Old world Landowners, by Nikolai Gogol.

After that, Afanasy Ivanovich would go back in and, approaching Pulkheria Ivanova, would say:

“Well, now, Pulkheria Ivanovna, isn´t it time we had a little bite of something?”

“What could we have now, Afanasy Ivanovich? – unless it was shortcake with lard, or poppyseed pirozhki, or maybe some pickled mushrooms?”

“Why not the mushrooms, or else the pirozhki?” Afanasy Ivanovich would reply and a tablecloth with pirozhki and mushrooms would suddenly appear.

An hour before dinner, Afanasy Ivanovich would have another snack, drink an old-fashioned silver cup of vodka, followed by mushrooms, various dried fish, and so on.