A Nice Cup of Tea

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When an English person asks you if you would like a cup of tea, they often say ‘would you like a nice cup of tea?’ Rather strange really since no-one is going to offer you tea that is not ‘nice’. The reason for this seems to be that the expression has become part of our culture probably due to a pre war musical in which the following song was sung: 'I like a nice cup of tea with my breakfast, just to start the day you see, And round about eleven, my idea of heaven, is a nice cup of tea. I like a nice cup of tea with my dinner, and a nice cup of tea with my tea And when I go to rest, the thing that I like best, is a nice cup of tea'. Looking back to my parents’ generation they consumed at least the five cups of tea described above and my father would have almost trebled that. Tea is supposed to be a healthy beverage but if it is accompanied by a teaspoon full of sugar in each cup, as is often the case, it would amount to quite a high consumption of calories in the course of a day. Since researching the origins of the song I have found myself singing it at the appropriate times, when ‘a nice cup of tea’ is most welcome. It makes me feel at home perhaps because I am living abroad where coffee is the drink I am usually offered and if a cup of tea is available it is never described as ‘nice’! If you want to sing along with me you can hear it on Utube.