Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Students to travel the world in search of tea
College students across the United States will spend the Summer in a variety of ways. Some will work, some will play and others will continue their education on campus or in a variety of summer options that involve travel. At Harding University in Arkansas, some will discover that the things we drink play important roles in our culture as students travel the world in search of tea.
"It's a way of approaching history by studying a drink and its role in culture, society, politics and economics " Jeff Hopper, a professor of humanities at Harding told Newstimes.com.
Earning 9 credit hours, students will trace history over the summer through the movement and changes of tea, studying how each culture incorporated the drink into their lives. The six-student group will stop in China, Indonesia, Russia among other countries where tea played a critical cultural role. Four of the students were on a similar journey last year with a coffee theme.
"Many more people in the world drink tea than coffee," Hopper added. "Tea is thousands of years old. Coffee is not. It takes us back further, it's embedded much more into religious ceremonies and cultures."
They will even stop in Boston where the group will commemorate the original Tea Party and its backlash on the East India Tea Company.
"The East India Tea Company was the largest in the world," Hopper said. "That would be today like spilling a tanker load of Exxon oil on purpose. Tea was a symbolic commodity in the relationship between the colonies and Great Britain."
The trip will end in London, where they will visit the Twinings Tea Museum and enjoy high tea at Fortner Mansion.
"High tea is a British term for a celebratory, ceremonial drinking of tea with special food and treats," Hopper said. "They have sandwiches, biscuits and cookies and it's traditionally held in the late afternoon. If I were a British gentleman, and I wanted to entertain you, the most elegant way short of a dress-up dinner would be to invite you to tea at 4 p.m. The amount of amenities, jellies and currants determines the formality."
There are no plans for a third beverage-oriented trip next summer although another coffee-themed trip may be organized.
Filed under: Food and Drink, Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Egypt, China, United Kingdom, United States
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Liz | Two Weeks to Travel May 22nd 2011 11:21AM
Wow, that is so coo! I absolutely would have jumped on that when I was in college. Tea has such a fascinating history that most of us either don't know or think about, I'm sure they will learn a ton of stuff. And the travel isn't too bad either!
sally Jul 1st 2011 4:41AM
The travel may have a lot of fun,and learn many historic culture.It can increase knowledge.