASP)

I write not only in Etiquette 748 as a blog, but I have a few books published already and one more, I hope, will “born” before the end of the year.  I am engaged in social European etiquette, Most of the diplomas and certificates I have received are about this. Now I find the topic of the history of feasting, table settings, table manners and the study of various rules related to this important issue in the history of people very fascinating. 

Food is the engine of progress at absolutely any stage of human evolution, because it is our basic need. People need to eat in order to live. Some products that today seem to us the most ordinary have gone through an interesting and long historical way and have become the basis of culture. Table setting, table manners are not just knives and forks lying on a certain side. Not at all! There are many different meanings and nuances in this.

I believe that we make the world a better. I believe that studying history and the peculiarities of different cultures makes you think about the diversity of the world, learn to respect the past, better understand the present and have some hope, be optimistic about the future. Etiquette, certainly, sets some boundaries, but they allow different people who grew up in different worlds and have different values ​​to find a common language and communicate comfortably, and most importantly, safely, find common topics. The main thing is not to offend anyone. It is especially unpleasant to do this out of ignorance or when you did not want it or just meant something else, but the someone understood it incorrectly, in a wrong way. 

Kseniia is a specialist in European social etiquette. Project creator & author for ETIQUETTE748, Kseniia won a national award in the field of protocol, image and etiquette, “For contributions to the development and popularization of the profession” for quality content that supports the ETIQUETTE748 project - 2018, and was a national award winner in the field of protocol and etiquette, in the category “Best educational project in the field of etiquette” -2022.

What do you enjoy teaching or passing on to others most?

I don't have any regular classes and I don't have a regular program. I'm very proud that I've never given two same lectures in my entire career, I always add something or change the way of view. To be honest, I'm not a teacher, but a researcher. Etiquette748 is already 10 years old and all this time we regularly publish articles 2-3 times a week on various topics related to etiquette. 

I try to keep up with what is happening in the global etiquette community, what books and interesting articles are coming out, new or previously published. 

What types of services do you offer?

We still don't have any plan, we write about what seems interesting for us. And taking this opportunity, I would like to thank my colleague Elena Fujiyama, a specialist in Japanese etiquette, for such a long and pleasant collaboration. Our articles can and should be read in the morning over a cup of coffee and we are very glad that we have been doing this for more than 10 years, it is for everyone and it is completely free.

I would like to thank my colleague Elena Fujiyama, a specialist in Japanese etiquette, for such a long and pleasant collaboration.

What age group do you enjoy working with most? And why?

I have worked with a variety of groups, except children. This, in my opinion, is a completely different world and I am not competent and good enough in this. I do not really deal with business etiquette, so I only have a few business clients.

Who are some of the older etiquette authors or authorities you enjoy most?

I like primary sources of etiquette history, for example, memoirs or letters of some famous people. There are many interesting things there, but, of course, it is impossible to definitely attribute them to historical sources. Opinions, observations and conclusions made by a specific, even very intelligent person are usually subjective. But you can feel the mood, aroma, tempo of some era that has long since passed away. These touches and nuances so beautifully complement the overall picture. 

Cookbooks of the past, articles in old newspapers and magazines, photographs of people and cities, castle interiors, guidebooks, paintings, catalogs of old exhibitions - all this is very interesting and very important. But in general, any information should be treated very carefully and checked many times. But still, I am an etiquette specialist and the blog is not only educational, but also entertaining. 

Thank you one more time, for me it is a big honor and pleasure to be a small part of your great Etiquipedia community!

If you’d like to reach Kseniia, she can be contacted via her feed @etiquette748 on Instagram

🍽Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia 

Spotlight on Kseniia Markova

                                   

        Meet Etiquipedia Contributor, 

Kseniia Markova

Below are links to Kseniia Markova’s articles on Russian etiquette you’ll find on Etiquipedia:

• The Etiquette and History of Vodka
• Etiquette and the Russian Zakuski Table

I'm very proud that I've never given two same lectures in my entire career, I always add something or change the way of view. To be honest, I'm not a teacher, but a researcher. 

The following is a Q. & A. with Kseniia:

What was the impetus for starting your Etiquette business?

