A glass of water! A cup of tea! / myLot

Hong Kong

January 17, 2010 12:09pm CST

I have a question. Actually this question has been with me for a long time, starting when I was 5 years old. English is not my mother tongue but it is one of the official language in my place. When I was small, English teacher said we had to use "a glass of water" and "a cup of tea". We should not mixed it up. I wondered!!! As Chinese people use both glass and cup when drinking water or tea or softdrink, or anything. We do not particularly use glasses for water and cups for tea. Moreover, our cups may not have a handle. I should say most of the Chinese style cups with no handles. In our society, cups are made of China while glasses are made of glass, nothing concerns with handles. Of course, when talking about the western styles, we know that they call those with handles 'cups' and the bigger ones 'mugs'. What about you? Do you use cup for tea and glass for water? Have a great week! agonyaunt69 (2:07am 18 Jan 2010, Hong Kong times)

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5 responses

Trojin

@Trojin (187)

• United States

17 Jan 10

This was actually one of the more interesting things I've read. 0.o I can say it. Yes. I, an American, use a cup for my tea and a glass for my water. Though yesterday I used a bowl for my tea and recently I have been using several jars also.

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agonyaunt69

@agonyaunt69 (343)

• Hong Kong

18 Jan 10

Hi Trojin, Ha ha ha ha...... Though you answer is not long but it is good enough! It's fun! A bowl of tea and a jar of tea...... LOL :D Chinese use bowl to drink tea, too, but usually herbal tea for healing sickness. :) Have a good day! agonyaunt69 (5:13am 19 Jan 2010, Hong Kong time)

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agonyaunt69

@agonyaunt69 (343)

• Hong Kong

18 Jan 10

Oh! For your information, herbal tea is usually bitter and makes me feel vomitting when smelling it. LOL agonyaunt69 (5:28am 19 Jan 2010, Hong Kong time)

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chriszh22

@chriszh22 (432)

• China

18 Jan 10

2:07 am, oho you're such an early bird, my friend. As a Chinese I totally agree with you, but it's English not Chinese, it's not us to invent it, we just use it as a tool for communication, so I think we just use as it is hehe, don't think too much, as you said, English is not our mother tongue.

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agonyaunt69

@agonyaunt69 (343)

• Hong Kong

18 Jan 10

Hi chriszh22, Nice meeting you! Ha ha...... I would love to see how the foreigners' views on this issue. Have a good day! agonyaunt69 (5:25am 19 Jan 2010, Hong Kong time)

Patsie Hatley

@Hatley (163781)

• Garden Grove, California

19 Jan 10

hi agonyaunt69 yes I also use a cup for tea but as I am in the US our cups have handles and our glasses are for water and yes ice tea. Hot tea in cups, iced tea in glasses, just common usuage. However if I am out of one or the other I have put hot tea in my glass, and water in a cup, heck the liquid still tastes the same, and I get the benefit of fulfilling my 8 to 10 glasses of water and fluids a day. he he he.

agonyaunt69

@agonyaunt69 (343)

• Hong Kong

19 Jan 10

Hi Hatley, It is glad to learn that you drink 8 to 10 glasses of water and fluids a day. Very healthly! :D Keep it up! I usually drink 8 glasses of water and fluid a day during summer but not winter. I drink lesser when the weather is cold. :P I use mug to drink both water and tea, hot or ice. ha ha ha ...... Have a good day! agonyaunt69 (2:47pm 19 Jan 2010, Hong Kong times)

fedoralinux

@fedoralinux (556)

• India

17 Jan 10

It's a different question but quite interesting, i use the cup when i want tea and also coffee,i use the glass for drink the water ,juices,etc this my opinion about the glass and the cup, and this my opinion about this topic.......

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nexan29

@nexan29 (86)

• Philippines

18 Jan 10

What a good question.Here in our country, we also used the word a glass of water and a cup of tea or coffee. Yes just like agonyaunt69 said, i observed in some of the koreanovelas, the characters there used a cup when they were drinking. And their cup look like a glass but it is different to the glass that we all know which is made in glass. Their glass/cup whatever they call it, i think it is made up of ceramics.

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agonyaunt69

@agonyaunt69 (343)

• Hong Kong

18 Jan 10

Hi nexan29, The cups that the Korean or Japanese use are almost the same as the Chinese, but the matter of size. They are made of china which is a kind of material that is not transparent. It is because both the ancesters of Japan and Korea were from China. As a result, you can see some similar life style there. Have a good day! agonyaunt69 (5:22am 19 Jan 2010, Hong Kong times)

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