Chapter 23 - If you’re British, and don’t like tea, do other Brits look down on you?

Inquiring minds want to know

Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash

I get asked lots of interesting things by Americans as someone who lives across the pond.

A recent question I was asked was this:

“If you’re British, and don’t like tea, do other Brits look down on you?”

At what level do you want to have this conversation? I’m half-joking but let’s see how deep the rabbit hole goes. If anyone dislikes anything someone will look down on them for not liking it.

The whole notion of British is ridiculous to most people this side of the pond. We’re English, Irish, Welsh, or Scottish, but British isn’t really a thing.

That said, I can answer the question as someone from Yorkshire.

We’re said to be loyal to our county more than our country so the idea of Yorkshireness makes more sense to us than Britishness and is easier to relate to.

In Yorkshire most people love tea and it is pretty much a given that people drink tea here. We love the stuff.

But would someone here look down on someone else for not liking tea? Not really.

We might laugh and joke about it. Or poke fun at someone. But I don’t think that people really look down on someone for not liking tea — regardless of where they’re from.

If someone tells me they don’t like tea I may tease them mercilessly and pretend to judge them for the rest of their days. But no-one really cares.

I’d especially tease someone from Yorkshire for not liking tea — because we’re so strongly identified as tea drinkers — but it’s just a bit of fun for us.

Unlike for all you coffee-drinking Heathens!

Like I said, we’re just joking.