The Culture of Tea
All around the world, people drink tea. But tea does not mean the same thing to everyone.
In different countries people have very different ideas about drinking tea. In China, for example, tea is always served when people get together. The Chinese drink it at any time of the day at home or in teahouses. They prefer to drink plain tea because they enjoy its original flavour.
Tea is very important in Japan. The Japanese have a special way of serving tea called the “tea ceremony”. It is very old and full of meaning. Everything must be done in a special way in the ceremony. There is even a special room for the ceremony in many Japanese homes.
Another tea-drinking country is Britain. The late afternoon is called “teatime”. Almost everyone has a cup of tea then. The British usually make tea in a teapot and drink it with cream and sugar. They also eat cakes, cookies and little sandwiches at teatime.
In the United States people drink tea mostly for breakfast or after meals. Americans usually use tea bags to make their tea. Tea bags are faster and easier than making tea in teapots. In summer, many Americans drink iced tea. Sometimes they drink iced tea with cans like soda.
