BEVERAGES

Greymouth Evening Star, 31 October 1931, Page 3

BEVERAGES

WHAT THE WORLD DRINKSThe water from many reservoirs would be required to fill the teapots for a year if the tea drinkers of the world congregated in one community. Yet the United States, the South American republics, and most European countries as yet drink tea very sparingly, says the “Adelaide Chronicle.” What do people drink? Water. Yes, great quantities of it in its natural state: yet most peoples, even those still in the primitive stages of civilisation, prepare artificial drinks. Of these, tea is far the most popular. It is estimated that half the world’s adult population drinks the beverage. Last year the world produced nearly SOO million pounds of tea.’ The countries from which it came were:—Northern India, 324,000,0001 b; Southern India, 33,000,0001 b, Ceylon, 242.000,0001 b; Java. 135,000,0001 b: Sweden, 22,000,0001 b; China, 3G,000,0001b; Formosa, 6,000,0001 b; Japan, and Kenya Colony, South Africa, produced comparatively small quantities. The SOO million pounds of tea would provide about 120,000,000,000 cups. Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, and South Africa are the main consumers. The United States of America and the Central and South American republics drink little tea; coffee is the national beverage in these countries. The German people also drink coffee —and beer; while the Southern European peoples —the French, the Spaniards, the Italians, and the Greeks—take wine with their meals, as well as to satisfy their thirst at other times. Indtj grows tea, but all Indians do not drink it; indeed, people engaged in the tea trade assort, that there are many millions of people in India who do not know the taste of this beverage brewed from one of the principal products of their own country. In China, which is the acknowledged birthplace of tea, many millions do not drink it, though in parts frequented by foreigners, the teapot is much in evidence. Tibet has a very high consumption per head, exceeding that of Great Britain or Australia, the countries which, with the sole exception of Tibet, lead the world- “In Belgium and Holland,” said an Adelaide authority recently, “you have to go to the chemist for tea.”

The great beverage in Holland is gin; this applies also to Java, though tea is grown there in large quantities.

The Dutch in Java exceed their kinsfolk in Holland in their consumption of gin, for, Java being part of the Netherlands East Indies, gin comes in duty free from Holland, and doubtless the high atmospheric temperature induces thirst. It is no uncommon thing to see in hotels and boardinghouses tables set with glasses and a big flagon of gin, from which visitors help themselves free of cost. Tea is only one of the host of popular beverages. The Indians and other peoples long made arrack and other more or less intoxicating drinks. Teagrowing China, has concocted highly intoxicating rice ' wine, and brewed beer from* the same grain for many generations. Tibetans, though very fond of brick tea, brew a drink called chong, which exhilarates but does not inebriate the ordinary person until a gallon or two has been drunk. The Puguese sect of Southern Burma has a most repellant habit of quaffing liquid from crocodile-infested pools. This beverage is, for any but the religious zealots of this part of Burma, absolutely nauseating. In Siam, however, the teapot is indispensable in every dwelling, ami it is the custom for every person to carry a cup so that he may bo in a position to accept an invitation to take tea. The Siamese add milk, butter, and salt to the liquor brewed from tea. leaves. The eastern Siberians drink tea, but their

western compatriots concoct a rye brew, which is the common drink with them. Along with its tea, which is the popular drink, Japan has a peculiar beverage called sake, which is neither beer nor wine; it dates from the fourth century. Ceylon, which has become the home of tea to British peoples, makes great use of the coconut, which provides five distinct liquids. Persia drinks the wine which Herodotus favoured over 400 years before Christ. Palestine, frequently mentioned in the Bible as a wine-drinking country, still takes that beverage; as do other Levantine countries. But throughout the world the number and variety of beverages are unending. Even in small islands of the South Seas drinks peculiar to the peoples in various parts are prepared. Tea, however, stands as the supreme drink, and those who use it conform generally to the same methods of preparation-