We're especially blessed here in Seattle. This is a major West Coast seaport city, and there are ethnic restaurants of all kinds here.

One of the local supermarkets has employed a Chinese chef in their deli department, and he makes the most outrageous Mongolian beef (strips of flank steak cooked in a savory—sorry, "savoury"—sauce and served over mixed vegetables or rice)! A gourmet delight!

But lest WAV assume that this puts me beyond the pale, since coffee (I used to drink gallons of the stuff) has started bothering my stomach, I've switched to tea. I'm particularly fond of English breakfast tea (purchasable at a local outlet), while occasionally preferring to start the day with a cup of Earl Gray.

I'm not sure. Is "Earl" the gentleman's first name, or is it his title?

A few years ago I watched a piece on television—pardon me, "the telly"—in which the Duchess of York explained in detail how to make "the perfect cup of tea." I tend to follow her quite detailed instructions, which, I find, produces quite satisfactory results.

Tea, regarded as the quintessential English beverage, originated in southeast Asia, specifically around the intersection of latitude 29°N and longitude 98°E, the point of confluence of the lands of northeast India, north Burma, southwest China and Tibet.

What would English culture—or any culture, for that matter—be without cross-culteral influences?

Don Firth