I would say it was happening by accident, but on the other hand, it could not have been any other way. It is very logical. On my dad's side of the family, we have a dynasty of diplomats, and on my mom's side, writers, artists, screenwriters and historians. No one forced me to choose, but these are such different fields of activity... 

When you grow up among people who are passionate about their work, who have achieved s real success and recognition, it is very difficult, but you really want to find your own way and make your own contribution to something good. And so, in our Etiquette748 project, I managed to make “homage” to both parts of my family. I write about etiquette, about history of etiquette and cross-culture. 

Kseniia is a holder of diplomas and certificates from leading schools and teachers in Europe. (including: Institut Villa Pierrefeu, Debrett’s Academy, The Minding Manners etc... She is the author of several books, including, “European Etiquette: Conversations about good manners and subtleties of behavior in society,” and “Etiquette. Traditions and history of romantic relationships,” and “Dress code: Etiquette and classics as ways of self-expression.” In 2022, this book won an award as the best in the field of etiquette. She is a member of the National Association of Protocol Specialists (NASP)

I write not only in Etiquette 748 as a blog, but I have a few books published already and one more, I hope, will “born” before the end of the year.  I am engaged in social European etiquette, Most of the diplomas and certificates I have received are about this. Now I find the topic of the history of feasting, table settings, table manners and the study of various rules related to this important issue in the history of people very fascinating. 

Food is the engine of progress at absolutely any stage of human evolution, because it is our basic need. People need to eat in order to live. Some products that today seem to us the most ordinary have gone through an interesting and long historical way and have become the basis of culture. Table setting, table manners are not just knives and forks lying on a certain side. Not at all! There are many different meanings and nuances in this.

I believe that we make the world a better. I believe that studying history and the peculiarities of different cultures makes you think about the diversity of the world, learn to respect the past, better understand the present and have some hope, be optimistic about the future. Etiquette, certainly, sets some boundaries, but they allow different people who grew up in different worlds and have different values ​​to find a common language and communicate comfortably, and most importantly, safely, find common topics. The main thing is not to offend anyone. It is especially unpleasant to do this out of ignorance or when you did not want it or just meant something else, but the someone understood it incorrectly, in a wrong way. 

Kseniia is a specialist in European social etiquette. Project creator & author for ETIQUETTE748, Kseniia won a national award in the field of protocol, image and etiquette, “For contributions to the development and popularization of the profession” for quality content that supports the ETIQUETTE748 project - 2018, and was a national award winner in the field of protocol and etiquette, in the category “Best educational project in the field of etiquette” -2022.

What do you enjoy teaching or passing on to others most?

I don't have any regular classes and I don't have a regular program. I'm very proud that I've never given two same lectures in my entire career, I always add something or change the way of view. To be honest, I'm not a teacher, but a researcher. Etiquette748 is already 10 years old and all this time we regularly publish articles 2-3 times a week on various topics related to etiquette. 

I try to keep up with what is happening in the global etiquette community, what books and interesting articles are coming out, new or previously published. 

What types of services do you offer?

We still don't have any plan, we write about what seems interesting for us. And taking this opportunity, I would like to thank my colleague Elena Fujiyama, a specialist in Japanese etiquette, for such a long and pleasant collaboration. Our articles can and should be read in the morning over a cup of coffee and we are very glad that we have been doing this for more than 10 years, it is for everyone and it is completely free.

I would like to thank my colleague Elena Fujiyama, a specialist in Japanese etiquette, for such a long and pleasant collaboration.

What age group do you enjoy working with most? And why?

I have worked with a variety of groups, except children. This, in my opinion, is a completely different world and I am not competent and good enough in this. I do not really deal with business etiquette, so I only have a few business clients.

Who are some of the older etiquette authors or authorities you enjoy most?

I like primary sources of etiquette history, for example, memoirs or letters of some famous people. There are many interesting things there, but, of course, it is impossible to definitely attribute them to historical sources. Opinions, observations and conclusions made by a specific, even very intelligent person are usually subjective. But you can feel the mood, aroma, tempo of some era that has long since passed away. These touches and nuances so beautifully complement the overall picture. 

