Imagine if there was no tea…
Writing about Lovely glorious tea. from Something Random
Ever seen Shaun of the Dead (or any other zombie film before 28 Days Later) ? I think that's probably what you'd get if there was no such thing as tea in the world (or coffee, but this is a tea based rant). Watching people who require a cup of tea in the morning before they start to function properly is actually amusing if for some reason they run out of tea…
I'm not a tea drinker (cue surprised intakes of breath from at least half the population it seems) and so I can't really see why some people have such difficulty in going for any period of time without a cup of the hot water / shredded leaves / milk and/or sugar combo, unless it's simply a caffine addiction, I've seen housemates go mad when they discover that they've run out of teabags and the shop is shut for the night so they can't get more…it's a scary sight.
Why is it that the standard reaction for quite a few people whenever anything happens is to reach straight for the kettle? I'm happy enough with water, squash, juice or coke the majority of the time, and if I do want a hot drink (it's a rare occaision) then hot chocolate is fine, but I never have felt the need to have a drink as a result of something that has happened to me…the first reaction of most tea drinkers at the slightest shock seems to be to go for the kettle, is it psychological conditioning or something?
The other point that bugs me…why is everyone expected to drink tea? Ok, it's only my opinion, but that's the way it seems. On numerous occiasions I have been asked if I would like a cup of tea while waiting for something (waiting for a haircut on campus was a recent example)...I have to politely decline and then risk what seems a massive faux pas by asking for a glass of water if I would actually like something to drink, raised eyebrows are the norm it seems. (Though not at the hairdresser on campus, a pleasant surprise…) During work experience placements I was routinely made cups of tea by well meaning people, who just assumed I drink tea…I was thankful that they went to the effort of making me a drink, just slightly annoyed at the assumption.
And why don't I drink tea? I don't like the taste, that's all. But we all know personal tastes have been the cause of trouble before…I think a sponsored week of abstinence from tea for Comic Relief would be both a challenge for a large number of people and quite funny for me to watch, so go on try it, I'll probably even sponsor you*.
*May not be entirely true, I'd probalby sponsor someone, not someones but stilll…