A strange transformation has taken place in our house over the past few years, and it’s all due to tea! The change has been in two main areas: what we consume overall and what we talk about.

What We Consume

Hubby and I grew up in a pretty typical fashion where not every food choice was made based on that item’s nutritional value. We drank soft drinks (colas/sodas) and ate salty, fatty snacks and other foods that were high in calories and low in nutrition, also known as “junk food.”

While some of this “junk food,” such as Twinkies and various crackers, are appropriate for tea time, hubby and I have found ourselves gravitating to foods with a bit more sustenance over mere sensory appeal. Fresh fruits tend to top the list, along with dairy (primarily cheeses) and some baked items such as fruit pies and scones served with clotted cream and fruit preserves.

The transition has been so natural and seamless that we have hardly noticed it. However, we seem to feel more spry and generally energetic. A true physical transformation!

What We Talk About

Normal daily chatter can range from your health, your children’s health, and the weather, to the latest “beef” with your boss, how well your favorite sports team did in their latest confrontation with a rival, and your thoughts on the latest “must see” movie. Hubby and I have certainly engaged in such exchanges in the past. But tea is transforming our conversation, even on this very basic level.

Tea pops up in conversation with friends, family, mere acquaintances, and total strangers. Statements just automatically spring forth from our mouths like this: “Hi, how are you today? What tea did you have with breakfast? We’re just finishing off some nice Kenyan.”

This transformation has proven not to be quite as positive as the first one. We have even noticed one or two people we know turn and head the other direction when they see us approach. Sigh! It usually goes that way when someone can’t resist discussing his/her favorite topic with all and sundry, whether they are interested or not.

We also end up enduring the almost automatic response we get from some people when they find out we like tea: “Oh, I just LOVE chamomile tea!” The phrase instantly makes me cringe. I have begun refraining from pointing out to them that chamomile is an herbal infusion since doing so leads to a much longer discussion than I care to have with the speaker. Also, like May King Tsang, I try to maintain a civil attitude in person and save my insistence on correct tea terminology when I write, tweet, and post on Facebook.

Be Transformed by Tea

The more you drink tea, the more likely you are to be transformed. Switching from drinking sodas and grabbing at “junk food” should be a positive for your life. The constant gabbing about tea, on the other hand, could be a negative side effect.

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