I don't like coffee. I don't know if I have made this apparent in other writings on this site but that's the fact.
But not liking coffee in America is like not liking America which is a harsh way of looking at it. Have you ever been asked by someone if you would like a cup of coffee and they seem appalled at the statement of "I really don't drink coffee."
This is Teaism. It's not hatred technically but it is conditioned into most mainstream Americans without even thinking about it.
In America, once you hit a certain age, you should be drinking coffee. It's like a coming of age scenario from some Great American novel. So in this sense, I'm an oddity, but not a space oddity(yet).
I'm here to stand up for all those, like me, who have been separated or ostracized from a group for a dislike of coffee because our love for tea is much greater.
To me, tea is essential. It is a great part of my life and I believe that it makes me part of who I am. In many ways, tea is symbolic of self cleansing. The heating of water and adding of tea can be likened to a warm shower with soap for the soul. A baptism if you'd like. Tea speaks volumes. Whether it is Green Tea or English Tea or Ceylon Tea, it creates a sense of universalism.
And maybe that's what this world needs, universalism. The idea that we are all more similar than we'd like to admit.
So enjoy a cup of tea. Make a mental trip around the world with any tea that you'd like. Your body will thank you and your mind will love the peace you have brought to it.