A Cup of Tea--or Two or Three

There is no place or time in Calcutta where a cup of hot chai is not appropriate, even in 100 degree weather. At first I thought this was senseless, wiping away beads of sweat from my upper lip to avoid salting my tea. But after a bit of research, I've been told that the chai actually helps one's body cope with the heat. Whether or not this is true, I still prefer my sweetened, southern, ICED tea at home. But tea is more than a drink here, it is an offering of hospitality. When I shop at the open air market I am offered a seat and a cup of chai in anyone's shop who can afford the space. When I wake up in the morning, chai is on the breakfast table. It is served to the volunteers at every Mother Home. It is a snack, a treat, an afternoon rest. My first Sunday afternoon in Calcutta, I had the opportunity to take chai in the home of some native Calcuttans along with a missionary couple based in the city. The wife, who I found out was scarcely older than me, was five months pregnant. But this did not stop her from waiting on me hand and foot as I sat shoeless on her family's big bed, which also served as an eating area. The bed was filled with dishes; Calcutta is famous for its sweets. By the end of the affair I thought I might be sick. The sugary coatings of all the treats paled in comparison to the sweetness of this family, urging me adamantly to eat more and more. Seeing how they lived, I knew that a tea time like this was not usual. I was disappointed that I could not finish all the food, but I was glad to have not been sick all over their one room home. There was a back balcony area, which connected the fourth floor home to other families' dwellings. I stepped outside with the young wife and her mother to cover our heads during the Muslim call to prayer around 5:30 pm, because we had to leave the men alone in the room. When it was time to leave, I made my way down the steep stone steps to the street below, where I think the "sewer system" delivered all the waste of the whole building. I think. ...Actually, I'm pretty sure. But it didn't bother me--I felt more filled with thankfulness than with food, and the hospitality of these humble people overcame everything else.