Super Chai Me

 ***written by nathan

Chai tea is the national drink of the subcontinent and surrounding regions of India. From Kerala and Tamil Nadu in South India, to mountains of Kashmir and Nepal in North India, Chai is served on street corners, in cafes, in homes, offices, and in parks. But unlike the coffeehouses of the United States, where a price of a coffee at Starbucks is half (or more) the hourly rate of a minimum wage worker, chai is affordable and accessible to all. Chai is black tea and spices with hot milk and sugar added. In the south, the presentation is vastly different than in our current location - tea and milk are both poured from great height, mixing together into a frothy projuct a meter away. In many parts of India special spices and flavorings give it extra zest, including a spicy cardamom. 

In the Kolkata area, chai is served in tiny terracotta cups shaped like small vases. As a region where brick factories abound, and the materials for terracotta products are commonplace, these chai cups are a one-time-use item. We lamented this fact each time we finished our chai treat, tossing these sweet vessels into a pile of other chipped, cracked, and fragmented cups. Although it seemed horrible to toss the used chai cups, it was wonderful to know that they would break down over time and become earth once again.

Our first true chai experience on this trip to India took place in the loving and comfortable home of the Roy family in Hindmotor, outside of Kolkata. Our host, Rajib, and his parents Mr. Ray and Mrs. Roy offered us chai all day, every day. Mr Ray joked that the mugs of chai that Mr. Roy ade for us were beer-sized, not for chai. And they were certainly super-sized…much larger than the small terracotta chai mugs on the street. Mr. Ray’s chai was rich and creamy and always served with biscuits (thin sweet crackers) or ‘sweetmeats’ (dairy deserts thick as cake or bread pudding). The Roy family are our true first India family, and Brittany took to referring to Mrs. Roy as “India Mom“ by day two of our stay with them. They whole family made us feel incredibly welcome and at home, and we felt so honored to be accepted so readily into their home. The friendly, familiar banter, casualness and openness of thought, challenges in view point, and exchanges of new ideas made everything come into focus for its familiarity and normality.

All over the planet, we are amazed by the generosity and kindness of the human spirit. We are encouraged by the universal simplicity of human dignity and community goals. What we love in the cafés, music halls, and jukejoints of our own western society we love in the tea and food rituals (and by the general public sidewalk persona) of Asian culture. To connect this with Tea, we left some green tea from Hunan Province where my grandmother was born in China with the Roy family before we left.