Cookbooks of the past, articles in old newspapers and magazines, photographs of people and cities, castle interiors, guidebooks, paintings, catalogs of old exhibitions - all this is very interesting and very important. But in general, any information should be treated very carefully and checked many times. But still, I am an etiquette specialist and the blog is not only educational, but also entertaining. 

Thank you one more time, for me it is a big honor and pleasure to be a small part of your great Etiquipedia community!

If you’d like to reach Kseniia, she can be contacted via her feed @etiquette748 on Instagram

🍽Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia 

The Etiquette and History of Vodka

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English Bitter by Peter Smirnov. It will stimulate your appetite, increase blood circulation and revive you, you will eat with double pleasure, all your gloomy thoughts will pass, and a great mood will appear. English Bitter by Petr Smirnov is an incomparable tincture. No vodka can be as tasty, like a real English Bitter, factory prepared by PETR SMIRNOV.  Company “PETR SMIRNOV” — a message of quality. SALE EVERYWHERE.

We were once asked in a good European restaurant, “How should we properly serve vodka?” after realizing that they had Russian guests in front of them. Being Russian, I never argue with the stereotype that all Russians, without exception, adore vodka. “Oh, how great of you to ask!”, I responded, because serving vodka “Russian style” is a very difficult matter. 

The history of vodka on the Russian table is complex and confusing and causes a lot of controversy among researchers. The purpose of this article is not to cover this point in detail, but I would still like to mention a couple of nuances, this is important for reading and understanding classical literature, including Russian literature. It is believed that the concept of "Russian vodka" can be discussed starting from the 16th century.

For example, the famous researcher of the history of Russian cuisine, Pokhlebkin, cites quite a few foreign authors in his book mentioning this term. But, as other researchers note, the respected author does this based on Russian translations of the 19th century. In the originals, vodka is often not mentioned. Here, for example, is "Notes on Muscovy" by Sigismund Herberstein: “On fish days, they brought me butchered fish and many large sturgeons smoked in the air without salt; also a decanter of vodka, which they always drink at the table before dinner.” In the original it was not vodka, but pranndt wein – “house wine.” 

Or another quote: “Finally the stewards came out for food and brought vodka, which they always drink at the beginning of dinner...” Here in the original, instead of vodka, aqua vitae is mentioned, that is, not necessarily vodka, but a strong alcoholic beverage. That is, the term “vodka” has been encountered since the 16th century, but it means something slightly different than what “vodka” refers to today. 

This image is a painting titled Русский завтрак, this translates to “Russian breakfast”

Boris Rodionov, a researcher of the history of Russian vodka, interprets the historical evolution of the term “vodka” as follows: 

• Sixteenth century - medicinal tinctures on hot (bread) wine. 
• Seventeenth to Nineteenth centuries - bread wine, infused with spices, or simply additionally distilled in special vodka stills (plain vodka). 
• Since the 1860s - a general term for all strong alcoholic beverages. 
• Since 1936 - a mixture rectified alcohol with water.

However, such an important drink for Russians as vodka, of course, has a birthday - January 31. It was on this day in 1865 that Dmitry Mendeleyev defended his famous dissertation “On the combination of alcohol with water.” To be fair, it was not really about vodka, but somehow it became customary to believe that it was Mendeleyev and on this day who created the ideal vodka. In principle, this is good - one more holiday! 

In fact, it is obvious that this was invented a long time ago and was actively improved by the method of numerous and centuries-long tastings, much, much earlier. The strength of 40 degrees familiar today was approved only in 1886 in the “Charter on drinking fees,” before that it “spun” around 38 degrees and even lower. By the way, the names were different, including in the state acts of that time and in the trade records in the Russian Empire vodka was called “simple alcoholic table wine.” Thus, it is important to understand that when we encounter the concepts of “vodka” and “wine” in classical literature, especially regarding Russia, it may not mean what we think now. Vodka was once called “wine” and vice versa.

Serving vodka and the place of the glass in the table setting from the point of view of etiquette, however, is not an easy task. In most countries, vodka is a component of cocktails, so the most “pure” that can be achieved, if we are talking about most countries where vodka is not a national drink, is for it to be served in a decanter, and a huge amount of ice will certainly be brought. 

