I just lied to you. I am technically drinking chai, but not in the "chai tea" sense. We'll get to that, I promise.
Many people the world over enjoy a cup of spiced tea. Masala chai, literally "spice tea" is commonly found throughout India, with street vendors known as chai wallahs shouting at the heels of passersby in order to sell their unique tea blends. Masala chai is generally a black tea laden with some combination of cardamom, coriander, cinnamon, peppercorns, and ginger,among many other spices. Traditionally, it is served with milk and sugar and is a great way to warm up on a cool day.
I admit that I'm not much of a "chai tea" kind of guy. I like my black tea straight up: no cream or sugar for me, thank you. I like to taste the leaf in its purest form. the essence of the climate and soil is imbued in every cup of tea, and the pleasure of tasting the difference in geology or elevation is something I really enjoy. However, every now and then, I like to mis things up. Trying new things keeps me from becoming bored, and any chance I get to experience something unique or culturally significant simply cannot be refused.
That's why I recently had my first cup of authentic masala chai at a local Indian restaurant. The weather was chilly, and since my food was spicy, I decided I needed a beverage that could hold its own beside the melange of flavor in my entrée.
My first cup of chai, photo courtesy of Megan Haytcher
Today's teacher isn't actually masala chai, so we'll trudge onward to the lesson in the cup. I promised to explain how I'm drinking chai, even though this cup is sans spice.
You see, "chai" is a word that merely means tea throughout much of Asia and in many European languages, too. When tea was spreading into a global phenomenon, the disparate dialects of Chinese left a great mark on what we call this delicious drink. Two main camps exist: the "cha" group and the "te" group. Two families of pronunciations influenced the tea trade in its infancy, resulting in some cultures who refer this infusion as cha, chai, tsa, sha, etc. or as tea, te, thea, thee, etc. Obviously, in English, we are in the second camp. The "tea" pronunciation derives from early contact with Hokkien dialect of Fujian, among others. When the English and dutch began exporting teas, they carried the cultural and linguistic seed for tea alongside the leaves of the shrub itself.
Many other parts of the world, including Slavic countries, Japan, Korea, Greece, and India, among many others, retained the Mandarin-inspired pronunciation.
One of the earliest lessons I learned from tea was one of redundancy. As a culture we tend to have so much stuff- information, possessions, activities. After a while it all clutters our minds and our lives. Tea by its very nature is a teacher of simplicity. With the onset of political correctness and a need for young, educated speakers to prove the worth of their diplomas, we have grown into a culture whose language lacks efficiency and brevity. It is a reflection of the excesses in other areas of our lifestyles. After a while, it all grows into a repetitious slur of words strung together or nonessential gadgets that we amass to impress one another and stave off boredom.
Tea is not the only victim of tautology. There are innumerable cases of place names, colloquialisms, and other expressions that say the same thing twice. Whether it is the cane toad, Bufo marinus, which is commonly referred to as the "bufo toad" (i.e. "toad toad") or the unfortunate attempt to overcompensate with "Mt. Fujiyama" (literally Mt. Fuji mountain), the evidence of overcomplexity is everywhere. Tea, as our teacher, beseeches us to simplify.
I guess it's just one of my pet peeves. I don't need to be referred to as "Nicholas Nicholas" any more than my drink needs to be "tea tea." Specificity is appreciated in life, but sometimes we aren't as specific as we think we are. The universe always gives us what we ask for, so the next time you consider placing your order for your next manifestation, consider a cup of chai. Do you want any old tea, or a spiced tea? Do you need any job, lover, or project, or do you need the right one?
My tea today is as simple as they come. It's rather grassy for a black tea, but it is very brisk and aromatic. I don't need to worry about what it is called in order to enjoy it, and that is one of the key lessons here. As one of my favorite books on tea, The Spirit of Tea, reminds us:
"Everything you need to know is in the cup."
So yes, I'm drinking chai. I'm also drinking thee, teh, chaj, and herbata. Let's all sit back with our favorite cups and relish the sweet and savory liquor steaming within, with or without spice. For all the innovations the world has to offer, the simplicity of a cup of tea reminds us not to be too cerebral, lest we disconnect ourselves from experiencing the moment. We might even sound silly while doing it.
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