Growing up in Jamaica, to adults, drinking tea means self-care, a daily ritual. To Jamaicans, tea is a preventative and cure-all remedy for all sicknesses. So if you ever mentioned the words, "I'm not feeling well." The standard question is:
"Did you drink your tea?"
I was scornful of tea, and I looked at my little teacup with disdain.
"Stubborn as two mules!" was a frequent cry of my mum.
I was picky and I demanded that my tea be served in a little blue teacup while refusing to drink from a pink teacup.
Breakfast mornings were usually bread, butter, eggs, and an unwanted cup of tea.
Mum: Why are you not drinking your tea?
Me: It's too hot, it is burning my tongue.
Mum: You need to drink your tea before it goes cold.
Me: The cup is too hot for me to hold.
Mum: You're nothing but botheration. (a word that Jamaican parents use frequently).
Me: Mouth pouted like a bird, as I blew the tea like a hurricane.
Mum: Walks by now and then watching my screwed-up face that showed I was being tortured.
Me: [My anger turns to joy as the tea turns cold]. Swiftly, I'd lift the cup to my mouth and pour it down my bosom, and slide lower in my chair. With a big grin, I'd announce, I'm done.
Mum: Lord have mercy! You give worries.
Me: Grinning widely, I'd quickly slip to the kitchen and wash the empty cup.
In my early twenties, I got into a habit of drinking chamomile tea as a mild remedy for insomnia, and also for settling my sensitive stomach for ulcers that I developed in my teenage years from my poor eating habits.
One day in my introductory class at uni in the Netherlands, the question of the day was whether you were a tea or coffee lover.
When it came to me, "I don't drink coffee or tea, man..." the class of international students finished the sentence. "No Milly, you drink rum."
The teacher laughed and said that as much as they were stereotyping, I had set myself up for that response.
Living in the Netherlands was my first exposure to real cold temperatures. I HATED living in winter! I was led to find comfort, and somehow I got into drinking teas.
I even purchased a little wooden tea box from a cheap store called Blokker, and I would replenish my tea stock regularly.
My favourite selection was chamomile for sleep and relaxation with honey, peppermint with sugar, and Earl Grey with sugar and milk. Still, there was one tea in particular that I was smitten with; Rooibos tea, a South African tea, also called red tea, that I still drink today.
My evening beverage an hour before bed is a cup of Rooibus tea. The label says caffeine free, and this brand is not the strongest, so I brew two teabags in a big teacup, and I drink it while it's hot.
The colour and smell of the Rooibus tea are soothing with warm woody notes, which help me to relax.
Cherry Blossoms and Tea Farms in Taiwan
I was mesmerised by beautiful cherry blossoms and tea farms in Alishan, Taiwan, and I had a brief affair with drinking Taiwanese tea while living in the Philippines.
Staying hydrated when living in hot tropical climates is a priority and I like to drink homemade unsweetened Iced Tea with lemon. Taiwanese tea was my favourite.
Misty mountains and tea farms are what I'll always remember and think of when I reminisce on the hidden gem of Southeast Asia.
Still, although I do have fond memories of tea, if I woke up and got the news that I could never drink tea again, I wouldn't even bat an eyelid.
There's no pleasure in drinking tea. I like looking at fancy teacups more than I love drinking tea, so I'm always happy to brew a lovely cup for a photo and pour it down the drain when it's cold.
This is my response to the active tea contest in celebration of Int'l Tea Day. You are invited to enter by clicking on that link and seeing the rules of the contest.
Of course, my entry does not qualify:)
Put the kettle on, and submit your entries. I'm looking to find stories that might influence me to fall in love with tea.
Thanks for reading:)))
All images were taken by me 😉
