Saturday, July 18, 2009

All morning long on Friday there was the noise of construction outside my second floor window at work. At one point, I happened to glance out the window to observe two of these hard working men taking a break outside their British Gas Works van. Of course this is normal enough, but as I watched I realized that these sweaty, burly men were not stopping to rest their feet and take a smoke, no these men were making proper cups of tea out of the back of the van! Anyone else find this slightly amusing?

I began to reflect on the role tea plays in the life of the average Englishman - after living in London almost a year I think I have come to understand and even appreciate the place tea has.
  • Tea is the solution to any problem you may have no matter how big or small.
  • Tea is the perfect antidote for drippy dreary weather that seems to chill you right to the bone.
  • Tea naturally encourages people in social situations to feel like they have something to do.
  • No day is quite complete without a cup of tea - which somehow rights the world of all its issues for a few moments of the day.
I remember feeling a bit tea logged during the first month of being here because you are constantly being offered a cup of tea. To refuse is unthinkable or if you do refuse you must be slightly mad! I think my body has adjusted quite well since those first weeks, and I admit that every now and again I get an odd feeling that life is just not quite complete without a proper cup of tea in the middle of the afternoon.

2 comments:

darcie said...

I do love this post, Abi, and wish I could share a good conversation and tea with you. I especially like #3 observation on you post-always nice to have something worthy to do when the situation may seem a little awkward, right?
missing you. . .

Unknown said...

Yes, there's nothing like a good cuppa when it is cold and dreary out. I used to look forward to coming back to my room after grocery shopping, making tea and enjoying an apple turnover from the bakery :)