Tea Ceremonies

One thing I will never forget of my time in the Middle East is the “tea for hospitality.”

In every meeting with a high-up official, from the Arab League in Cairo to Syria’s Minister of Higher Education, there was served an abundance of beverage and sweet hydration. The large conference tables were lined with glasses, water bottles, mango or orange juice containers along with pens and sheets of blank paper. After the meetings would start, one or two men would begin to make tinkling noises about the room as they handed out the hyper-sweetened tea in small glass cups and saucers. They were always intent upon serving all members of the meeting, no matter how awkward the seating arrangements in the often cramped rooms.

In Syria, there came a special surprise in Turkish coffee. Less than a shot of the most potent, blackest coffee ever known. I sipped it once, ignored all other times, and patiently waited for the inevitable tea. The tea was sweetened well beyond sweet, often in what tasted like a combination of both sugar and honey. Quite the treat to keep one awake during meetings.

Advertisement