Tea on Tuesday

Rhondi at Rose Colored Glasses has a tea party every Tuesday so please stop by her place for a cup of friendship and a chat.
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I came to Kuwait the end of 1994 and for the first 6 months, we lived with my husband's parents. My mother-in-law only spoke Arabic and I only spoke English so we couldn't converse, but we could share a cup of tea and have breakfast together.

On mornings when the men would go off to work, she would fix a breakfast tray which would consist of many food items that I had either never eaten before or had never had for breakfast. Pita bread and olive oil are staples in the Arab diet. Olives, cucumber, boiled eggs, zaatar, sliced tomatoes, haloumi cheese were all things that we would share. It was all very fascinating to me.

I have fond memories of that special time even if I couldn't talk with my mother-in-law. It was her way of welcoming me and food was served with love. She has been gone nearly 5 years now. She succumbed to cancer in June of 2005. A year and a half later, my father-in-law had a heart attack and was gone. Among their belongings was this old tin that was filled with old black and white photos. I never even knew they had so many pictures as there were never any on display.

Love this picture of my mother-in-law because it shows a woman so different from the one I knew.

Tea is a big part of the culture here. It is served with breakfast; after meals; with a sandwich in the evening; when visiting friends.

Often served in small tea glasses like this one.

Strange how a teapot can represent at the same time the comforts of solitude and the pleasures of company. ~Author Unknown

Thanks for stopping by my corner of the world for tea today! Have a beautiful day! Tammy