All these years, I wondered why people drink tea. And I used to call them names, I used to call them addicted. But I never figured out as to what is it that attracts so many people to tea. And its the most all pervading addiction. I mean I can understand smoking and booze. That's bad and all know about it. Tea was a different type of addiction, of which the first evidence was found right at home, that too right from the very beginning. I always used to protest and at times have also fought with my mom and dad about the so called addiction. I have tried to reason and tried to deter them from tea. Some people get head-aches in its absence, some require the stimulant just to work, some have just formed the habit of the 7:30am and 3:30pm tea,and don't even realize that they drink tea. Whatever be it, people consume an incorrigible amount of tea overall, and i never could figure out why.
Over the last two months though, I have suddenly started realizing as to why it forms such a huge part of the Indian families in general. And I used to try to stay away from tea and try to be 'cool' maybe all the time, but that is slowly fading away.
The foremost reason is the 'time required to prepare' to the 'am-full-again' ratio. Tea is basically awfully simple top prepare. And hence, if you are alone at home, or guests have come and you need to have something ready in a jiffy, then tea is the answer. The ingredients required to prepare tea are readily available at everyone's place. Plus, no matter how many people come, water being the basic ingredient, it never so happens that you can't prepare something just because you don't have enough of something. If you don't have sugar, you can drink sugarless tea. If you don't have milk, then you can drink black tea. If you have both, well then you are in for a treat. All in all, tea leaves/tea powder and you are ready to go..!!! And then if you are really in for something extraordinary, then the spices and condiments are at your disposal forever.... Honey, cardamom, clove, cinnamon, mint, lemon grass... Just everything... One of the major difference between tea and coffee...
Another thing is that it goes along with anything and everything. Hence, its the perfect side dish or the main dish. Biscuits, bread, toast, rotis. All is fair.
Because of its very little ingredients, it is obviously very cheap to prepare, and hence affordable as compared to coffee again. An added plus in a country like ours where welcoming guests is important, but spending too much on them is not affordable.
It forms an ideal break time or hang out drink. You get to sit down and enjoy the cup while sipping and blowing puffs of air, and a small tiny discussion with your colleague. And the cup can be in any and every shape and size, and still the time spent is equal all over. That's the beauty of tea, that it takes up exactly equal amount of time no matter when and where you have it. So its perfect to give during snack times to the workers or employees.
It also forms the perfect meal during lonely times. That's the main reason i have started 'tee'ing off on tea. When you come home alone, and there in no one else, you aren't exactly in a mood to cook or dish up a snack for yourself. You are famished, you don't have time, and aren't in the correct mindset to go through the ordeal of cooking something. At such times, tea comes as a safe bet. If you have a toast or a cheese sandwich along, or a few biscuits, then you can survive a lunch or dinner with the same as well. You can sit alone then, reading some stupid piece of paper, with the fan on full, and relax completely. A little 'U' time is provided by the 'T' in such cases. Some friend/family member/relative comes along. He/she is in a bad mood, and tired to the core. A cup of tea, and he/she ll be back to life. Tea is perfect for getting people to mellow down, or calm down with. I used to think that this can be possible with a cup of coffee as well. But suddenly I have started that its not the case. It's tea alone which fulfills this request.
Maybe I can never get addicted to tea. Maybe I can never give up coffee, cold in particular. Maybe I will never accept that tea is better than coffee. But one thing is for sure, I will never be calling tea names, and calling tea drinkers something close to people being addicted to something bad. In India atleast, tea is not just a drink, its a way of life...!!! Kudos to the holy slopes on which they grow. They have given me a good reason to try to figure out life further, and certainly a topic for my blog to write on..!!