Living as a Non-tea Drinker in a Tea Crazy Nation

Yes, you read the title right. I don't drink tea. And I know that your mind has already started forming the words, "You haven't had the right tea yet" but trust me no matter how many different kinds of tea you make me try, my unrefined palate won't get accustomed to the acquired taste.

Living in a tea-crazy nation where tea is like social currency, not liking it is akin to committing a crime. The long pauses, intense glares, and the insinuating inquiries that come with my polite declinations of friendly tea offers are enough to make me feel like a social outcast. It often makes me wonder how it feels to be yearning for tea, for I have no inclination for the steamy, leaf-soaked liquid. Sometimes it becomes really awkward in situations where I find myself sipping on a glass of water while everyone else is bonding over the hot beverage.

Things get more difficult when I feel a bit under the weather because the first advice I get is "Drink tea." It becomes really difficult to explain why I don't like tea and that it's not at all a pretentious act. Most people go on blabbering about how they can't live without 'n' cups of tea every day and how "TEA IS LIFE" but to me, it's just flavoured boiled water (I can hear peoplegasp in the background).

Although you might judge me for being an "uncultured"oddball, you won't be disappointed to know that making tea is actually one of the first skills I learned. Like how my friends and family look at me when they force me to guzzle down the hot cuppa, I too look at them with anticipation when I serve them my tea. Yes, I occasionally do regret not being able to join in with the storm you brew over a cup of tea or the warmth you tea-lovers feel with each refreshing sip but I do not enjoy drinking tea.

So, how do I survive without tea you ask? It's really simple. I just do. After years of avoiding this leafy gunk, the idea of depending on something for caffeine has become foreign to me. I don't feel the need to drink it nor do I comprehend why people rave about it so much.

However, the older I am getting the harder it is becoming to decline an invitation for a tea party and things of that sort without coming off as rude. This national treasure has truly become an inconvenience for folks like me. Yes, there are a lot of us, just hidden in plain sight.

Therefore, the next time you find someone refusing to drink tea, offer them something else instead. Juice, milk, water, anything. Anything but tea.

If you ever catch the rare glimpse of Farnaz Fawad Hasan sipping on "Maltova Cha" know that she has a super boring class ahead. Reach her at [email protected]