Outlander, Season 3:Episode 1, 29:13

Frank and Claire are settling in their new home in Boston, having breakfast.

The kettle whistles, and Frank holds up a tea bag.

Frank:

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again. These are an abomination."

Claire:

"Well, that's how they drink it here."

Frank:

"Mm. It doesn't even smell like tea after weeks of sitting in these paper diapers."

Claire:

"There is coffee if you'd rather."

Frank:

"I mean, why change something that works perfectly well. Tea in a tin. Scoop it out. Put it in a pot. Is it really so difficult?"

Claire:

"I suppose not."

Frank:

"Well, I'm not sure I'll ever understand the American obsession with <em>the new</em>. Everything has to be new, new, new."

****************

I understand the dialogue. This isn't just about tea. It's about rushing through the small pleasures in life just to get something that's easier and faster than before. It means compromising just to save some time. This isn't just about America, but many places that have evolved into fast-paced societies. We moved so fast, and now I'm disheartened that there isn't any going back. I'd love to have a way to enjoy the past's simple pleasures. But we have the internet, jet planes, and drive-throughs.

I try to keep things simple in my own home. I do drink loose-leaf tea, but I have to order it online. It's interesting that I need to use a modern day method to find something from the past.

Leigh, if you do stop over in London on 16th September, I hope you'll give me a shout - we can meet for a cuppa !

Som : they are the two best-known tea parties, the first in literature, the second in history. Strange, unexpected, or even globally significant events can happen at a tea party.

NOTE: John is such a common English/British name or by connection other English speaking countries name. I would not have known which/what John was being referred to, had I not seen TEA in the title, It can only be me, or an English man/Brit that can start a whole discussion about TEA or BEER, I am definitely upholding the stereotype I am happy to say.

@Som

Most languages use variants of "te" (tea) and "cha" (chai) : <a href="https://qz.com/1176962/map-how-the-word-tea-spread-over-land-and-sea-to-conquer-the-world/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://qz.com/1176962/map-how-the-word-tea-spread-over-land-and-sea-to-conquer-the-world/</a>;. There just aren't many other words for this beverage. And actually they are the same. The Chinese character 茶 is read chá in Mandarin (from which chai is derived) and tê in Minnan (from which tea is derived). So basically, with a few exceptions, the whole world just uses one name for this beverage. I like the Telugu variant టీ (ṭī). It looks beautiful.

It´s easy to find loose tea here; there are several retailers where I live, althoug it´s just a mid-sized town. They are mainly charming shops with bulk stuff often labeled as eco, bio, wholemeal... However, coffe is far more popular among my compatriots. My customs are coffe before noon and a cup of tea afterward (at 5 o'clock, by the way). Neither sugar nor milk allowed in both cases. And regarding my favourite tastes I choose red (puerh tea) and black (lumbini bop, assam bop, darjeeling...). I hardly ever drink other types unless I am advised to give it a try; among them, I remember Ti Kuan Yin: a kind of tiny balls that, once in water, expand their size.