Tea and Tia Maria are not the same thing …
Last night I went out with my good mate Wilf and his charming missus, EJ. We went to one of my favourite restaurants, Joe Allen, in Covent Garden.
After a lovely meal, we came to coffee time. Wilf doesn’t drink coffee, so he ordered a tea.
I ordered a Tia Maria to go with my coffee. So Wilf ordered a Tia Maria to go with his tea.
The waitress stood and looked at him for a few seconds, just to check that he was serious. She obviously realised that she’d had far more stupid orders in the past, and agreed, slowly shaking her head as she walked away.
Wilf argued that we stick to conventions too much. Why shouldn’t one have a liquer in a cup of tea? I argued that tea comes from the leaf, whereas coffee comes from the fruit and the two are, therefore, completely different and incomparable.
Anyway, eventually, his tea with Tia Maria arrived, and I, being a cheeky sort, poured the Tia Maria into his tea.
And the taste?
It tasted like strong, sweet tea. Wilf said it tasted like coffee.
Anyway, mine was nicer.