MEMOIRS

Did you know Russians like tea more than vodka? With jam, lemon and/or milk, they consume it daily, around-the-clock, everywhere - and on any occasion. 1. Russians drink tea - always and everywhere Mikhail Klimentiev/Sputnik All nations have their own rules on when it's an appropriate time for particular drinks. For example, the Italians don't drink cappuccinos afternoon. The English are used to having tea at 5 o'clock. And in Russia, we don't (usually) drink vodka in the morning, despite the cliched stereotypes! Kirill Mukhmar/TASS But when it comes to tea... there are no rules, because Russians drink it non-stop. Literally, around-the-clock. Tea for breakfast is still more popular than coffee. After lunch, Russians drink tea with dessert. When Russians wait for someone at a cafe, they drink tea (asking to refill the teapot with boiling water over and over to squeeze out the maximum from the tea leaves!). 2. Russians often invite gues

Image Source - OZY Robert Fortune knew his tea. In 1843, the Scottish botanist sailed to China, funded by the Royal Horticultural Society, to study the varieties of the drink grown there that had become hugely popular in Britain. But when the British East India Company reached out to him in 1848 and requested he return to China, it was for a very different mission — this time not to study, but to steal. By that time — more than 2,000 years after the Chinese first started sipping tea and two centuries after the British fell hard and fast for the drink — the British East India Company had lost its trade monopoly in China, and the supply of drink had ebbed even as demand grew. That autumn in Shanghai, Fortune shaved and put on what he later referred to as “Mandarin garb” to tour a tea factory in disguise as an official from a different Chinese province. The superintendent showed him around the factory, where workers plucked, brewed and dried the precious tea. Little di

FLOOKBURGH SANDS, England (Reuters) - The thing about an old rusty tractor, said cockle-picker Tony McClure, is that even in the sea air, it will start. FILE PHOTO: Fisherwoman Margaret Owen, 66, who voted to leave the EU, takes in her nets at Sunderland Point, Britain February 25, 2019. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne His was parked out on the tidal flats of Flookburgh sands in Morecambe Bay in northwest England, braving the salty shallows of an unusually warm February dawn. He was comparing old mechanical tractors to the more modern electronic kind, and I was well aware of what he was talking about. The tide here comes in fast: If you’re not careful, it can swamp a vehicle. So you won't be certain to get off that seabed. McClure 39, was one of the first people I met on a February-March assignment around England’s coastline, where I was photographing and talking to people who had voted to leave the European Union. Like most of the 50 or so people I met and spoke to whi

From bubble tea in a Taiwan to seven layered tea in Bangladesh, here are some unique ways how people in different countries serve this popular beverage. Tea is a common drink, especially in South Asian countries and here’s how it is served. (Source: Getty/Thinkstock Images) There’s nothing like a hot cup of tea on a cold, windy day. For most people, especially in Asia, where tea is said to have found its roots, a piping hot cup of tea is what makes their day. Not only do people drink tea as a refreshing beverage, in many places, but the art and discipline of making and serving tea can also take years to master. From bubble tea in Taiwan to seven layered tea in Bangladesh, here are some unique ways how people in different countries serve this popular beverage. Dhaka While we have a lot of options when it comes to preparing tea these days, this tea-maker from Dhaka has managed to master the art of making layered tea. Naming his seven layered chai ‘Rangdhonu’, mea

An ambrosial tea full of fresh flavors, Sulaimani chai is admired by many, especially in southern India. But few fans know the fascinating tales behind this tea. “Life is like a cup of tea, It’s all in how you make it.” – Author Unknown Languages blend, borders melt and cultures meet. All over a steaming cup of chai, a beverage that bridges an intensely multi-cultural society, and apparently does a good job at that. In India, this humble agent of social interaction can be found across the country in little roadside shops. These unpretentious outlets often serve the cheapest and the most delicious types of tea. And among this illustrious list of tea varieties is the delightfully refreshing yet oft-overlooked Sulaimani chai. Brewed to a beautiful shade of amber, Sulaimani chai is an ambrosial tea made without any milk and served with an invigorating dose of lemon. You may often find a mint or basil leaf floating within, infusing it with fresh herby flavours and a heady a