There’s probably little surprise that as a writer, a lot of my life works its way into my writing. My tastes, my hobbies, things I love or find important. One thing that often works its way into my fantasy stories is tea.
It’s strange to think of something that’s a pleasant, everyday part of modern life being so integral to things around the world and throughout history, but tea has been a staple here on Earth for as long as civilization has been around. Vikings are said to have used it as currency, and multiple wars started with tea. With that in mind, is it any wonder tea can be used as a powerful cultural asset in stories?
Tea was a known drink in China as far back as the third century AD, but its use may have found its roots thousands of years before that. In addition to its place as a daily staple, its use is also steeped (ha!) in tradition. in China, tea is a symbol of friendliness and grace, while in Japan, tea ceremonies represent respect, harmony, and serenity. In India, tea represents hospitality. Even in the United States, a cup of tea is often taken for a quiet moment, representative of comfort and peace. In some ways, this gives it a sort of meditative quality, which allows us to connect it to the mind and spirit as well as simply being a comforting drink.
This opens a lot of doors to its use in fantasy fiction. Obviously, we can build fictional cultures that use tea the same way, either as merely a popular drink, or something that represents respect or tradition, but we also have the option of using it as a representation of a spiritual connection to the greater forces present in a fantasy world that help make it… well, fantasy. Not only can it be used in ritualistic ways that help characters connect with a spiritual realm, but it opens the door for interesting ways a character might connect with some sort of power. Even in the real world, there are those who use tea leaves for a form of divination.
But the simple drink also helps ground us in stories, connecting us to things that make our world real. A character offered tea as a symbol of hospitality has the option of making us feel as if we might belong in that setting… or it could be an opportunity for a social faux pas, where cultural misunderstandings could rise from how the drink is served or whether or not a character chooses to partake. How they react could, too, be a small way to show how a character expresses their personal beliefs or traditions, and through repetition of tea time throughout a story, it gives an opportunity to share growth.
In that respect, tea may be under-utilized. If not tea, then maybe something like it. Whether used as simple symbols of culture, a taste of realism in a story, or a way to connect to something deeper, it’s something to keep in mind for building believable fantasy worlds.
How would you expect it to be used?
I have a character in my current work who’s afraid of tea. She’s been sickly since she was little, and tea brings back bad memories.