Sweet Tea and Memories
I was wondering the other day when I was driving somewhere drinking sweet tea, if iced tea is sweet tea. A lot of my friends serve iced tea. It never has sugar in it. What's that about? How can you drink iced tea without sugar and a lemon slice on the rim.
When my mother served iced tea it was ALWAYS sweet. I was born and raised in Putnam and Kanawha Counties, West Virginia. We drank sweet iced tea either in glasses with a border of Dutch boys and girls or a border of yellow and red tulips. Of course, there was the summer when plastic glasses hit town and we had them in all colors, yellow, green, pink and we used those.
My good friend, Sherry, was born and raised around Delaware, Ohio and her mother always made iced tea without sugar - ever. So Sher drinks unsweetened tea.
My dear friend, Diana, makes iced tea and has simple syrup on the side for those who like sweet tea. Diana doesn't use much sugar in her food so I try to remember that when Sherry and Diana visit to make a pitcher of sweet tea without the sugar.
It seems we all have our own tea habits. And tea memories.
My most favorite tea memory is of my first writers group which included my friends Donna, and Liz. We were in Marcie Anderson's writers group that originated at John Carroll University in Cleveland. An adult ed class. From there we moved to Marcie's home in Pepper Pike. That was once a month so in between meetings Liz, Donna, and I would meet at each other's houses over tea, usually spiced warm tea, and discuss writing and our own projects. I'll never forget how sweet those days were. Donna was the baker and always had warm muffins to go with the tea. Or I'd pick up something from Hough Bakery, which I understand is no longer in Cleveland.
While those days are gone the memories still linger, strong and sweet like a good glass of tea.
I have a poem somewhere that I wrote during that time in my life. IT was about how a friend is like a good cup of tea. When I find it I'll post it.
Do you have a favorite tea? Or a favorite tea memory.
We have so many wonderful teas these days. Love Chia? I do. I love all of them.
Let me hear from you. Blessings, Barb
When my mother served iced tea it was ALWAYS sweet. I was born and raised in Putnam and Kanawha Counties, West Virginia. We drank sweet iced tea either in glasses with a border of Dutch boys and girls or a border of yellow and red tulips. Of course, there was the summer when plastic glasses hit town and we had them in all colors, yellow, green, pink and we used those.
My good friend, Sherry, was born and raised around Delaware, Ohio and her mother always made iced tea without sugar - ever. So Sher drinks unsweetened tea.
My dear friend, Diana, makes iced tea and has simple syrup on the side for those who like sweet tea. Diana doesn't use much sugar in her food so I try to remember that when Sherry and Diana visit to make a pitcher of sweet tea without the sugar.
It seems we all have our own tea habits. And tea memories.
My most favorite tea memory is of my first writers group which included my friends Donna, and Liz. We were in Marcie Anderson's writers group that originated at John Carroll University in Cleveland. An adult ed class. From there we moved to Marcie's home in Pepper Pike. That was once a month so in between meetings Liz, Donna, and I would meet at each other's houses over tea, usually spiced warm tea, and discuss writing and our own projects. I'll never forget how sweet those days were. Donna was the baker and always had warm muffins to go with the tea. Or I'd pick up something from Hough Bakery, which I understand is no longer in Cleveland.
While those days are gone the memories still linger, strong and sweet like a good glass of tea.
I have a poem somewhere that I wrote during that time in my life. IT was about how a friend is like a good cup of tea. When I find it I'll post it.
Do you have a favorite tea? Or a favorite tea memory.
We have so many wonderful teas these days. Love Chia? I do. I love all of them.
Let me hear from you. Blessings, Barb
Iced tea is sweet tea...I still have to remember to order sweet tea, like there is any other!
ReplyDeleteAdding sugar is never the same. I think it is a southern thing.
Hot tea is different, you can add sugar, like coffee, we serve that dark and people add their own.
I'm a northerner, and I do prefer my tea (hot or cold) unsweetened. That said, ordering iced tea in restaurants in the north is always a bit dangerous. More than once I've gotten something that tasted like stale dishwater. Yuck!
ReplyDeleteI have a Creative Writer award for you today at my blog.
Hmmm... I'm a northerner and can't drink my iced tea without sugar. Then again, I have quite a sweet tooth. Speaking of sweet tooth, I have something sweet waiting for you on my blog, Barb. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm no longer a tea drinker, but I drank it as a child. I always added a lot of sugar. I remember dipping crackers and bread into it. The sogginess was wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI put sugar in my iced tea, too.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite tea memories are still being made. My critique group meets every week. Twice a month we meet at Sheila's (she's the author who leads us), and twice a month we meet at a coffee shop. Whether we meet at Sheila's or the coffee shop, we're drinking tea! Sheila's is the best, though--she serves it hot and always bakes something special on the side!
Thanks for visiting my blog! I like yours, too! :)
I used to always drink hot tea--like my mom. Now I don't drink it as much but love to go to tea houses. Have done that with a writer's group too:)
ReplyDeleteSorry that I can't add any tea memories. I don't drink tea. My mother drank tea (only ice tea), my husband drinks tea (only in the summer) and I have two sons who drink tea that you buy in the cans like pop. So, I feel a little weird and out of place that I don't like tea, but that's okay, give me water or diet sunkist and I'm happy. And, every now and then a little coffee.
ReplyDeleteI have a new one--I order my iced tea half and half--half unsweetened, half sweetened. Sweet iced tea is too sweet for me, and adding sugar to unsweetened just doesn't work. At home I make sun tea with fresh mint leaves and add sugar.
ReplyDeleteBut as for tea memories, they always swirl around hot tea--plain tea, herb tea, green tea, it doesn't matter. And Barb, loved reading your memories of us. They were good times, weren't they. I still like a cup of tea when I write--and I still think of us.
I love your last line, Liz, And I still think of us. I do too! I miss those Cleveland writers meetings with Marcie and then just the three of us when we had such high hopes of becoming wonderful writers. We didn't know then but we had already become wonderful writers.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the memories. I look forward to making more when you come to Ohio this summer.