Travels with Charley - A Spot of Tea

Charlie and I had arrived a day early in Oxford and were pleased to have the time to rest a bit. Lunch the first day was to be pretty standard fare for our entire time there. The daily soup was pretty good. Tomato-basil and mushroom soups were the most prevalent. I wondered if they were made from the mushrooms and stewed tomatoes left from breakfast. A grouping of unrecognizable sandwiches was surprisingly tasty, but not well-liked by the munchkins. The hotel finally learned to put out plenty of peanut butter sandwiches with and without jelly. The children were delighted to show off their new vocabulary as they leaned "chips" were "crisps" and that almost no one in the world likes Vegemite unless they have eaten it from birth.

We were offered the usual coffee and tea to drink as well as a form of "soda-pop" which was a flavoring added to water.One day, I asked for iced tea, just for a change. I know they don't usually serve it, but I figured enough Americans had been through there to have some effect on the kitchen. The server was very accommodating and I watched as he made my "iced tea." He filled a white tea pot with ice, added water to an invisible line, put a tea bag in it, and put the lid on top, He handed me the "iced tea" and a glass of ice. An hour later I still had faintly colored ice water. The next day, I asked for a pot of hot tea and a glass of ice. I had my iced tea.