You want iced tea?

Today we fell into our usual habit of spending too much money at a coffeeshop while taking a stroll, and we were at a place that featured a fancy menu of various teas along with the usual coffee fare. Among the teas were a selection of iced teas, and I ordered one. The barrista had to come to our table and inquire discreetly, iced tea? Because usually they serve hot tea.

Iced tea may not be altogether common in Europe, but you must realize one thing - I am a Southern girl, and Southerners love their iced tea. Iced tea is as common in the South as hot tea, in fact, I daresay there is a Southerner or two out there who loves some iced tea but turns their nose up at the heated variety. Now the big tea companies, Nestea and Lipton, have tried their hand in the market here with bottled, overly sweetened, not very rich iced teas, and I guess some people drink them or they wouldn't keep selling them. But this tea is a far cry from the tea we like in the South. I can't even make my own proper iced tea because the tea I used to use isn't sold here. Sure, I could whore myself out to Lipton, but I don't wanna. This is a serious issue, for goodness' sake.

In the end they didn't have the tea I wanted (why have the fancy menu if you don't have the tea??) so I ended up with a mocha freddocinno. Such is life. I may have found decent Chinese food here, but if I want a good iced tea, I'll have to go back to the South. It's a long trip, but it's worth it.