A Question For You Brits

[Lambchop]

Peanut butter, mashed banana, and a bit of ginger preserves on oat bread. Toasted oat bread.

What is cream tea, anyway, and why do you have to have it once then drive to another town to have it again?

[Wombat]

The place for fish fingers is the rubbish bin.

Well, you may be the big philosophy hotshot, but you don't know nothin' 'bout biolergy! Fish don't even got no fingers.

*Sings*
They tell me there's fish in the ocean,
They tell me there's fish in the sea,
But I buy my fish from the fish shop,
So it all sounds like BS to me.

Believe me Mke, these English fish are heavily mutant.

[Wombat]

What is cream tea, anyway, and why do you have to have it once then drive to another town to have it again?

It's the American term for what's known elsewhere as white tea. That's just tea with milk in it.

If you come from a tea drinking culture, you simply stop to have tea several times a day. It's drunk instead of coffee. I have one cup of coffee each day after my evening meal. For the rest of the time, I drink tea when I want a slight boost. In terms of weight it contains more caffeine than coffee but in terms of the amount that actually gets into your system it contains considerably less.

[Nanohedron]

It's the American term for what's known elsewhere as white tea.

Never heard of it, myself. A regional thing, maybe?

I like my tea best untrammelled by dairy, lemon or other commercially added froufrou, Earl Grey and jasmine teas excepted.

[Lambchop]

It's the American term for what's known elsewhere as white tea.

Never heard of it, myself. A regional thing, maybe?

I like my tea best untrammelled by dairy, lemon or other commercially added froufrou, Earl Grey and jasmine teas excepted.

Never heard of it, either, except on the menus of British pubs. A misconception about Americans, maybe?

I like mine the same way . . . sans additives.

It's like coffee. Coffee is just coffee. We don't have white coffee or cream coffee. Just coffee. If you like milk or cream, it's still coffee. You just want cream, too. Or, you want it "lightened." (Cafe au lait excepted, of course, but coffee in Louisiana requires a completely different language.)

[TelegramSam]

I've had crumpets before. I'm not british, but toasting and a little butter seemed good enough for me.

[Wombat]

It's the American term for what's known elsewhere as white tea.

Never heard of it, myself. A regional thing, maybe?

I like my tea best untrammelled by dairy, lemon or other commercially added froufrou, Earl Grey and jasmine teas excepted.

Never heard of it, either, except on the menus of British pubs. A misconception about Americans, maybe?

I like mine the same way . . . sans additives.

It's like coffee. Coffee is just coffee. We don't have white coffee or cream coffee. Just coffee. If you like milk or cream, it's still coffee. You just want cream, too. Or, you want it "lightened." (Cafe au lait excepted, of course, but coffee in Louisiana requires a completely different language.)

That's interesting. If it is completely a misconception then it seems to be quite widespread. I was under the impression that I first heard of it from someone who had just visited America but that would be a very long time ago.

Let me get this straight. If you wanted tea with milk what would you ask for? Apparently not white tea. That in itself might throw a lot of visiters.

[Cynth]

I have not heard of "cream tea" in the US--I think it is a phrase used in England.

Man, I miss Devon. On vacation, we were averaging two cream teas a day.....You have to drive to the next village but who cares....

It sounds like it is something Weekenders had in England. I think he was talking about tea with scones and Devonshire cream.
I don't drink tea, but I think just as with coffee, you would say, "I would like tea, please. And may I have some milk to put in it also?"
White tea

[Lambchop]

That's interesting. If it is completely a misconception then it seems to be quite widespread. I was under the impression that I first heard of it from someone who had just visited America but that would be a very long time ago.

Let me get this straight. If you wanted tea with milk what would you ask for? Apparently not white tea. That in itself might throw a lot of visiters.

If you asked for white tea, most would not know what you were talking about. They would just stare at you. I would think you were talking about this:

we have a selection of five white teas, including an Organic white tea. These delicate teas are new buds plucked before they open and are withered to allow the natural moisture to evaporate and then are gently dried. The curled up buds have a silvery/white appearance and give a pale, straw colored liquor. As might be expected, the flavor is subtle and must be carefully appreciated. Its health benefits are similar to green tea. www.harney.com/whitetea.html

In a home, I would ask for "Tea, please? With a little milk?"

In a restaurant, it's a little different. They all have tea, but it is often a hit and miss affair. An off-brand American tea bag produces a weak, almost transparent, orangish brew with a flavor of old wood chips. Seriously. It tastes like plywood. I think it's made from ground-up stems of old tea plants. It has often been in the restaurant so long that any oils that may have been in the tea have long since departed. So, before ordering, you need to determine what kind of tea, exactly, you will get.

The exchange goes like this:

"What kind of tea do you have?"
"Bags."
"Any particular brand?"
"Bags."
"OK, I'll have a coke."

If you did find the brand of tea acceptable, you would simply say "OK, tea, then. May I have creamer with it?"

You have to be careful, though, because they will often bring the teacup with a slice of lemon perched on the edge, not realizing that the creamer will curdle in the cup. The water will come in a horrid little metal container which usually will not fill the cup. And isn't really very hot.

Ordering tea isn't a simple matter at all. Is the tea in loose bags, or is it sealed in foil? What brand is it? Is the water really hot, if not can you nuke it first? Do you serve it with lemon? If so, would you not serve it with lemon? How much water will you bring? Is it one of those little metal things? Or a thermos? I'd rather have a thermos . . . is that ok?

I've had people tell me that watching me order tea is like watching the restaurant scene from When Harry Met Sally. "I'm not sitting with you EVER if you do that again."

So, when you come to America, bring your own tea.

[Wombat]

I have not heard of "cream tea" in the US--I think it is a phrase used in England.

Man, I miss Devon. On vacation, we were averaging two cream teas a day.....You have to drive to the next village but who cares....

It sounds like it is something Weekenders had in England. I think he was talking about tea with scones and Devonshire cream.
I don't drink tea, but I think just as with coffee, you would say, "I would like tea, please. And may I have some milk to put in it also?"
White tea

I think Weeks meant afternoon tea, so we might have some ambiguity going here. If so I suppose he meant a Devonshire tea. That consists of scones with jam and cream and tea (the drink) usually with milk in it (ie, white.) White tea (the drink) contains milk not cream. The contrast is with black tea which contains no milk. Green tea is always drunk black whilst Orange Pekoe tea can be drunk black or white. Get it? It's simple really.

[Wombat]

In a home, I would ask for "Tea, please? With a little milk?"

In a restaurant, it's a little different. They all have tea, but it is often a hit and miss affair. An off-brand American tea bag produces a weak, almost transparent, orangish brew with a flavor of old wood chips. Seriously. It tastes like plywood. I think it's made from ground-up stems of old tea plants. It has often been in the restaurant so long that any oils that may have been in the tea have long since departed. So, before ordering, you need to determine what kind of tea, exactly, you will get.

The exchange goes like this:

"What kind of tea do you have?"
"Bags."
"Any particular brand?"
"Bags."
"OK, I'll have a coke."

If you did find the brand of tea acceptable, you would simply say "OK, tea, then. May I have creamer with it?"

You have to be careful, though, because they will often bring the teacup with a slice of lemon perched on the edge, not realizing that the creamer will curdle in the cup. The water will come in a horrid little metal container which usually will not fill the cup. And isn't really very hot.

Ordering tea isn't a simple matter at all. Is the tea in loose bags, or is it sealed in foil? What brand is it? Is the water really hot, if not can you nuke it first? Do you serve it with lemon? If so, would you not serve it with lemon? How much water will you bring? Is it one of those little metal things? Or a thermos? I'd rather have a thermos . . . is that ok?

I've had people tell me that watching me order tea is like watching the restaurant scene from When Harry Met Sally. "I'm not sitting with you EVER if you do that again."

So, when you come to America, bring your own tea.

Hilarious Peggy.

It's the bit about creamer that's confusing me. Let's see if I'm getting this right. If I ask for tea I can also ask for creamer. That's cream? I then put it in my tea. But I can't call the result cream tea? Or is it milk? Or is it some concoction of origin I'd better not enquire into?

I guess the myth about cream tea must be the result of people making the mistake of applying logic to this situation. I mean when you get black tea and put milk in it to make it brown it's obvious you've got white tea isn't it?

[Flyingcursor]

The only tea I drink is iced tea, no additives. Mmmmm.. I get the kind of bags that Peggy likes. They say "Tea bag" on them.

Try getting iced tea in a restaraunt in the southern US without sugar. Good luck.

Cynth, it's those who don't eat Peanut Butter who are missing out. I wonder what peanut butter would taste like on a big juicy steak?

Anybody here ever try a peanut butter and Marmite sandwich?

[Walden]

One supposes that "creamer" refers not to actual cream, but to powdered "non dairy creamer" such as Coffee Mate. I guess it's made from soybeans... among other things.

[Wombat]

One supposes that "creamer" refers not to actual cream, but to powdered "non dairy creamer" such as Coffee Mate. I guess it's made from soybeans... among other things.

My worst suspicions confirmed.

And I believe in Tibet they drink tea with salt and yak butter.

[avanutria]

Not powdered (in my experience), but typically liquid and in little tiny plastic cups that look like this:

http://www.discountcoffee.com/AssortedL ... eamers.htm

Not being a coffee/tea drinker myself, I have never actually used these things for any purpose other than making little creamer cup pyramids on late-night restaurant tables. There's typically a small bowl full of creamer cups near the rest of the condiments on the table. They don't have to be refrigerated, and I often wonder how long they've been sitting there...

So if you're in a diner-style restaurant and you ask for creamer, you'll get one or more of these, and you add them to your drink as you see fit.