In fact, it will still turn out to be a cocktail - vodka with ice, which is exactly what the beautiful actress Charlize Theron likes, as I have read. Naturally, they do not drink it in one gulp, it is a long drink. In general, not the Russian option. According to the Russian rule, vodka is usually drunk in one gulp, “in one gulp” without any ice, it must be cold. So the difficulty of serving it is, first of all, that it must be very, very cold. As I understand it, placing it in ice, like is done say with champagne, is not enough.

In the understanding of many in Russia today, vodka is, let's say, an inexpensive and not very sophisticated drink. For example, for Americans, vodka is something bohemian, cheerful. And quite sophisticated, by the way. No wonder Woody Allen advertised it. On the sad side, Amy Whitehouse did not drink whiskey or gin on her last day. To this day, as I read, vodka is brought to her grave.

Let me remind you separately that it is better to pour it into a decanter or a shtof. A separate feature of the Russian feast is that, as a rule, there is no direct connection between the dishes and drinks served. This is treated much more simply. In addition, as a rule, a Russian chooses one drink for the whole evening, it can be either white or red wine, or vodka. If we joke, we can say that in Russia, any food cannot spoil vodka. Therefore, in this case, for someone this may be the only glass needed for the whole feast.

A stopka shown next to a rumka. Rumkas on a table is more formal than the shot-glass-like stopka.

Vodka is poured either into “rumka” or “stopka”. The first one is on a stem, a stopka is a small or not very small glass. It is believed that the name “stopka” (“sto” means 100) originally came from the word "hundred". Perhaps, at that time, a container for drinking vodka contained such a volume of liquid. Now, as a rule, 30-60 ml, in bars it is also called a shot. The first option, that is, “a rumka glass on the table” is definitely considered more formal. Stopkas can be small, medium and large and then it is 25, 50, 100 ml.

It is interesting that earlier, before the revolution, it was believed that women, at least from the public, did not drink vodka and vodka glasses were not served for them. Ladies were served tiny liqueur glasses with a capacity of 25-30 ml at the final stage of dinners and receptions - for dessert, this was considered acceptable. However, in the 20th century, before restrictions on alcohol advertising, it was often beautiful women who were chosen to promote and popularize the drink. In general, the topic of "women and vodka" in Russia is very often, in my opinion, associated with age and generation. Older ladies drink vodka more often than younger ones, who now prefer lighter drinks, such as wine.

That is why it can be difficult to determine the place of “rumka” or “stopka” in table setting, because the rule that glasses are placed and removed as they are used has not been cancelled. And as I said, it can be difficult to determine this happy moment in a Russian feast, because people drink the same drinks, including vodka, throughout the entire dinner. It turns out that if you cannot agree with yourself that today vodka is an aperitif, “with a snack.” “with a hot dish,” digestif, “with everything,” “instead of everything” - it is very difficult to derive a single rule for serving. Therefore, when serving, a glass is often not placed at all, but brought “on demand.” At the same time, I will separately note that asking for something that the hosts do not offer is not socially acceptable as being polite.

But still, if the glasses are placed in a row or in a triangle when serving, then the vodka glass will be placed on the right next to the knives of the first and closest to the guest, because the feast begins with appetizers or zakuski. In Russia, the concepts of “vodka and zakuski” are practically intertwined and it is customary to classify vodka as an appetizer, although, as I said, it can be served with soup and further down the menu. 

It turns out that at official events at the state level, vodka is often not offered at all, despite the fact that this drink is, indeed, a national one. Vodka is not very suitable for modern European cuisine. And traditional Russian cuisine is not particularly promoted at receptions, or it is done selectively. I will separately note that in Russia it is quite acceptable, even at the highest level, to finish a toast with vodka.

Meanwhile, vodka served as a royal and diplomatic gift in its time. Thus, Catherine II gave vodka to Frederick the Great, the Swedish King Gustav III and even ... Voltaire and Carl Linnaeus. Later, the great botanist wrote a study: “Vodka in the hands of a philosopher, a doctor and a commoner.” I would also like to add a few words about the wonderful Russian expression - “drink vodka by the bucketful.” This is said about people who drink a lot. 

Interestingly, this was said not about alcoholics at all, but about absolutely everyone. There was simply no other option until 1885; vodka was sold only in 12.3-liter buckets. And since bottles appeared in 0.6-liter volumes, another interesting rule follows from this. The classic “correct” box of vodka holds 20 bottles. Absolutely right, precisely because in total this will make up... a bucket.

Our newest contributor, Kseniia Markova, is a specialist in European social etiquette.  Project creator and author for ETIQUETTE748, Kseniia won a national award in the field of protocol, image and etiquette, “For contributions to the development and popularization of the profession” for quality content that supports the ETIQUETTE748 project - 2018; National Award in the field of protocol and etiquette, winner in the category “Best educational project in the field of etiquette” -2022. She is a holder of diplomas and certificates from leading schools and teachers in Europe. (including: Institut Villa Pierrefeu, Debrett’s Academy, The Minding Manners etc... She is the author of several books, including, “European Etiquette: Conversations about good manners and subtleties of behavior in society,” and “Etiquette. Traditions and history of romantic relationships,” and “Dress code: Etiquette and classics as ways of self-expression.” In 2022, this book won an award as the best in the field of etiquette. She is a member of the National Association of Protocol Specialists (NASP)

🍽Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia 

Etiquette and the Russian Zakuski Table

One of the distinctive features of Russian hospitality that attracted the attention of visitors and travelers – including King Edward VII who brought the custom of appetizers back to England after traveling to Russia as the first reigning British monarch to visit the Russian Empire – and was described in detail in memoirs of the 19th century was the snack table or “zakusochny stol.” Snacks and how they were served was initially one of the specific features of Russian cuisine.

For the first time, the concept of this display of  “snack foods” appears during the Great Troubles, after the death of Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible, when the Polish prince Vladislav found himself on the Russian throne. It was then, especially for him, who was not Orthodox and, accordingly, who did not know the rules and customs, that a “list of royal dishes” was drawn up from 1610-1613. It is not possible to determine the order of serving in that source, since it is compiled on a different principle and is more concerned with the religious aspects of the feast and food consumption. It is logical here that not knowing the local rules of behavior, or etiquette at the table, instantly made a newcomer with great ambitions a stranger. This was clear even then.

Until the 17th century in Russia, a “snack” (Zakuski) meant any food that was convenient or customary to eat with the main course. A snack, that way. could be a piece of bread served with hot food, for example, meat. Or, for example, sweets that help neutralize the nasty taste of the medicine. According to V.V. Pokhlebkin, a famous researcher of Russian and other cuisines, until the 17th century, the word “snack” was synonymous with breakfast. “Snack – In high society: breakfast before lunch, vodka with salty and other foods; sometimes early lunch: birthday appetizer; among the people, multiple snacks are more common: dessert, appetizer, super filling, delicacies, sweets, gingerbreads.” — Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary. — 1863–1866.

There were many foreigners in 19th century in Russia who noted a rule that surprised them. This was not typical for other countries. Some time before sitting down at the table and starting lunch/dinner, snacks were served in a separate room on special tables. It was not something small and not filling; many foreigners believed that this was the entire dinner or lunch program and were somewhat surprised when they were invited later to the main table. German traveler Christian Müller put it this way: “Russian snacks served before lunch are more expensive than German lunch.”

Or here’s another quote: “it is customary to serve some light food before the main meal - right in the living room, a quarter of an hour before sitting down at the table; this preliminary treat - a kind of breakfast that turns into lunch - serves to stimulate the appetite and is called in Russian, unless I heard incorrectly, “appetizer”. The servants serve plates on trays with fresh caviar, which is eaten only in this country, with smoked fish, cheese, salted meat, crackers and various cookies, sweet and savory; they also serve bitters, vermouth, French vodka, London porter, Hungarian wine and Danzig balsam; They all eat and drink it while standing, walking around the room. A foreigner who does not know local customs and does not have a very strong appetite may well get enough of all this, after which he will sit as a simple spectator for the entire dinner, which will turn out to be completely unnecessary for him. –Traveler A. Custine in, “Russia in 1839”

If drinking coffee in another room or at least at another table was considered decent everywhere in Europe, then separating snacks from the main meal and serving them separately and in advance had become a highlight of Russian etiquette. They did not sit at the snack table; they drank and ate while standing. And, by the way, not in a hurry. Plates of appetizers were held in their hands. I read that it happened that the snack table was made higher than usual, so that it would be clear and so that none of the guests would think of moving a chair to it. And in some houses, snacks were transferred to individual plates by servants, waiting for the signal “enough,” but quickly, perhaps to avoid the crowd around the snack bar, self-service became fashionable.

