Tea, tea, everywhere tea...

I’ve already written about how much tea the Brits drink. But I don’t think Americans would believe just how fanatical they are about it. It is a WAY OF LIFE here. Literally. Today we went for a haircut and (as always) were offered a cup of tea as we sat down in the chair. Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but how in the hell do you manage to drink a cup of tea while getting your hair cut or colored or whatever?

This past week we had to go to the hospital for a routine consultation visit for me. And the waiting room we were sitting in actually had a “tea bar” and was serving tea in china cups (not paper or plastic or styrofoam). I was in awe. Also, Paul’s dad has been in the hospital the past 2 weeks, so we’ve made numerous trips there to visit him and witness the hospital worker coming around with a tea cart to serve patients and their visitors tea, at all hours of the day.

It just boggles my mind how much tea these people drink. And yet everyone makes fun of ME for NOT drinking it. My colleagues keep saying they’ll know when I’ve really become “British” when I finally take them up on an offer to get me a tea. They keep offering and I keep declining. For now anyway.