Kiosks are one of the best things about living in Moscow. They're open 24-hours, and spaced so frequently that from any given kiosk you can usually see 2 or 3 more. They're free-standing, usually bright yellow, and about the size of a mailtruck in the States. Samples of everything they sell are packed in the window, which takes up the entire top half of the kiosk's front side. About a third of the window is alcohol--different kinds of beer (Бочка mostly, the biggest Russian brand), and other more colorful drinks (gin-and-tonic-in-a-can, "Alco-pops," Hooch, Jaguar, something called Juzz (you can guess what people call that)). There's a huge selection of cigarettes, all the usual kinds of soda, juice, a few different chocolate bars, and all sorts of fascinatingly-flavored potato chips (crab, caviar, cheese), and boxes of cookies and crackers. The bottom of the window displays a little collection of meat/cheese/mushroom pies (food-poisoning roulette, but delicious), sandwiches, and mini-pizzas. A couple small, round, bar-height tables are out front.

Our kiosk is run by a 30-something woman with all gold teeth. She's friendly with the English teachers, who buy rounds of beer and packs of cigarettes (which cost a dollar...if you smoke a little bit in the US or England, you smoke a lot here. I'm trying to resist entirely) and speak varying degrees of crappy Russian. Aubergine is protective of her once it gets late and the drunken assholes come out, although most of the trouble Aubergine perceives is at least half-created by himself (fair enough though, the cops stole his phone when he was drunk a couple weeks ago).

A weeknight usually finds a few of the teachers around a kiosk-table enjoying a post-work Бочка or five. Aubergine, Celery, and Artichoke are the regulars (Apple too, before she left). Starfruit and a few other girls who just got evening classes are hanging out there more and more. I stick around once or twice a week, but it's getting kind of old.