From 1967...

"If life in Romania does not have the easygoing affluence of neighbouring Yugoslavia, it far surpasses in the amenities the best Soviet Union is able to offer for years to come. The story is told that at a party in Bucharest during a recent international medical congress, a Soviet doctor accosted an American. 'Tell me, sir,' the Russian demanded, with a boldness supplied by several vodkas, 'do you not think we Russians will soon overtake the United States in living standards?'
'Well,' answered the American, more adroit at this sort of repartee than is sometimes the case, 'it seems to me, sir, that you'll have to overtake the Romanians first.'
The Russian, so the response goes, flushed; the American chortled, and - this is the point of the story - the Romanians chortled too."

-The Balkans, Life World Library