Life, the universe and a cup of tea
Because you've all been dying to know what's up with all the English tea polls, here's the answer.
I've read a surprising number of Harry Potter stories in which tea is served with cream. Once I got over the initial yuck reaction (I have visions of buttery clotted cream floating on top of the tea - though I realise that's not what's meant), I started pondering why so many non-Brits have the idea that we drink tea with cream in it. And then I thought of English cream teas, and I had my probable answer.
This is a cream tea:
The cream is on top of the scone and jam, most definitely not in the tea! Oh, and just to tout for trade, you should try it if you're ever in England.
Checking out the poll, 41% overall think the English take cream in tea, and if you only count Americans the figure goes well over 50%, whereas 0% of the English ticked that box. Milk is the addition of choice, black drunk occasionally, and a few people, including your truly, like lemon and sugar or iced tea. But we're the odd ones out. And, to make my little theory seem very likely, those who thought we drink tea with cream tended to be the ones who thought that a cream tea is tea with cream in it.
Things you don't get if you order a cream tea: a milkshake type thing, root beer, tea grown in England, milk with a bit of coffee or tea sipped through a timtam! *boggles*
ETA: We have lots of different creams here - single (light cream - possibly similar to the American half and half), double (much thicker), clotted (which is the thick buttery stuff in the picture) and others besides, but none of them go in tea. Just plain ole milk of the skimmed (skinny), semi-skimmed (half-fat) or whole (I can't remember what that's called in America - full-fat maybe?) variety. We do have creamier milks too, but they're usually for cereals or coffee, not to go in tea.
And I think TimTam's are Australian chocolate biscuits - Aussies, help?
ETA again: There are clearly a hundred and one different things called cream! And we haven't even started on the squirty canned stuff yet. But none of them go in tea over here. *laughs*
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Have all the Cillian fans seen this? The third picture down.... Just, omg, with the curls, and the eyes and that soft look! And the curls!
*
I've edited the cheerleader post again, to add one new cheerleader for the Writers' Workout Challenge, so check it out if you're still in need of some help.
I've read a surprising number of Harry Potter stories in which tea is served with cream. Once I got over the initial yuck reaction (I have visions of buttery clotted cream floating on top of the tea - though I realise that's not what's meant), I started pondering why so many non-Brits have the idea that we drink tea with cream in it. And then I thought of English cream teas, and I had my probable answer.
This is a cream tea:
The cream is on top of the scone and jam, most definitely not in the tea! Oh, and just to tout for trade, you should try it if you're ever in England.
Checking out the poll, 41% overall think the English take cream in tea, and if you only count Americans the figure goes well over 50%, whereas 0% of the English ticked that box. Milk is the addition of choice, black drunk occasionally, and a few people, including your truly, like lemon and sugar or iced tea. But we're the odd ones out. And, to make my little theory seem very likely, those who thought we drink tea with cream tended to be the ones who thought that a cream tea is tea with cream in it.
Things you don't get if you order a cream tea: a milkshake type thing, root beer, tea grown in England, milk with a bit of coffee or tea sipped through a timtam! *boggles*
ETA: We have lots of different creams here - single (light cream - possibly similar to the American half and half), double (much thicker), clotted (which is the thick buttery stuff in the picture) and others besides, but none of them go in tea. Just plain ole milk of the skimmed (skinny), semi-skimmed (half-fat) or whole (I can't remember what that's called in America - full-fat maybe?) variety. We do have creamier milks too, but they're usually for cereals or coffee, not to go in tea.
And I think TimTam's are Australian chocolate biscuits - Aussies, help?
ETA again: There are clearly a hundred and one different things called cream! And we haven't even started on the squirty canned stuff yet. But none of them go in tea over here. *laughs*
*
Have all the Cillian fans seen this? The third picture down.... Just, omg, with the curls, and the eyes and that soft look! And the curls!
*
I've edited the cheerleader post again, to add one new cheerleader for the Writers' Workout Challenge, so check it out if you're still in need of some help.