Do you know what this well-known idiom* means?
Spoiler alert: it means that something is suitable or attractive to you.
It was with a little sadness and dismay that I recently read in a BBC online news report that tea, considered to be the national drink of the UK and the main component of the renown custom of afternoon tea, is becoming much less popular among younger generations.
I love coffee, I admit, but it is tea - with a little milk and no sugar - that really hits the spot if you are feeling cold, need to sit down and have a chat to someone about something or just need something to quench your thirst.
In these long cold dark days of winter, a steaming cup of tea is just my cup of tea! What struck me in the article is how perceptions of things guide the choices we make. The title of the article: “it’s an old person’s drink”, is, well, sad. If you like hot black tea with milk (or not) then surely you would drink it rather allow a perception to dictate the choice you make.
Social media, influencers and the like shape people’s views of the world, the young in particular. But we should make our own choices and make up our minds about what we do based on what we like, not because someone else tells us or we feel the need to follow a trend. The other issue I think is that we are spoilt for choice and now there are so many alternatives that the poor old humble cuppa just can’t compete.
Another drink which some may turn their nose up** at is Bovril. I recently discovered it. It is a meat extract based drink (so not for vegetarians), but not a soup. It is delicious and very warming in the winter. And yet it is something that probably most people’s great grandparents would have enjoyed (it was first made in the 1870s!). The packaging, a brown bulbous jar, would not appeal to young people, I believe, and I doubt most have even heard of it. I was advised to drink it to get some more B vitamins and I have enjoyed it ever since!
I thought I would share with you below the BBC article and see what you think. Is tea your cup of tea I wonder?
**Idiom: a group of words established by usage as having a meaning which cannot be deduced from those of the individual words.*
** turn your nose up at something means to dislike something.
Here is the link to the article: