In my considerable experience (all in the name
of research!), I have found that it is a rare occasion when a Russian will take
a drink in a social setting without first raising his or her glass to make a
toast. And during my early visits
to the former Soviet Union, I would clink glasses and utter the famous phrase that
is still ubiquitous in American films featuring Russians: ‘Na zda-ró-vye!’
(Hа здоровье!). But in
fact, ‘Na zda-ró-vye’ is not precisely
correct. Close, but no cigarski.
