Tea Wench

DH and I don't use sugar with our tea (or with anything else we eat) but I always keep a bag of sugar in the cupboard just in case anyone comes round (friends, family, workers) so I can serve them tea the way they like it.

It's just part of British hospitality.

I always forget to make tea, and I've never had any workman say anything about it.  I'm starting to get better about it, but I really struggle with doing it.  It's not my favourite custom because I'm not a fan of over familiarity with strangers in my house and that's what it feels like to me, which may be why I forget to offer.  I do understand that it is polite here to offer tea to workmen. 

I guess I will be the odd man out here because I would be more then a little annoyed if any repair guy made them selves at home in my kitchen, took my teaspoons, or broke my mugs.  

I don't feel like there is anything wrong if you don't offer workers a drink. Saying that, I have never had any kind of builder, or repair person in my house for more then an hour though and I am usually alone when ever we need a job done. I always feel awkward and uncomfortable being on my own with complete strangers in my house so the last thing I want to do is interrupt them. I want them to do the job then get out. Of course if they asked me for a drink I would not refuse to give them one but I don't think it should be expected.

That's what I was trying to say Sista Girl.  That's the way I feel about having strangers in my house and having to offer them tea, but I know it's the done thing here. 

Glad I'm not the only one!

Me too!!   

Glad I'm not the only one!

Oh, definitely not!  I've gotten accustomed to it, but it still rattles me.  And I'd have loved to see the look on my face when I was asked for coffee with milk and sugar.  Because running through my head was "WTF, do I look like Dunkin Donuts?"

I think it's weird too, but I am willing to accept it's a societal norm and make room for it.

Now I feel a bit guilty not offering our kitchen fitters a cup of tea or coffee. But then again, they were in the kitchen, and water had to come from the bathroom, and the whole place was upside down at that time. Oh, well, I'll know better next time..

There have been times when we've had work done on the house when both hubby and I were at work (the letting agent give them the keys).  He leaves the guy(s) a note saying they should help themselves to tea and that the milk's in the fridge (obviously), and we leave the tea and sugar out on the counter for them.  If we've got instant coffee we'll leave that out, too but we don't always have it as we normally drink "real" coffee.

I bought a little jar of Nescafe for just this reason.

If the guy was there more than an hour, I offered it. If not, he was SOL.

I guess I will be the odd man out here because I would be more then a little annoyed if any repair guy made them selves at home in my kitchen, took my teaspoons, or broke my mugs. 

I don't feel like there is anything wrong if you don't offer workers a drink. Saying that, I have never had any kind of builder, or repair person in my house for more then an hour though and I am usually alone when ever we need a job done. I always feel awkward and uncomfortable being on my own with complete strangers in my house so the last thing I want to do is interrupt them. I want them to do the job then get out. Of course if they asked me for a drink I would not refuse to give them one but I don't think it should be expected.

That's what I was trying to say Sista Girl.  That's the way I feel about having strangers in my house and having to offer them tea, but I know it's the done thing here. 

I also think its expected more in different regions? I think its considered more rude up north NOT to offer than it is down south?

My mate Al is from Essex and before he moved to Sheffield sold Kleen-eez to make some extra £££. When he would go to collect his payments, hed get it most of it done in under 2 hours. When he moved to Sheffield, it took almost 3x as long due to almost EVERYONE offering him a cup of tea. It got to the point where he had to quit selling it because of it took and the amount of tea/coffee he was taking in... He said when hed refuse a cuppa, people would look weird at him and then not order again....

I'm at work and we've just had the alarm system guy here to check the system and the first thing my boss did was offer him a tea or coffee (we're based in his home).  I'm not complaining because he made me one too!!

We had the oven repairman in yesterday, and he asked if it was okay to use our loo whilst shaking his head jokingly and mumbling something about "all that tea."  Now it makes more sense.