Chinese Tea leaves of all sorts,
Drinking a cup of coffee to start a brand new day is a common sight in the Western world, but consuming tea in Asia is almost a sacred affair. Asians drink it all day long, along with their meals, for pleasure, relaxation and also for health purposes. Much has been written about the origins of tea, its purportedly health benefits and even the way how tea must be served in order to obtain the best flavour (what in a name...).
But the main point here is that we do love to drink tea. Insofar that we always make a point of stopping by the countless tea shops dotted in every village and city in China, shopping for the most fragrant tea that is currently available. (and needles to say, keeping it within our budget)
Honestly, I get myself lost in such shops, 'cos invariably the choices of tea leaves are enormous (sources state there are more than 1000 varieties, but I don't bother to count as there are rows and rows of bottled tea leaves on the shelves). Part of the service is that we are always offered a sample of our chosen 'tea' before we break our bank to purchase the leaves in question. And invariably the 'zen' or rather 'snail' like process of correctly serving tea is incomprehensible to me, but heck, it's part of the tea drinking culture and who am I to contradict local customs :)
Back home, brewing a pot of steaming hot tea, savouring it, sipping it....it all makes it worthwhile...the lady of the house loves it, the little gal loves it and I love it.....
Whenever we drink tea, do we think about the 5000 year old tea-drinking tradition? Heck no, but now that I write this right now, it sure does feel good to be part of it.
Dear, can you make me another pot of tea, please :)
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