Your ViewsKeep your e-mails pouring in, it's good to know that there are lots of you out there with views and opinions. To help you work out what is what, are now little icons to help you see biscuit related themes. And now you can see at a glance which are the most contested subjects via this graph (requires Flash 6.0 plugin). Please keep your mails coming in to nicey@nicecupofteaandasitdown.com | If you like, you can use this search thingy to find stuff that matches with any of the icons you pick, or use the fantastic free text search, Yay! | Your e-Mails |
Sue Girard |
Hello Nicey,
My Gram was born in Hastings in the 1880’s, moved to London as a young wife, then brought her two young daughters to California after losing her husband in WWI. We always had proper English tea at holiday dinners, but I didn’t much care for it. To entice me, Gram used to call to my attention the bubbles in my cup. “Ooooo-o-o-o—loook, you’re going to have lots of money coming your way….” I still didn’t like tea, much to Gram’s chagrin. But I do have Gram’s biscuit tin. I use it every Christmas when I load it up with homemade cookies—err, biscuits.
Best
Sue Girard |
Nicey replies: Hello Sue,
We have a special icon for tea bubbles and their associated wealth, and one for biscuit tins too. I think it's lovely that your Gram's old biscuit tin gets an outing at Christmas time.
As for Hastings I seem to remember from my trip there as a child that it has very tall wooden sheds covered in tar, which were something to do with fishing. |
| |
Brian Parker |
Just a note to follow-up on Hel Moo's mail about pouring tea out and replacing with cold water from the tap.
My father has done this all his life, and I've never understood why. In fact, when I've brewed him a cup at home I feel vaguely insulted that my careful infusion of the leaves (well, ok, bag - but it's the thought that counts!) results in 25% being thrown away. He's thankfully never been so extreme as to throw away 50%. Neither has he ever satisfactorily answered me when I've asked him why.
Maybe it's subconscious throwback to a pagan ritual, to ensure that the tea is appropriately "monied", ensuring continuing good luck, or riches or whatever.
I should add, maybe it's worked - he's 75 and still driving coaches to and from coastal towns (don't worry folks - he takes an annual medical to ensure his capability) - and at least he prefers good caffs to pubs..... |
| |
Hel Moo |
Hello!
Money is still around, yay! They told me I was mad! Thank heavens for your authority.
I'd like to bring to your attention something that has horrified me for some time. I'm not sure who started it, possibly someone with no time for a sit down.
This horrific practice involves pouring upto HALF of the tea away and refilling with cold water. It's obvious that the strength, flavour and overall enjoyment is diluted along with it. Not only this, but the surface becomes covered in bubbles and transforms the brew into a money infested "teappuccino". The aim of all this is to cool the tea down and drink it as quickly as possible, but at what cost?
Has anyone else seen this done? Did it chill them to the bone?
Please alert the public to this appauling habit and let us take action. Think of the children!
Thank you
Hel
|
Nicey replies: Yeeerrrrchhh, the horror. Such people will pay the price for such chemical abuse in later life, we would hope. I hesitate to use the Cup if Tea icon. |
| |
Steve C |
Dear Mr N
I'm originally from Lincolnshire and my Mum used to talk about "money" on the top of her cup of tea. She was something of a "teaaholic" and probalby drank more tea than Tony Benn. (Unfortunately, the preserving qualities of this brew did not work for her and she died aged 60.)
When the tea was a bit weak she would pull a face and say "That tastes like mazza water" or that's how it sounded to my untutored ear. I spent most of my formative years hearing her say this and not really giving it a thought to what it meant or where it came from. A few years after she died I visited the Robert Opie Museum (also known as the Museum of Advertising and Packaging I think) in Gloucester and there, to my amazement, was a very ornate tin with the words "Mazawattie Tea" printed on the side. It was a brand of tea and one, judging by my Mum's comments, that was more sawdust than tea leaf. Does anyone have any background info on this brand?
Great website. Regards to the missus.
|
| |
Tomsk |
Chris Capon talked about "She also refuses to drink the last few sips of tea insisting she's finished
when there is still some left in the bottom of the cup." and many others spoke of family customs relating to tea
Well, my mother-out-law (yes, the mother of my unmarried partner) coined a word for the unpleasant sensation of drinking the last dregs of a cuppa only to find that the strainer hasn't done its job.
The day this happened, she drank down the dregs and immediately made a pinched face and said "nimnimnimnim" So for ever after, the dregs in the bottom of a cuppa are nim-nims.
Anyone else have local or family words associated with a nice cup of tea (or even an unpleasant one - don't get me started on UHT milk...)
cheerio
Tomsk
|
|
|
|