I want to emphasize that the desire of a guest, for example, out of ignorance, to immediately sit down at the dinner table, bypassing the snack bar, was considered terribly rude, however, and as they are very fond of exclaiming now, “not according to etiquette” – “not comme il faut,” an absolute “bad manners,” in general, that “etiquette forbade it.” This was highly undesirable.

Therefore, in L.N. Tolstoy’s novel “Resurrection,” the father of the girl whom Nekhlyudov had designs on immediately stopped such an unethical attempt. “He apologized for being late and wanted to sit in the empty place at the end of the table between Missy and Katerina Alekseevna, but old man Korchagin demanded that, if he no longer drinks vodka, he would still have a snack at the table.”

In France, it is said, snacks appeared at the end of the 16th century in the royal kitchen. As a result, as many as four French words were combined into Russian - “snacks.” Hors d’oeuvre, entree, entrements, relevee and, albeit slightly from a different category, amuse-bouche, can be translated, with varying degrees of preservation of the nuances, as appetizers. But what is very, very important here, French rules interpreted appetizers as something additional and accompanying. Until the mid-19th century, appetizers in France were served not before the start of the feast, but during lunch, in the intervals between main courses or in addition to them. These could, as a rule, be different meals, or they could be part of one.

Around 1860, the Russian system of serving snacks, began to spread in France. This fact is recorded in the French gastronomic encyclopedia Larousse Gastronomique, published in 1938. The first and main supporter and PR man of Russian snacks in the West was the famous French chef Jurben Dubois (1818–1901), who worked at one time in Russia and apparently fell in love with the local practice. The custom of serving snacks before meals, brought by Dubois from Russia, seemed to the French worthy of attention and borrowing, ans he was famous and respected at home. Naturally, but in some places the idea was somewhat transformed, mainly by reducing the quantity served and the range of what was offered.

But time did not stand still gradually, because not all guest rooms had enough, snacks first moved to the dining room, closer to the main table, and then... to the main table. The resulting hybrid, however, also had authoritative opponents. Auguste Escoffier wrote in his culinary guide: “Hospitable hosts and head waiters, rather fussy and zealous than thoughtful, introduced the fashion for snacks in our country, without taking into account the peculiarities of the climate, the fact that we have different national traditions, tastes, habits and temperament. They began to serve these “snacks” on the same tables where people later had dinner, which was already a violation of tradition.

So appetizers, originally Russian, entered the main European menu and began to be served directly to the table at the beginning of the meal. I don’t want to say that this is the only explanation, in cases such as this it’s always a whole bouquet or factors and traditions. One that comes to mind is the Swedish Smörgåsbord, but the fact that the snacks were on the menu at the beginning of the meal definitely has a Russian origin story.

Our newest contributor, Kseniia Markova, is a specialist in European social etiquette.  Project creator and author for ETIQUETTE748, Kseniia won a national award in the field of protocol, image and etiquette, “For contributions to the development and popularization of the profession” for quality content that supports the ETIQUETTE748 project - 2018; National Award in the field of protocol and etiquette, winner in the category “Best educational project in the field of etiquette” -2022. She is a holder of diplomas and certificates from leading schools and teachers in Europe. (including: Institut Villa Pierrefeu, Debrett’s Academy, The Minding Manners etc... She is the author of several books, including, “European Etiquette: Conversations about good manners and subtleties of behavior in society,” and “Etiquette. Traditions and history of romantic relationships,” and “Dress code: Etiquette and classics as ways of self-expression.” In 2022, this book won an award as the best in the field of etiquette. She is a member of the National Association of Protocol Specialists (NASP)

 🍽️Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia