A nice cuppa?

I've been living in France on and off since the age of 20, so I feel pretty much at home here now. One thing I will always find sad is how hard it is to find a good cup of tea. Even the definition of tea is not necessarily the same.

In MacDonald's recently I ordered a cup of tea. Onto our tray arrived ... a Red Fruits Tea bag! I kind of went, "What?!" and the MacDonald's employee said pleasantly, "Oh, would you like a different kind?" "Yes, black tea, please!" I replied (having learned a very long time ago that "black tea" in France doesn't mean "without milk" but "as opposed to green"). So she found me an Earl Grey tea bag.

And then, talking of milk, I asked if I could have some for my tea. Now, I know the purists would never put milk in Earl Grey, but hey, I like what I like. She looked at me uncomprehendingly, and I repeated my request. "Yes, yes, of course you can," she replied, "I've just never heard of milk with tea before!"

"Oh, it must be because I'm English," I smiled, forgiving her (and France) for everything, now that I had the prospect of a good cup of tea before me.