Sun set. The Sun at the end of the day is not burning but warm and gentle. Young ladies in their best afternoon gowns are sitting around the table in the flower garden, talking and laughing in very soft voices. On the table decorated with roses and ivy was a tea set and layered plate filled with cakes, sandwiches, cookies and sweet. The hostess rings her little hand bell and servants with white-gloved hand serve tea in the most elegant china teacups. One of the ladies pours some milk into her cup; another takes some sugar, and another some honey. Then each stirs her cup gently by a tiny silver spoon. One sips on her tea and smiles, which is the best compliment to the hostess. After a while, the servants withdraw; the ladies keep on drinking tea, having treats and continue their never-ending story. The Sun is going down slowly. In the soft wind, pieces of flower are falling. The garden covered in the sweet scent of roses, tea and spring. People usually think of drinking tea as an “old folks’ thing”, “rich people’s hobby” or “a waste of time and money”, but drinking tea means much more than that. It is elegance. It is the way to build and keep relationships. It is relaxation. Drinking tea is the refreshment of your soul.
Tea originated in Asia but popularized and consumed mostly by Europeans. Today, tea considered the second most popular drink around the world, just after water. Drinking tea is not just grasping a tea bag, put it in a beer mug, pour hot water into it and drink. Even a small tea in family or among close friends should at least has tea pot, tea cups creamer, sugar pot, spoons and some treat to go along with. That is the tradition and etiquette that makes drinking tea so charming. No little girl who dreams to be a princess has never been to a tea party or even hosted one on her own with baby dolls and teddy bears. Look at the way a girl behaves in a tea party, even the most naughty and boyish little girl acts in a so lady-like manner, which turns her into a noble’s daughter. Because tea and tea party always reminds people of some royal palace with king and queen, princes and princesses, drinking tea creates a sense of elegance and luxury.
Drinking tea does not mean getting tea with burger and fries out of a drive-dru window at McDonald in a hurry. Fast food doesn’t have anything to do with tea. If someone were asked to come over for a tea or to sit down “just for a cup of tea”, it very likely turns out to be a long lasted conversation. Drinking tea is time consuming, but once people are into it, they can hardly notice. An old Vietnamese _expression says that “A cup of tea is the beginning of every conversation”. It is amazing that how much people can understand about each other after a cup of tea. Taking time to sit down and drinking tea together can turn strangers into acquaintances and acquaintances into friends. There is nothing more enjoyable than friends gather together for a tea. Stories around a tea table could be about anything, but the time that friends share together is invaluable. Nowadays, nobody has time to do anything. There are too much work to do and a twenty-four-hour day never seems to be enough. Five minutes waiting at the traffic light could be so frustrating. It is not surprising that people let values like family, friends and other relationships fade away, away and away… A couple of hours at the weekend drinking tea with family and friends could remind people to slow down and enjoy lives instead of living them so quickly.
Why does drinking tea mean so much? After all, tea is just one of many kinds of drink. It is true that people don’t need tea to survive. There are plenty of other things to drink: water, soda, coffee and even alcohol, but why do people still drink tea? Because drinking tea has it own meaning which still remains even when it’s elegance and social element are taken away. Drinking tea can keep companies together, but drinking tea itself is a good company too. If one is alone with a cup of tea, that person is not lonely at all. An old English legend says that each kind of tea has its own fairy, and if you drinking tea at a full moon night, the tea fairy will come and fulfill your three wishes. Of course a legend is just a legend, but it shows how drinking tea is appreciated. And even though tea fairy will never come, drinking tea is still a good remedy for one’s soul. Holding a cup of tea in two hands, felling its temperature, smelling its scent, looking at its color then taking a sip; the taste of tea can lift every worries away and bring a feeling of relaxation. There are many ways to drink tea, hot or with ice, with sugar for a sweet taste, with lemon for a sour taste, with milk for a creamy taste, or combine every thing together, or just plain tea for its very own bitter taste; therefore, no matter how stress out or bored or unstable or weird a person is, there is always a right kind of tea for him. Because of its variation, drinking tea is the way a person finds his own reflections at different points of life. And for all hardships one has been through, being able to sit down and drink a cup of tea is a moment of pleasure, of joy and happiness.
Tea is not just a drink, and drinking tea is not just for rich or old people. Drinking tea carries within itself many beautiful meanings. It plays an important role in social relationships as well as individual lives. It is the bridge to connect friends, the way to enjoy life and to relax. The meaning of drinking tea will never be denied, and tea will remain the second popular drink on Earth after water.
