Saturday 5 May 2012

It's Tea Time!



(Long-time readers may remember this is not the first time my actions have been deemed rude.)
Note for the folks at home: There may not be a national beverage of Kenya, but if there is, it is, beyond any doubt, tea. Tea in Kenya, universally called "chai", has an importance that is hard to put into words. Daily tea breaks are standard: absence of a cup of hot chai around 11 AM (and another at 4 PM, in most cases) would be a breach of basic human rights. Furthermore, Kenyan chai is a specific beverage (that might not be an American's first thought of "tea"): tea leaves steeped in hot milk (or milk that has been BARELY diluted with water,) and then combined with at least three tablespoons of sugar. The result would be called, by Starbucks standards, a "chai tea latte with extra sugar", or by David Burns standards, an "instant headache".
Note for my Kenyan readers: Just kidding. Chai is delicious and perfect in every way.