Just a Little Note about Sweet Tea
Sweet tea, fondly regarded as the nectar of the South, pours seemingly endlessly over ice via hostesses and servers who fear an empty glass or thirsty guest. Whether garnished with lemon or mint, tea is a staple of life.
We Southerners aren't really quite sure what to make of guests who ask for no ice. What's that about? After all, local burger joints and famed sandwich shops proudly proclaim "Sweet Tea over Crushed Ice" for their patrons. We've been known to determine a restaurant of choice for the deciding factor of crushed ice over cubed.
Unsweet tea, known as "unsweetened" to the rest of the world, isn't completely an anomaly as some folks are always watching their sugar intake. Of course, it's understood that there are basically two acceptable reasons to request unsweet tea: weight loss or health issues such as diabetes.
Those with taste preferences should expect to receive "the look" reserved for people who ask for dressing, butter, or gravy on the side. It's not unusual to dismiss those who request unsweetened tea as either Yankees or Floridians.
Not a fan of purely sweet tea? Southerners enjoy sipping (and sometimes guzzling) half-and-half, a blend of half sweet and half unsweet tea, not to be confused with the beloved half-and-half side of fries and onion rings.
Another popular option is an Arnold Palmer, a blend of lemonade and sweet tea. Kids now love to order Arnold Palmers just as much as my generation ordered Shirley Temples. It sounds like an adult beverage but is just another way to mix sugar and caffeine over ice.
What about Beach tea? Beach tea is popular at family gatherings; this cloudy concoction of tea and orange juice hypes up the younger set about as fast as a straight Coca-Cola. At first, it looks pretty questionable, rather like good tea gone wrong, but it's a staple at wedding and baby showers, holiday gatherings, and graduation luncheons.
Preparing sweet tea as simple as pouring boiling water over tea bags, letting them steep, removing them, adding sweetener, and chilling. Breaking a few glass pitchers with boiling water is a well-known casualty of the ritual. I broke yet another pitcher just the other day. After surviving decades of abuse, the pitcher cracked cleanly, the bottom separating from the body, allowing hot tea to pour inelegantly across the counter, down the cabinets, and onto the floor.
Despite its humble ingredients, sweet tea is held in high regard. A Southern bride who can't serve her mother-in-law a decent glass of tea should at least keep a fresh gallon form Publix in her frig until she figures out the process. If she has any sense, she'll at least transfer the contraband tea from the plastic jug to a decent pitcher and stash the evidence in the recycling bin out in the garage.
I recall beaming with pride after receiving high praise from my Grandmomma for my iced tea garnished with home-grown mint. At twenty-four, I'd passed inspection and could move on to cutting biscuits, baking poundcake, and joining the Junior League.
Sweet tea, fondly regarded as the nectar of the South, pours seemingly endlessly over ice via hostesses and servers who fear an empty glass or thirsty guest. Whether garnished with lemon or mint, tea is a staple of life.
We Southerners aren't really quite sure what to make of guests who ask for no ice. What's that about? After all, local burger joints and famed sandwich shops proudly proclaim "Sweet Tea over Crushed Ice" for their patrons. We've been known to determine a restaurant of choice for the deciding factor of crushed ice over cubed.
Unsweet tea, known as "unsweetened" to the rest of the world, isn't completely an anomaly as some folks are always watching their sugar intake. Of course, it's understood that there are basically two acceptable reasons to request unsweet tea: weight loss or health issues such as diabetes.
Those with taste preferences should expect to receive "the look" reserved for people who ask for dressing, butter, or gravy on the side. It's not unusual to dismiss those who request unsweetened tea as either Yankees or Floridians.
Not a fan of purely sweet tea? Southerners enjoy sipping (and sometimes guzzling) half-and-half, a blend of half sweet and half unsweet tea, not to be confused with the beloved half-and-half side of fries and onion rings.
Another popular option is an Arnold Palmer, a blend of lemonade and sweet tea. Kids now love to order Arnold Palmers just as much as my generation ordered Shirley Temples. It sounds like an adult beverage but is just another way to mix sugar and caffeine over ice.
What about Beach tea? Beach tea is popular at family gatherings; this cloudy concoction of tea and orange juice hypes up the younger set about as fast as a straight Coca-Cola. At first, it looks pretty questionable, rather like good tea gone wrong, but it's a staple at wedding and baby showers, holiday gatherings, and graduation luncheons.
Preparing sweet tea as simple as pouring boiling water over tea bags, letting them steep, removing them, adding sweetener, and chilling. Breaking a few glass pitchers with boiling water is a well-known casualty of the ritual. I broke yet another pitcher just the other day. After surviving decades of abuse, the pitcher cracked cleanly, the bottom separating from the body, allowing hot tea to pour inelegantly across the counter, down the cabinets, and onto the floor.
Despite its humble ingredients, sweet tea is held in high regard. A Southern bride who can't serve her mother-in-law a decent glass of tea should at least keep a fresh gallon form Publix in her frig until she figures out the process. If she has any sense, she'll at least transfer the contraband tea from the plastic jug to a decent pitcher and stash the evidence in the recycling bin out in the garage.
I recall beaming with pride after receiving high praise from my Grandmomma for my iced tea garnished with home-grown mint. At twenty-four, I'd passed inspection and could move on to cutting biscuits, baking poundcake, and joining the Junior League.
Comments
I LOVE SWEET TEA. I HAVE NEVER PAIRED WITH POUNDCAKE, BUT SINCE I READ YOUR BLOG, I AM GOING TO TRY IT. THANK YOU FOR SHARING ALL OF YOUR WISDOM WITH ME, AND FOR LIKING TAYLOR SWIFT JUST AS MUCH AS I DO. I WANT TO TAKE A PICTURE WITH YOU AT THE ONE DIRECTION CONCERT. I HEAR THEY FLY OVER THE CROWD AT IT. I DARE YOU TO JUMP ON THE STAGE WHEN THAT HAPPENS. ILL DO IT TOO. I WILL NOW LEAVE YOU WITH MY FAVORITE PICK UP LINE, "BABY YOU A SONG, YOU MAKE ME WANT TO ROLL MY WINDOWS DOWN, AND CRUISE."
SINCERELY,
KAITEY AND ALLYSON
PS: PLEASE PUBLISH THIS IT WOULD MAKE MY LIFE COMPLETE. I LOVE YOU MORE THAN I LOVE CATS AND GLITTER AND BACON AND SQUASH AND PECANS AND SOCCER AND TREES AND SPANISH CLASS AND ZOMBIES AND ALLY AND BOOK BAGS AND TICKETS AND FLOWERS AND TAKING PICTURES OF TOILETS AND THE COLOR RED AND CHARLIE BROWN AND ABE LINCOLN AND PERIODIC TABLE JOKES AND FLIPPY FLOPPYS AND MYKEL'S RED TRACK SUIT AND COMPUTERS AND DINOSAUR NUGGETS AND ELEPHANTS AND BUTTTERFLIES AND PEANUT BUTTER AND BETTY WHITE...... AND THATS REAL LOVE. :)