When I think of the various cultures that have influenced me, England doesn't come to mind very often. We traveled there several times while I was growing up, because my dad had some relatives there, but they were all of the "distant cousin" variety - I was much closer to my relatives in Norway. However, the one aspect of English culture that most English-speaking South Africans, including my family, retained was tea time.
Every afternoon when my dad came home from work, we would all stop what we were doing and gather for a cup of tea (or two) and some small baked goods. Dad would ask, "How was school today?" and I would say, "Fine." Eventually, Dad would greet me with, "How was school today fine?" Tea was a thoroughly civilized tradition, allowing us to discuss topics of interest like how Dad might navigate an interesting diplomatic situation or what I might do a required history report on.
When we were in South Africa and rooibos tea was readily accessible, Mom and I would have it while Dad and my brother stuck with their Earl Grey, looking down their noses at our "medicine". In fact, rooibos is so commonly used in South Africa that in a situation where an American might ask, "Tea or coffee?" a South African would ask, "Rooibos or regular?"
In college, I enjoyed using my teapot and kettle to offer hospitality to my friends when they dropped by my dorm room. Tea has the advantage that it requires almost no space to prepare. Ari and I drank tea together when he came to visit me while we were dating long distance, and we spent many long hours discussing life over a steaming mug. It's an ideal socializing medium for the cash-strapped student.
Our current family culture doesn't allow for a precise copy of my parents' teatime tradition, as Ari gets home from work immediately before dinner. Our large number of children also makes teatime something of a production, as the kettle needs to be boiled twice for everyone to get tea. But we do all enjoy tea together as part of our weekend breakfasts. Everyone has his or her own cup, and there are certain favorite flavors - including rooibos, which everyone likes.
A friend of mine, whose children take music lessons from me, enjoys having a cup of tea with me and socializing after the children's lessons are over. Now that we're doing lessons over Skype, we've still kept up our "tea time" - each making our own cuppa in our own house, but having a face to (on screen) face conversation together. Although it's not the same, it's a whole lot better than nothing. Tea tastes better when chatting with people I like.
Every afternoon when my dad came home from work, we would all stop what we were doing and gather for a cup of tea (or two) and some small baked goods. Dad would ask, "How was school today?" and I would say, "Fine." Eventually, Dad would greet me with, "How was school today fine?" Tea was a thoroughly civilized tradition, allowing us to discuss topics of interest like how Dad might navigate an interesting diplomatic situation or what I might do a required history report on.
When we were in South Africa and rooibos tea was readily accessible, Mom and I would have it while Dad and my brother stuck with their Earl Grey, looking down their noses at our "medicine". In fact, rooibos is so commonly used in South Africa that in a situation where an American might ask, "Tea or coffee?" a South African would ask, "Rooibos or regular?"
In college, I enjoyed using my teapot and kettle to offer hospitality to my friends when they dropped by my dorm room. Tea has the advantage that it requires almost no space to prepare. Ari and I drank tea together when he came to visit me while we were dating long distance, and we spent many long hours discussing life over a steaming mug. It's an ideal socializing medium for the cash-strapped student.
Our current family culture doesn't allow for a precise copy of my parents' teatime tradition, as Ari gets home from work immediately before dinner. Our large number of children also makes teatime something of a production, as the kettle needs to be boiled twice for everyone to get tea. But we do all enjoy tea together as part of our weekend breakfasts. Everyone has his or her own cup, and there are certain favorite flavors - including rooibos, which everyone likes.
A friend of mine, whose children take music lessons from me, enjoys having a cup of tea with me and socializing after the children's lessons are over. Now that we're doing lessons over Skype, we've still kept up our "tea time" - each making our own cuppa in our own house, but having a face to (on screen) face conversation together. Although it's not the same, it's a whole lot better than nothing. Tea tastes better when chatting with people I like.
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