Tea Time In New England
There are more Dunkin' Donuts in New England than snowblowers.
So I set out on a quest.
So I set out on a quest.
Is there iced tea in Connecticut?
"I'll have a chocolate covered donut and iced tea please."
I get a bottle. No napkins. No cup. No ice.
Iced tea comes in a bottle??!
We're near Long Island. Should I ask for a Long Island tea?
Probably not.
I don't think that's the same.
Is it?
I refuse to tell them I'm from the Carolinas - like they couldn't tell?
I refuse to tell them I'm from the Carolinas - like they couldn't tell?
So I get an extra cup of ice and some sugar packets.
It doesn't help. It's not the same thing.
People in CT do not know how to make iced tea.
People, listen. Here's the recipe:
It is sweet.
Very sweet.
Five-pound Dixie sugar bag sweet.
SWEET as in M&M's sweet. Like chocolate. Like confectioner's sugar.
It is cold. Like Iceland. With lots of ice.
It is tea!
I have come to the conclusion ....There is no iced tea in Connecticut. I will never adjust to this. Maybe my sister will send some.
One more try.
Friday's Restaurant. Forget drive-thru chocolate. I'll try a reputable restaurant with real food.
"I'll have an iced tea to go, please."
Iced tea?
Yes.
......You know. Tea with ice.
Will that be raspberry or lemon?
Behold my first epiphany in New England.
There is no iced tea.
"Never mind. Do you have a napkin I can write on?"
"Dear Sis.....please send iced tea. In buckets."
Note: Empress Bee has written a post with a recipe
for making real southern iced tea.
Thanks, Bee! Click here for the details.
26 comments:
I've got a confession...... I have only ever had iced tea in a can! :0
I hope this experience doesn't make you dislike us here in Southern New England.
You can get real iced tea here in Connecticut - honest-to-God you can! You just can't really get it to go at one of the bazillion of Dunkin Donuts located on every corner of every town!
The Olive Garden has lovely iced tea as does, I think, Applebee's and maybe Ruby Tuesday's. There is also a restaurant here in Norwich called Old Tymes that not only has good iced tea but also sausage gravy and biscuits.
Of course, if you get really homesick maybe Bud could take you to The Crackerbarrel - there are several of those around now!
I think I'll get you more cheesecake. Then I will drive you to all of Linda's suggestions...
Akelamalu - Really? You don't know what you're missing.
Patti - No. There are lots of other things I like very much.
Linda - I'll pass on the sausage and gravy biscuits (although the subject of "gravy" is a sore spot in the kitchen right now....more later).
I'll try those places. I hope they don't ask me if I want Raspberry or Lemon!
Bud - You are a sweetheart. Thank you.(You know I've had a bad day.)
mimi DO NOT go to the cankerbarrel. honey they say they have southern food. an abomination i say! stay far far away from that awful place.
you just have to make it yourself. even in florida it is the same, no good tea.
i remember when atlanta hosted the olympics. they had a flyer to send out to people from other countries before they came. under tea it said and i quote "it will be cold and it will be sweet"... perfect.
smiles, bee
ps: hi bud!
mimi this was so distressing i brought forward an old post, go see.
smiles, bee
Bee - I knew I should have gone to those Olympics!!
Only had it out of a can, so I'm going to look at Empress Bees recipe. You make it sound so good and I do hate to think I'm missing out on anything good!!
Mimi- I do understand! I grew up in Rhode Island and it just wasn't around! (Love Bee's post btw). I love making sun tea, in the nice warm palm springs sun...SO delicious. Enjoy your travels. Are you going to Newport RI? Its close to CT and is so beautiful.
-Rick
Queenie - Sun tea is so much fun to make. My little boy thought it was the coolest thing to go outside and watch it "cook" in the sun. It made him feel like he was doing the cooking.
Great memories.
Rick - See previous comment to Queenie about the iced tea. Do you have a jar with a spout to dispense it from too?
I love those.
I know you Southerners will think I'm an abomination, but when I drink tea (be it cold or hot) it has to be strong and it DEFINITELY won't have sugar in it!
Songbird - I also like green tea for the health benefits. And I love hot tea as well. To each his own.
AMEN from Connecticut!
What a riot you are! xoxo
I wouldnt have thought it would be difficult there, most curious! My mother and I used to drink gallons of the stuff - its a summer must have, although here in Australia we only just started getting it in the bottles LOL. So in summer Im forced to brew my own - luckily thats no hardship....say Mimi, are you old enough to remember that in the 1970's the thing to do was to brew it in a large jar in the sun - Sun Tea?
Thanks for visiting the birds & the beads
hang on ... this seemed so important at the time... my only experience of daily cocktails was in goa, india where they are enthusiastic but probably not v authentic... long island iced tea, if i remember correctly had the biggest number of shots... it had rum, whisky, brandy, vodka and gin ... am i right? ooo! thanxx for your comment you know all manner of people i do now... which is from a bloghop i went on about 2 weeks ago via someone's comments (can't even remember whose) but i kinda trammeled out blogs like a miner hacking out gold ingots (when I've gone blogjumping in the past I did it totally randomly which is far more boring)
anyway the weekend truly is nigh now it is 24 mintutes to midnight here so have a good one when it gets to you!
all the best
gleds
Oh you poor dear!!! I'm pretty sure it's illegal in the state of Arkansas to not serve sweet tea. ;)
mamalee - Another CT girl? YAH! I'm finding lots of fellow bloggers here. Let's have a convention.
Or at least a party.
Lavender - YES. I have brewed iced tea in a jar many times. In fact, I think I'll try it again here this summer.
My little boy used to watch it like "magic" turn to tea. Great memories.
Gledwood - Thanks for stopping by. I did enjoy your blog and will be back! Happy weekend to you, too.
Crazy - It should be illegal here, too.
well, I ain't never moving up yonder that's fer dang sure!
Tea is not my drink of choice, but even a west coast boy like me understands that iced tea should be very cold and very sweet.
You'll find it up there, it just may take some hunting.
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