Any Time is Tea Time in India!

Any time is tea time! My father used to say that. Our house was always open to uninvited guests throughout the year. Before even answering the doorbell he will ask my mother if there is enough milk at home in case we have to make tea. Offering tea to a guest is the least one does to make the guests feel welcomed. It is embedded in Indian culture. Fast forward a few decades, and it seems it has become common to meet people on the street for tea instead of visiting their homes. During my recent visits to India, I do notice things are changing at a faster speed. Doesn’t matter which city or town one visits, every few feet there are tea stalls, thelewalas for chat/panipuri, food trucks for hot breakfast, and designated indoor or outdoor corners for fast food centers. I guess there is no fixed time for anything and everything is available all the time. Possibly due to the fact that everyone’s day starts at different hours. Hanging out with friends for tea and snacks is very common for all age groups. These habit changes may not be realized by people living there but when one sees it from outside once every few years then one would notice them easily.

In previous years our visits to India were always aligned with kids' school vacations. We could afford to go for a relatively long time in the summer months. Summer in India is brutal. But the temptation to eat chaat, egg roll, pani puri, drink lassi, etc is irresistible. Having tea in hot weather was not necessarily something I personally enjoyed. But invariably though we end up with stomach upset after each visit. We consoled ourselves it was not the food but the heat wave that caused it so. We forget all those bitter experiences by the next visit and start relishing fast food again. Eating local food is a quintessential part of the traveling experience that one wishes to have especially when traveling to different countries.

Both my girls are very fond of living as a local when they travel anywhere outside our hometown. In December of 2022, both came along with us to India after five years.

India has changed a lot. Most villages have pakka houses, towns look much more developed, and cities look like megacities. Modern eateries, air-conditioned malls, restaurants, five-star hotels and so much more. All these places are crowded but despite that, there are rows and rows of fast food centers, sweet shops, and tea stalls that are crowded every day. Population growth is felt to the core.

It was time for us to be a local and start enjoying street food. We ordered our first tea on the moving train from Bhubaneswar to Bhilai. An experience to relive after decades. Back then the tea was served in small glasses but this time tiny little paper cups. Compared to our big coffee mugs back at home the little tea cups or earthen cups are so small that one serving is not enough to feel satisfied. Nevertheless, the taste was good.

Next time we enjoyed tea at a wedding in Udaipur where a special cyclewala tea vendor was the center of attraction during the daytime open-air wedding ceremony.

Then we had coffee in the Udaipur local market. It was good in that tiny paper cup. By the time the vendor poured for all four of us, my husband had finished drinking. The storekeeper smiled and poured another serving for him in a use and throw matka. After we settled in Bhubaneswar, the first thing my husband asked the caretaker of the property was to take him on his motorcycle to have tea from a nearby street.

Another time Rajesh, a dear friend, took both my daughter and me to a cafe that offered fancy options for tea. The cafe had air-conditioned indoor sitting but my daughter opted to sit out for the experience of the olden days. Bocca cafe and Cafe 16 are other upscale cafes we went few times.

While visiting #Dhauli we had tea several times at the foothill. Another day while driving in the evening, my mother-in-law wished to have tea from the street. In any big stores we visited for shopping, we were offered tea or coffee. I am sure my husband had numerous times tea on the streets while meeting his friends for which I don’t have a record. Our caretaker made us tea or coffee several times during the day. While the ingredients are the same, the tea-making formula is different for everyone however one thing that was common for all was that they were extra sweet. Personally, I do not have a habit of drinking tea all day except for the first thing in the morning made by my husband. Either his method of making tea or the added love he brings makes it the best compared to the rest.

The point is, any time is tea time even today. The definition of visiting a friend for tea might be translated as meeting a friend over tea in a cafe however the sentiment remains the same.

—--

Manorama Choudhury