Maybe it's a British Thing Pt. 3

If you're in the UK and find yourself wondering; cookies are biscuits, biscuits are scones (kind of), chips are crisps, fries are chips, and crackers are also biscuits (or explosives).

To go along with most of those things, let me emphasize the importance of tea. Sure, we in the US have southern sweet tea that is so sweet you could pour it over pancakes, but it doesn't fulfill the cultural necessities of a good cuppa.
It's not necessarily the taste that keeps people coming back, although it is good. Firstly, it's the process of making it. Sharing with a friend, extending the conversation while waiting for the kettle to boil, and the tea to cool. Not to mention the exciting, jet taking off sound the kettle makes when 220 volts boil the water in seconds. Then there's the methodical nature of the brew: how long the bag stays in, how much milk to add, sugar? no sugar? milk first or last? biscuits? to dip, or not to dip? All of these things define the self-proclaimed tea purists. And I've become one! Like abandoning lager, I've actually found myself foregoing a cup of substandard brew.

Tea is also a comfort. A cup of tea is what to do in a crisis, the civilized cigarette break, how to relax, and how to wake up. Any time of day or year, with a warm mug between your hands, all is right with the world. And although I didn't buy the 1600 bags from Costco, I have consumed over 400 cups here in my room alone. I am carefully considering how I pack just to see how many teabags I can get back. I know that I will willingly pay way more than their worth to have PG Tips at home. The guy at the British import store, charging $5 for a 49p box of tea; cheeky bastard.