No matter what cultural differences exist between people, most can agree that tea is an essential part of daily life. But for Chinese people, drinking tea is approached very differently, and has a different connotation than we are used to in the West. First of all, most of the tea drunk in China is green tea, a much less processed tea than the standard black tea used in the West which is often loaded with sugar and milk. Green tea has a lower amount of caffeine as well, not to mention a myriad of health benefits — preventing tooth decay, aiding in digestion as well as mental alertness. And the low amount of caffeine makes it easy on our nervous system.
Some like it hot: why China cold-shoulders ice water - Nikkei Asian Review
Adopting a macrobiotic approach to the foods we eat can lead to a healthier, more balanced life. Macrobiotics is often thought of as a diet alone, and a rather odd diet at that. When applied to foods and their use as medicine, what is considered is the proportion of acidity Yin and alkalinity Yang in our body. I first became interested in macrobiotics at
The Chinese custom of drinking hot water goes beyond simple preference. According to traditional Chinese medicine , every human body is made up of yin elements and yang elements. A person remains healthy when the yin and yang are balanced. To treat these illnesses, the person must get rid of the extra yang , or the excess heat.
After suffering through a long hot day with the sun beating down our backs, a bottle of cold water sounds like the perfect solution. Reaching for that can of icy soda from the fridge or ordering a frosty beer from a bar also sound like good plans. In Western countries, we often take our beverages cold — and not just on hot days, but when dining out to dinner, with popcorn at theatres, or sometimes just as a treat by itself. However, consuming cold drinks may not be the norm internationally. While we often receive a glass of cold water alongside our meals at a restaurant, in China you would get a cup of steaming hot tea instead.