Tea Time! - Page 2

Alexander's Horse · June 23, 2003, 22:50

hey Sprayber - you should try hot tea - ask the Aussies. They'll be "brewing up" for sure.

Oerdin · June 23, 2003, 22:52

Quote:

Originally posted by Dissident
tea is gay

real men drink coffee- black

Coffee always tasted kind of icky to me. I'll drink it sometimes but never in the morning and usually when I'm hanging out and people watching downtown.

Tea is great because it's good for your health and it doesn't get you as strung out as coffee does.

LTEC! · June 23, 2003, 23:06

I don't drink it that often but have all kinds. Was going to point out that hot tea and drinks do cool you off when its the weather is warm, but horse already pointed it out.

Earl grey, darjeeling, english breakfast, berry and apricot tea are among my favs. Though in Mexico there is a tea available for every possible ailment you may have, so if you're having tea, they usually ask you if you're sick and what of.

MikeH · June 24, 2003, 04:52

Ice-T is quite popular in England too. I saw him at Reading festival.

Earl Grey is a monstrosity, second only to Lapsong Souchong on the tea crimes list.

The best teas are Assam, Green Tea and Jasmine Tea

Firelad · June 24, 2003, 05:24

Green tea and Jasmine tea is very good. But for the evening...
British types, do tell me, is it "Bad" to put a lemon into your Earl Grey?

Az · June 24, 2003, 05:28

Quote:

British types, do tell me, is it "Bad" to put a lemon into your Earl Grey?

You're such a russki.

Firelad · June 24, 2003, 05:33

What the fock do you mean? Right now I'm putting tons of lemon into everything because of the Fun Night Out I had on Sunday.

Az · June 24, 2003, 05:34

MikeH · June 24, 2003, 07:08

Quote:

Originally posted by Firelad
Green tea and Jasmine tea is very good. But for the evening...
British types, do tell me, is it "Bad" to put a lemon into your Earl Grey?

As far as I'm concerned, drink your tea however you want. It won't offend me. If you were a guest in my house and I offered you a drink and you wanted tea, I'd ask you how you liked it and try and make that if I could. I probably wouldn't have any lemon though.

One thing that bemused an American friend of mine when she visited me was that wherever she went in England whenever she visited someones house she was always persistently offered a drink and was met with confused looks and lots of follow up questions if she said she didn't want anything. "Are you sure? We've got blah, blah blah" It's funny. I never really noticed it before but I've been doing further research into it.

So if you get offered a drink by someone you are visiting it's easier to say yes. Although there are a lot of nuances. For instance judging whether they mean something alcoholic can be tricky. Normally depends on the time of day and the inflection used on the word drink. For non-Brits it's probably easier if you say "Yes please, what are you having?" that can work well.

I've been observing and what we tend to do is offer a drink meaning something alcoholic, if you don't want that (I'm driving is always a good reason) we'll be a bit surprised and offer tea/coffee, juice, soft drinks and if you don't want any of that you'll get offered water. If you don't even want water the host will potentially be all confused and flustered. Also if you say "Have you got any blah" and they haven't got any you'll cause another minor panic, and possibly someone will be sent to the shop. In some circumstances no insisting that you are "fine really", or you'll "have something else" will be accepted. Especially if you change class of drink. For instance if they haven't got one kind of alcohol if you try and say you'll have a soft drink instead that would cause apoplexy.

Just say yes to the booze.

FrustratedPoet · June 24, 2003, 07:15

That's a great summary Mike. It's funny 'cos it's true.

Firelad · June 24, 2003, 07:17

I ALWAYS say yes to the booze if it's any good.
Hmm, hospitiality. I like that.

Dauphin · June 24, 2003, 08:28

To follow up on what MikeH says, there is no problem that cannot be solved by saying the magic words "I'll just put the kettle on".

Cruddy · June 24, 2003, 08:50

Quote:

Originally posted by Big Crunch
To follow up on what MikeH says, there is no problem that cannot be solved by saying the magic words "I'll just put the kettle on".

Except having a broken kettle of course.

Such an event is a Day of Infamy in a Brit household.

MikeH · June 24, 2003, 09:20

Br0ken k3ttle?! I am going to report that to a moderator. We can't have language like that around the forum!!!

Firelad · June 24, 2003, 09:46

You can always use a pot to heat the water if all else fails you know...
Still

Alexander's Horse · June 24, 2003, 10:02

Quote:

Originally posted by MikeH

Earl Grey is a monstrosity

Have to agree, horrible stuff.

And very good guide to the "would you like a drink" minefield.

I'm absolutely flumoxed when I offer a guest a drink and they refuse all offers. People, you MUST drink something when offered otherwise you give the impression you think the house is infected or something. Its a guest ritual.

MikeH · June 24, 2003, 11:09

Exactly.

Dis · June 24, 2003, 14:52

I always refuse drinks

what are we? thirsty all the time?

I'll accept water if it decent tasting water.

Solly · June 24, 2003, 15:24

Water?

*looks at what I am drinking now*

Cruddy · June 24, 2003, 15:28

Quote:

Originally posted by Firelad

You can always use a pot to heat the water if all else fails you know...
Still

It seems you are encouraging the use of pot... or do I need a new set of spectacles?

Alexander's Horse · June 24, 2003, 20:16

Quote:

Originally posted by Dissident
I always refuse drinks

typical

MrFun · June 24, 2003, 21:28

Quote:

Originally posted by FrustratedPoet

Our religion is soccer, although it is also acceptable to practise that at any time of the day.

Soccer, or riots -- semantic nonsense.

Alexander's Horse · June 24, 2003, 21:29

Measures of civilisation:

1. Tea drinking countries.

Skanky Burns · June 24, 2003, 23:02

That would put Britain above us.

Ted Striker · June 24, 2003, 23:31

Yeah I figured out what a tea cosy is AH you bastard

Tea is actually very healthy for you. Green tea especially. There was a study that just came out that where the subjects reduced their cholesterol by 10% in like 6 weeks by drinking tea.

It also seems to help with digestion.

This confirms some anecdotes where the tea seems to "break up" oily meals after you eat them...

For those of you having trouble sleeping, try some decaf tea (you gotta get the loose leaf version, none of that crap that comes in processed bags), at night, the L-Theanine in the tea will knock you out cold.

Alexander's Horse · June 24, 2003, 23:50

Quote:

Originally posted by Skanky Burns
That would put Britain above us.

No - we drink tea better than they do.

MikeH · June 25, 2003, 05:27

Probably, we just drink a lot of it.

Paul Hanson · June 25, 2003, 06:30

Like the Aussies drink tea. It reminds of that bit from the Simpsons where they visit Australia:

Marge: Can I have a coffee?
Bartender: Beer?
Marge: No, a coffee.
Bartender: Beer.
Marge: Cof-fee.
Bartender: Be-er.

Firelad · June 25, 2003, 06:42

Isn't a pot an object you can put liquids in to boil them, aside from being a herb you can probably make tea out of? (hmm)

MikeH · June 25, 2003, 06:56

I don't know, we could ask the kettle but he's not talking to the pot after it called him black.