Tea.

I’m fairly certain it is a sin not to like tea if you are Irish. Or at least if some one is asked “would you like some tea?” and the answer is “no I don’t like it” that will get a response similar to that if someone had just said they killed a puppy.

WHAT??? You…you DON’T…..?? But… But… WHAT?

IT’S TEAAAAAAAA!!!<

You HAVE to like tea. I mean, what do you do for a break?? What do you do if you have people over??? Do you NOT offer tea??

All of this will be the standard response. And as a tea drinker myself I am one of these shocked and somewhat appalled people.

There are so many varieties of “tea”. The tea is in inverted commas because as my mother would say….

I can’t think of those fruity things as real tea.

Irish people are very traditional in their tea drinking. I think one of the most stresses of a foreign holiday for the Irish is the lack or Barry’s or Lyons or Beweleys (everyone has their preference).

And the test of a true friend can be based on… Do they know how you like your tea??
For me my preference is a bit strong, some milk and LOTS OF SUGAR. The strength and milk are not deal breakers for me. But the sugar, oh the sugar, now that is the clincher.

The one problem with tea is if you make it you must offer it to EVERYONE. At home me and my mam have found a loophole to this rule…. Wait until Emma (my older sister) is making it. She is what I would call a teaholic. Clocked her at 15 cups in one day once, all I can think is Mrs. Doyle must be proud. If you don’t get the reference look up Father Ted.

I don’t know what it is about tea that makes Ireland so passionate about it. But I think that the reputation of Ireland being mad for drink should perhaps be revised because if we really looked at it I’m fairly sure the tea consumption would be far above that of the alcohol consumption, probably mainly due to my sister.