In some European nations, particularly Britain, coffee was challenged by tea imported from China. Its popularity in Europe helped to open lucrative trade routes with the East and underpinned imperialism and industrialization on an unprecedented scale, enabling Britain to become the first global superpower.
A nice cup of tea would seem to be something fairly mundane and certainly not something imbued with a great deal of power. It is surprising, then, to learn that tea is historically a political super-hero when it comes to creating political alliances, trading opportunities and enabling individual countries to rule the world. Tea was pivotal in the history of modern trade as we now know it, because tea was not something that was available in Europe, or even in the New World, with whom trading routes were already beginning to be established.
Tea, by all accounts, is the reason why everything we buy today is made in China, because without it, Europe would not have felt inclined to open trade routes and create new opportunities for trade growth with the East. Britain in particular took advantage of this new trading partnership and colonized the nations where tea was grown, such as India, enabling their own empire to spread further and strengthen. This is why tea is still most popular in countries that used to be run by the British.
Unlike food, beverages can genuinely be shared. When several people drink beer from the same vessel, they are all consuming the same liquid; when cutting up a piece of meat, in contrast, some parts are usually deemed to be more desirable than the others. As a result, sharing a drink with someone is a universal symbol of hospitality and friendship.
Humans need to drink in order to survive; however, the concept of social drinking is one that has its roots way back in history, because sharing a beverage is possibly the best way of breaking the ice with strangers or sharing fellowship with friends, all whilst keeping everyone equal. When someone buys a round of drinks they are extending the same courtesy to everyone in the group. There is no hierarchy in the beverage because all parts of the beer are created equal. The same cannot be said of food. There are certain cuts of meet that are considered far better than others, and to be served a better cut of meet would suggest that a person is more important than those in the group who were served the less desirable cut. Beverages do not discriminate and they do not suggest that one person is of higher rank or importance than another.
