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HUMBOLDT IN THE WORLD
Making Tea in Nepal By Lucia Wittenberg
Rice paddies in the village of Salyan in Myagdi district (all photos courtesy of Lucia Wittenberg).
HUMBOLDT GEOGRAPHER
T
he key to making good Nepali tea is black pepper. Its distinctive heat and aroma shines through the spice of the cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon. Making good Nepali tea is important. Tea is the cornerstone of Nepali society. Nepalis drink tea two to three times a day: once in the morning, once in the afternoon and sometimes before dinner. They gossip over tea, they laugh over tea; they share their stories and observations of the changing weather over tea. They cry over tea and sit in silence over tea. Tea is a social fly trap; if a neighbor sees you walking by they promptly ask if you’ve drunk tea that day, and whether the answer is yes or no they insist you come over for a cup, or two, or three. Drinking tea with friends and family is not just a way to pass the time, it’s a way to build relationships and talk about goats. So, making good tea is important. If you make a good cup of tea people will be happy to come to your home to sit and drink with you. Your home will soon become a hub for community, and a cascade of good gossip about your tea making skills will spread. Drinking tea was the easiest way to integrate into my community. It was the best excuse to meet new people. Drinking tea led to conversations about their families, which then led to an invitation to a wedding or worship, which then led to me wearing a sari and dancing like a fool. Drinking tea also led to conversations about their fields, which led to a Q&A sessions about problems in their fields, which eventually led to a training about various ways to over come crop failure, improve soil health, or trying a new crop. In short, drinking tea with people meant doing Peace Corps work and vice versa. HSU Geography class of 2014, LUCIA WITTENBERG served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal 2016-18. She is currently working on a master’s degree in International Trade and Economic Diplomacy at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
