Tea has become a symbol of Englishness to people who have never visited. Foreigners who love England will always mention tea while those who do not will never do so. Tea drinking is linked in the foreigners mind with the ideals of fair play and sportsmanship. It is hard to conceive of a tea drinker ever being rude or aggressive and Americans often seem a little disappointed that many of us drink at Starbucks. This is rather odd.
The English are a strange people. On the one hand we just love to run other peoples countries but we do it as a hobby. We are not willing to shoot civilians or plunder nations as any ‘proper’ empire would do. This means that English colonialists were always very polite to those they conquered. The British Empire existed before Starbucks so the empire was built on tea. All the values that we associate with tea (modesty, good manners, moderation and respect) are the public face of the British Empire.
NB The pictures are of my favorite teas of the moment. Spiced Chai, and Moroccan mint. Delicious.
