Janet Collins
Jason KingEtiquette and the Art of Drinking Tea
June 26th 2010 13:06
I was sitting in a waiting room recently when the fellow next to me proceeded to help himself to a cup of tea and then sat down next to me again and slurped his way through the whole cup. Very loudly too, I might add.
It was so irritating and it reminded me of the drumming I got as a kid about slurping tea. “Don’t slurp your tea, sip it”, Mum would always say.
In western culture it is deemed incredibly bad manners to slurp tea or any other drink. Along with eating with your mouth open and making very loud noises when eating, slurping tea or any other drink is not only impolite but incredibly irritating for most of the people around us. It sounds bad and it looks bad too.
In some countries slurping tea is not considered impolite. In China and many other Asians countries it can even be regarded as a sign of enjoyment and appreciation. Looking at the fellow beside me though, I had no reason to believe he came from an Asian or any other culture. So has this rule of etiquette which extends to most drinks but especially hot ones such as tea and coffee gone out of the rule book?
There are some who even go so far as to justify slurping as getting more taste from the tea although I would think this point is highly disputable.
Tea slurpers can pose a problem at work too. Given there is often very little distance between us and our fellow workers at the office, for example, where many of us are trying to concentrate, intermittent slurping can cause great irritation for others in the workplace.
In our cafes too, tables are now so close to one another that the person or others sitting at the next table can see and hear everything we are eating.
Do you slurp your tea? Maybe you do it because you think it is the done thing. Maybe you slurp your tea without even realizing you are doing it. Pay attention next time you are drinking a cup and listen for some of the noise you might be making.
Here are a few pointers to help you drink your tea (or coffee) quietly so as not to drive all those around you to distraction.
Firstly, one of the main reasons people slurp their tea (other than they just don’t know not to) is that the tea is probably too hot. It has been said that it should be consumed at a temperature of no more than 65 degrees centigrade. If it is too hot for you to drink quietly, let it sit for a minute before drinking it.
When you are at home by yourself, take note of how you drink your tea. Can you hear your own slurps? If you are aware of them, you have a much better chance of stopping or minimizing them.
Noising eating and drinking sounds are not that pleasant so be aware of them. You’ll be far better company without them.
And remember with that next cup of tea….sip it. Don’t slurp it.
Image credit: www.telegraph.co.uk
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