A Tale of Tea to Shore You Up

Hello dear readers,

Given the circumstances of late, I thought it might be nice to share a light- hearted essay I wrote for RED Magazine last autumn.

After reading my post on Springtime in Seattle, my caring and practical mother, as well as a dear uncle reminded me that having grown up on a farm in rural PEI in the fifties with no indoor plumbing, running out of toilet paper is low on their list of concerns. Running out of tea, on the other hand, (they both said independently) would be a far less pleasant scenario. True Islanders out and out!

So I offer this tale of tea to all who are feeling the weight of the world this day. I wish you a sense of surroundedness despite your possible isolation, much goodwill and the nurturing of tea!

Tea—the ubiquitous, cross cultural comfort drink through the ages- a drink so tied into our Island culture that it is synonymous with hospitality, generosity and warmth.

I come from a long history of serious tea drinkers. Not serious people, per se, rather people serious about their tea. Strong, north side tea; stiff enough to keep you going through cold and wind and driving rain, and births at home and sorrows enough to almost take you down.

One of my dear uncles, a true and generous Celt through and through, likes his tea so smooth and strong he orders it direct from Ireland. (Barry’s)

Around these parts in days gone by there were tea kettles always humming on wood-stoves and big boxes of King Cole or Red Rose stored close at hand in the cupboard to get the day going or to wind down after evening chores were done. Tea drinking meant gathering together, sharing stories and offering support in difficult times.

But that was then and this is 2019. Are there any old school tea drinkers rising up from the young generations?

My three teens are all tea drinkers, whether black or green or herbal, tea of some description is being steeped and consumed in our household many, many times a day. We have a narrow cupboard next to our stove with two shelves dedicated to our tea collection. Everyone has a favourite mug; our oldest daughter has three she uses for different teas at different times.

So it shouldn’t have come as any surprise to hear one of our teens come home from a friend gathering talking about tea. And yet, despite all of the very ordinary tea talk that goes on in our house, this new talk of tea was rather unexpected. She said that some tea had been spilled while she was out regarding a new relationship between two people we all knew.

It was no time before I realized that the word tea must mean gossip in teen social media culture. To spill the tea or having some hot tea to spill means that you are about to share some hot, newsy gossip you’ve heard such as the new relationship between two seemingly unlikely people or maybe the ending of a relationship between two seemingly well matched people, or who’s got the big role in the upcoming play, a new job, is moving or whatever.

You get the picture.

Spilling tea is like getting the scoop on something or someone.

What, you are wondering, is this woman talking about? Well—I am talking about tea doublespeak. Bear with me a moment or two.

According to Merriam Webster dictionary its origins are likely rooted in black drag culture and more specifically in John Berendt’s bestselling book entitled Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in which the use of the term T refers to both someone’s inner truth (being transgender) and hot gossip.

Now you might think that tea’s almost as far away from your own kitchen table as my uncle’s imported Irish tea is from Monticello.

Or is it?

Talking tea, according to the Urban Dictionary, has its roots in the southern US with ladies gathering around, taking tea and sharing the latest news.

So tea talk, you see, is something as very human as being a black youth realizing your true identity is transgender or an Island mother trying to keep up with the slang of her teens, or any human being itching to hear the latest news.

Since that day about a year ago, when one of our three teens came home and opened my eyes to how much more there is to tea than what resides in my narrow cupboard in my humble little Island kitchen, boiling the kettle and making tea has an entirely new subculture meaning in our house.

And while a little tea talk never hurts, my three teens know that my own dear mother always said that boiled tea is spoiled tea. After all it is still quite easy to burn yourself or someone else when you’re spilling the hot tea.

We like our tea hot, but never boiling. ;)

Wishing you kindness, wellness and love, and a steaming cup of tea to shore you up!

Sincerely,

Jill M. MacCormack