Tea, from India, China, Singapore, Japan, with hot or cold water

Problem
Which tea - so many! (So many, la! That's what the locals say in Singapore.)

Answer
A little of what you fancy does you good.

Stories of Hot and Cold Tea
Tea warms you on a cold day in England. Water to hydrate you. Warmth to warm you. Volume to fill your stomach. Caffeine to give you energy. Gratitude to their server. Rest by sitting on a chair. Time out from troubles. Distraction from problems.

Can tea cool you on a hot day? The Indians drink hot drinks. Hot drinks, like hot foods in hot countries, such as curry, cause you to perspire. The theory is that the perspiration helps you to cool.

(I carry a paper fan or create one by creasing a piece of white paper into a concertina.)

In England we drink tea hot. But in Singapore tea is cold or more often luke warm.

Chinese Tea
The Chinese Singaporeans think cold drinks are bad for you.

If you ask a waiter for a glass of water, the server in a restaurant will ask you, "Do you want your water warm or cold?" Expect that. Then if you hear them mutter, 'Warmorcoal?", or "hottacoal?", you will know what you are being asked.

Japanese Tea
Green tea seems to be the health fanatics favourite for this year. But so many fruit flavours are avoidable. (See my previous posts.)

Ice
I think ice is potentially bad for you, not worth the risk. Why?
1 Firstly, you are warned to avoid ice being added to bottled drinks in countries where it is unsafe to drink the water. Bottled water has been purified, but ice could be from a tap.
2 Ice dilutes drinks.
3 Ice is occasionally the source of poisoning. I have read of at least two cases of mass poisoning at weddings. Ice was previously used to cool raw fish! New regulations require ice to be transported covered and contained, not loose where it can pick up contamination.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer