Some people love to travel, but others don't. That's why reading can take them wherever they want to go. Here, we'll travel all over the world.
When you travel to other places, you won't be surprised to find that many things are different from our own society. In Asia, you probably already know that greetings aren't just handshakes (as seen in Asian films). So, you won't be surprised if I tell you that tea traditions are quite different. Today, we'll travel the world through tea houses.

For us, drinking tea is like drinking water or coffee: it's primarily a beverage. It's not the same for some countries, and that's what we'll see.

In China and Nepal, you can find teahouses and go inside them. People meet in these places to talk with others, friends or not, and to have a cup of tea. It's a bit similar to our bars, where you can laugh as much as you like, chat, and drink beer, but with non-alcoholic drinks (like tea, you guessed it). It seems we might have different values ​​when it comes to this. Do you remember when you were dating your girlfriend or boyfriend when you first met? You probably went to restaurants, bars, or theaters. But, if you were Chinese, you might have gone to a teahouse! Also, we know there was a ceremony called the "Gongfu Tea Ceremony" (you probably know the more common variant, which is "kung fu"). There are also teahouses, a bit like in China, in South Korea. That's all about that part of the world.

Now, let's go to Japan. Tradition tells us that there are also ceremonies in teahouses that we call the Japanese tea ceremony. Nowadays, we call these "chashitsu" (literally "tea house"). But earlier, during the Edo period, Japanese people would go to an "ochaya" (which means "tea house") either to find privacy for couples or to be entertained by a geisha. However, they no longer use them for that purpose.

In Taiwan, you can find tea houses where oolongs will be served (you know, it's like beers or coffees, some are more popular than others, which are sort of rejected... poor white teas!).

In Vietnam, tea houses are more like places of retreat than places where people go to chat.

Close to home, we all know that tea was introduced to Europe, and we can all imagine a British saying: "Would you like some tea?" But they don't have the same traditions as in Asia; it's much more of a pastime than a tradition. This pastime has spread through Commonwealth countries (here, in Canada) and has become very popular.

Now we can find them everywhere, with variations, like in France, in a "salon de thé" (tea room), where you'll find pastries and cupcakes. They've adapted it to their own style. There are also versions in Germany, the Czech Republic, Latvia, and elsewhere. This tradition has spread all over the world, like snow on the ground in winter.