It’s a very well known stereotype that the British drink. I have learned that it’s a fact that the British drink a lot of. I tried to avoid the tea the first couple of days. I’ve been a fan of tea since high school, but only herbal tea. Herbal tea is not readily available here. I had my first cup one day after induction at Charis House. It wasn’t near as spectacular as I had imagined.
So I tried to avoid them for a few more days. At Charis House it’s expected that at least someone will ask you if you want something to drink, usually tea or instant coffee, at least once a day. I finally broke down and asked for a cup of tea. With milk and sugar.
It’s still not that good. I really don’t understand why people drink it all the time. It lacks taste for the most part and is relatively unhealthy.
Then it dawned on me that tea is something that the British see as bringing comfort. If it’s cold and dreary outside, the solution is tea. If you’re having a bad day the solution is tea. If the plumbing in your house has gone out the solution is tea. To any problem that the British face the first likely solution is to have a cup of tea.
In any social setting the first thing done is to put the kettle on. Everyone has their own preference for their tea. I have yet to see anyone not have their tea with milk. Some adding one sugar; some adding two sugars; and others having no sugar. I have mine with milk and two sugars (sorry Mommy!).
One of my church responsibilities is to prepare the tea before church every Sunday. One of my unofficial duties at the Charis House is to get drinks. I’ve noticed that every good host/hostess offers a cup of tea almost immediately after crossing the threshold into their house.
This past week was a difficult one for me. The weather was cold and rainy—by far the worst it’s been since our arrival. I was missing things at home and just overall homesick. Tammy’s solution was to fix me tea. I was hoping that maybe there could possibly be some Hogwarts magic is a cup of tea, but I was let down. It doesn’t help.
But having a cup of tea does warm you up when you’re chilled to the bone. It does give you something to do when working in the office has left you bored. It does substitute for a late-night snack. And most importantly it has become the staple to all social gatherings.
So maybe the simple cup of British tea does have its charms after all.
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2 comments:
Hmmm....how interesting...I'll stick with coffee and soy milk, no sugar. But that's just me.
I too have some trouble sustaining enthusiasm for tea. But when I do like it, it is the Asian type: brewed with spices like Indian tea; hot and strong in little glasses like Turkish tea, and green and in a bowl like Central Asian tea. But give me coffee most of the time!
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