Your ViewsKeep your e-mails pouring in, it's good to know that there are lots of you out there with views and opinions. To help you work out what is what, are now little icons to help you see biscuit related themes. And now you can see at a glance which are the most contested subjects via this graph (requires Flash 6.0 plugin). Please keep your mails coming in to nicey@nicecupofteaandasitdown.com | If you like, you can use this search thingy to find stuff that matches with any of the icons you pick, or use the fantastic free text search, Yay! | Your e-Mails |
Steve C |
Dear Mr N
I'm originally from Lincolnshire and my Mum used to talk about "money" on the top of her cup of tea. She was something of a "teaaholic" and probalby drank more tea than Tony Benn. (Unfortunately, the preserving qualities of this brew did not work for her and she died aged 60.)
When the tea was a bit weak she would pull a face and say "That tastes like mazza water" or that's how it sounded to my untutored ear. I spent most of my formative years hearing her say this and not really giving it a thought to what it meant or where it came from. A few years after she died I visited the Robert Opie Museum (also known as the Museum of Advertising and Packaging I think) in Gloucester and there, to my amazement, was a very ornate tin with the words "Mazawattie Tea" printed on the side. It was a brand of tea and one, judging by my Mum's comments, that was more sawdust than tea leaf. Does anyone have any background info on this brand?
Great website. Regards to the missus.
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Jane Rickard |
Dear Nicey
have you seen Saturday19th July's Guardian page 10 of the national news bit? 'Teacup ban in chamber of horrors'. "Members of a Worcestershire council have been banned from taking their cups and saucers into the chamber because the sound of clinking china makes it difficult for voters in the public gallery to hear debates. Pauline Hayward, Conservative chairman of Wyre Forest council...has also banned biscuits".....
I am entirely on the side of councillor Howard Martin who says "Some councillors are at work all day. They come to a meeting at 6pm and pick up a cup of tea and a biscuit because they won't have anything else till 9.30pm".
Any chance of your website taking this up? Think of the implications if this banning should spread!
many best wishes
Janexx
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Nicey replies: Yes we did see it, actually online on BBCi. Anyhow, the perceived problem seemed to be due the clinking of spoons and teacups on saucers, which can be very noisy. Now surely rather than a complete ban they should have simply adopted mugs and maybe sugar and stir their tea before bringing it in to the council chamber, problem solved. Next.
As for banning biscuits that is just spiteful. |
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Katy Drummond |
Nicey
I definitely don't want to enter into the dangerous territory of mugs vs cups. It's like dogs vs cats - though dogs are clearly superior beings, you are never going to convince a cat lover of this by rational argument, or any other means for that matter. Some people (normally old people) like cups, the rest of us like mugs, and that's just the way it is. Live and let live, I say.
However, I do have strong views on the colour of the drinking vessel, be it cup or mug. I noted some correspondence earlier in which the author described her favourite mug which bore the legend 'World's Sexiest Woman'. Although she loved the message printed on the outside, she was
understandably distressed by its lurid orange colour.
It is quite obvious to all but the most inexperienced tea drinker that tea must always be drunk out of a vessel that is very pale in colour, preferably white, off-white or cream. Anything else just won't do. It makes your tea look watery and unappetising, black and navy blue being the worst offenders.
While we're on the subject of unappetisiting cups of tea, does anyone else have a view on the 'scum' you get when you leave your teabag in too long? I personally prefer to have a bit of this scum on my tea as it demonstrates that the teabag has not been whipped out too soon. Anyone can make a cup of tea that, judging by the colour, APPEARS to be the right strength, but once
tasted is revealed as watery and insipid. If you've got scum however, you know it's been brewed (or 'mashed' as I believe they say up north) to at least the minimum acceptable level.
I would also like to add that informative and interesting though Jenny Hugh's 12-point list on the superiority of the cup was, it is disingenuous to say that your site is not called nicemugofteaandasitdown, as everyone knows that 'cup of tea' can refer to any drinking vessel that contains tea.
Fair enough on the other 11 points though.
Keep up the good work.
Katie
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Nicey replies: You'll set off Jim Fussell again with all this talk of dark mugs.
Yes why not have a Scum debate, scum dosn't get its fair crack of the whip does it. |
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Jenny Hughes |
Dear Nicey
Now you know where I live, you must tell me when you are next in town for faggots and peas in the market. I live 5 minutes from the market and have the kitchen (See attachment) voted as the best in Ponty for a cup of tea and a sit down by the dozen or so people that drop in every day. And you can see my collection of tarty CUPS. And you can have tea from a pot. And biscuits from the barrel you can see on the mantlepiece in the photo. And my homemade bara brith and welshcakes (made daily). And a cake stand with doileys.
Jenny
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Nicey replies: That really is a lovely kitchen, and so well equipped for sit downs, as well as the tempting homemade Welsh produce. I think the Wife has got a bad case kitchen envy as she is setting about ours with all sorts of machines and chemicals, as I type this.
We'll definitely look you up on our next trip to Ponty, and do a special report on your kitchen. |
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Lisa Anderton |
Dear Nicey,
And how right you are - tea is enjoyable (and necessary) regardless of the vessel it arrives in.
I am in the habit of drinking copious tea at work, obviously from a mug as I don't have room at my desk for a pot as well, and as my mug is approximately a half pinter, I have no problem dunking anything up to digestive size, which is perfectly adequate.
Perversely I drink coffee at home in a cup as I have a nifty cappuccino thingy, which will only fit a cup underneath, but this is fine as the matching saucer is perfect for balancing those nice Italian stick-like chocolate spread filled wafer things - although questionably a biscuit (?)
Hope that wasn't too much of a rant!
Cheers once again,
Lisa |
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