Tea

[Pannonian]

you seriously drink something by that name, oooh how...how exotic

Oolong with sugar is not exotic, it's barbaric. Oolong should be served plain and hot.

[Koga No Goshi]

Oolong with sugar is not exotic, it's barbaric. Oolong should be served plain and hot.

Oh no no no no no no no no no.

You don't put sugar in Chinese teas. You might as well, seriously, put a pair of boxers over your head with "I'm a white westerner" written all over it if you do this near Asian people.

Other off-topic etiquette tips:

Don't leave your chopsticks standing upright in a bowl of rice. (Extreme bad luck)
Don't let Asians see you putting soy sauce on almost anything (unless they are doing it too) and prepare for stares if you put it on white rice.
Tap the table with your fingertips twice when your drink is refilled. (It's like "thank you")
Edit: Forgot one. Don't order coke or soda in Chinese/Japanese restaurants. No one has ever explicitly said anything rude about it but I can palpably feel the "ugh... okay" sentiment when people order this in Asian restaurants. ;)

/random.

[Legosoldier]

Tap the table with your fingertips twice when your drink is refilled. (It's like "thank you")

/random.

are you sure you're supposed to do it twice? I've seen ppl tap three times

[Koga No Goshi]

are you sure you're supposed to do it twice? I've seen ppl tap three times

Whatever you do, don't do it once. I don't know what it would mean, but I don't want you announcing somebody died by accident or something.

[Yoyoma1910]

The history of the Tea and Sugar trades are very much intertwined. They both hit European mass markets at almost the same time.

The reason you don't put sugar in your tea is probably more related to the difficulty you would have had in getting it during WW2 than some "ancient cultural tradition," as you seem to make it sound. And the reason Americans do put sugar in their tea is probably attributed to the fact that we grow it here. We grow a lot of it here.

It's the same reason New Orleanians put roasted chicory in their coffee. We had trouble getting coffee beans during the civil war. Quite frankly, its rather bitter, but sometimes desirable.

[Koga No Goshi]

The history of the Tea and Sugar trades are very much intertwined. They both hit European mass markets at almost the same time.

The reason you don't put sugar in your tea is probably more related to the difficulty you would have had in getting it during WW2 than some "ancient cultural tradition," as you seem to make it sound. And the reason Americans do put sugar in their tea is probably attributed to the fact that we grow it here. We grow a lot of it here.

It's the same reason New Orleanians put roasted chicory in their coffee. We had trouble getting coffee beans during the civil war. Quite frankly, its rather bitter, but sometimes desirable.

I don't think modern Japanese or Chinese have any difficulty at all having sugar on hand. But they still don't put it in their tea.

[Legosoldier]

I don't think modern Japanese or Chinese have any difficulty at all having sugar on hand. But they still don't put it in their tea.

Most likely because they never really used pure sugar at all in the Chinese culture...

[Reverend Joe]

Edit: Forgot one. Don't order coke or soda in Chinese/Japanese restaurants. No one has ever explicitly said anything rude about it but I can palpably feel the "ugh... okay" sentiment when people order this in Asian restaurants. ;)

Just for the record, the best Sushi restaraunt I have ever been to serves the most kickass coke ever. I swear, they must double up on the syrup, because it's SO sweet and delicious. And yes, they do serve higher quality sushi than any place I have been, aside from one absurdly expensive Sushi restaurant in Chicago. Ad for the record, I ordered beer there.

[Incongruous]

We used to have it every second day in Dubai with all the other British families, in a lovely set of white and pink marble tea rooms with rather Arabised golden fixtures and spoons (think yellow gold). It was served with milk and sugar, with plates of cake and sandwiches (that is sandwiches, not samwitchis). Mmmmm, that was very nice.

[Tristuskhan]

Oolong with sugar is not exotic, it's barbaric. Oolong should be served plain and hot.

Barbaric? Why not it suits me well... Quisque est Barbarus Alio.

I know Oolong should not be served my way, but well, that's the way I drink it. I prefer the darker Oolongs and i'm due to forget the tea in the kettle for twenty minutes when I'm back from work, so just a very little bit of sugar is nice with them.

Tea is best the way one loves it, no matter how "barbaric" some habits can look like... Nevermind the Ayatullahs....