Diary: In the beginning…
Sun Tea
My first experience with tea was seeing that old familiar clear glass bottle sitting near the front door, basking in the heat of the sun. It would be filled with loads of teabags or loose tea. Never mind all the warnings you read today about bacteria growth. It was liquid gold to my father. Either my mother would create the concoction or my dad would do it. It was an absolute must during the summers. I remember trying it only once and thinking why in the world would anyone drink this? My dad would fill a large glass to the rim with ice cubes and then pour the warm liquid into it. You’d hear the ice crackle and settle as the mouth-watering goodness emerged just below the lip of the glass. Sometimes, he’d add a little sugar. My dad would then take a huge satisfying drink, sigh in contentment as he set his glass down on the table, refill it once more, then put the rest of the bottle into the fridge.
Chinese Tea
My next experience was having hot tea at a wildly popular Chinese restaurant, which was located about a two hour drive north from my hometown. This place used to have long lines that wound around the corner of the building and we just had to eat there whenever we were in town. As you’d suspect, my dad always ordered the hot tea. On one visit, I finally decided I would try it. I thought maybe Chinese hot tea was better than sun tea? After only a few sips, I decided I did like hot tea for the first time in my life. Thinking back, maybe the small individual stainless steel pots the brew was served in as well as the little cute handleless cups affected my judgement? At one point, my father decided to see what flavor and brand of tea he was drinking so he could buy it and enjoy it at home. He wandered behind the beverage counter where servers prepared drinks and returned to our table with a disappointed look on his face. He discovered it was a common black tea brand found at any local grocery store. It wasn’t even a jasmine or other exotic flavor. I guess the fact we were in a very popular Chinese restaurant made us think we were drinking something extra special. After that moment, he quit ordering their hot tea, but I continued to have it whenever we dined at our favorite Chinese restaurant.
Tea or Coffee?
As the years passed, I ordered hot tea at only Chinese restaurants but rarely drank it otherwise. I gradually started to drink the flavored caffeine-free teas through college and during my early work years. I mostly lived on peppermint teas, with an occasional orange or cranberry. I wasn’t very adventurous, but tea drinking wasn’t very popular where I grew up and lived my younger years. Coffee was always the hot drink of choice. And I did learn to drink coffee and enjoy it immensely during my time at the University. After moving to the West Coast, I was introduced to hot Indian milk tea which I thought was absolutely amazing. This was my weekend tea.
Then I met him.
I met my husband in an interview room at a high-tech company in the Silicon Valley. Nearly a year after that interview, we started dating. I learned he was born in Scotland and most of his family were still living in the UK, spread out between England and Scotland. You can see where this is going, don’t you? Yes, he was the first person to introduce me to a proper cup of tea. He had the boiling whistling kettle, a lovely English brand tea bag, milk, sugar and a plate of biscuits. After I moved in with him until well after we were married, we always ended our day with a cup of hot tea and a biscuit. It was heaven! Of course, after we went to Scotland and England for our honeymoon, I haven’t been able to look at herbal tea again. Over the years, my husband and I have visited many tea rooms in the United States and the United Kingdom. That is how I grew to love tea and afternoon tea.
Please join me…
Please join me on my tea journey. We will explore tea rooms, afternoon tea at home, teapots, biscuits, recipes and more. I want to hear about your tea experiences, including tea rooms in your area we should visit!