STATESIDE STORIES: Tea From Stateside

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by Mary Foran

The Boston Tea Party is the first thing that comes to mind when I think about TEA from Stateside. But the truth is that Americans love tea! All kinds of tea, from the East, from the West (which happen to join at some point!).

From the warmer climes where the sun shines, it’s a brew that warms in winter, and is served with ICE in summer. (Some people like it that way all year long.)

Loose-leaf chamomile tea

Well, I can drink teas warm all year, since I am a friolera. I can have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner and anytime in between.

An afternoon tea reminds me of friends and relatives far away and long gone. It strengthens my resolve and fortifies my spirit, while herbal teas put me to sleep at night. (I highly recommend a relaxing Chamomile Tea in the evening after a hard day’s work, or if you are on the Night Shift, when you get home from work.)

Some might think that teas are for SISSYS, but their pungent odors wafting free, and their variety, are to be enjoyed. (There used to be, and probably still is, a TEA PARTY in the STATES, but with all the hub-bub of the Presidential campaigns, they haven’t been heard per se.)

But back to tea: Green Tea is a tea that can be quaffed at any time: warm, relaxing, and, they say, “good for the nerves,” and with its own unique flavors.

A strong black tea is what I often like to start off my day. (There’s nothing like a whistling tea kettle!) Sipping delicately is what I have trouble doing. I know a good afternoon tea picks you up to carry you through.

It really is an interesting alternative to coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, and you can alternate your caffeine intake that way.

Energy drinks are ubiquitous in America, as “blue” and “white-collar” workers work 40-60-80 hours a week to earn money for retirement. Taking care of yourself in your old age is the goal. Simple fear is often the motivation: Will I have enough money to finally do what I want? Then the question becomes: Will I have enough money to have people take care of me until I pass away…?

It’s a great concern that blasts across TV screens worrying people constantly.

“When push comes to shove,” SINGLE people wonder “What in the Dickens can I do?” Childless couples often wish they had had some offspring, “when push comes to shove.”

Segregation of the old bothers me to no end, but I have to understand it in some respects: Birds were born to fly from their nests and live their own adventures…

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Images
>Featured image (Black tea) by Patrick George, CC BY 2.0 Generic
>Teapot and Hello Kitty cup by Miss Maisy,  CC BY SA 2.0 Generic via Wikimedia Commons
>Old lady in red coat by Public Domain Pictures from Pixabay
>Loose leaf chamomile tea by Ianakoz CC BT SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons