Tea is not a drink
On hospitality, patience, and the three glasses poured in the Sahara.
Erg Chigaga
The first glass is bitter as life. The second is sweet as love. The third is gentle as death. You will hear the proverb more than once, and you will be poured all three, whether or not there is time.
In the desert, there is always time. The tea is not a drink; it is the shape the visit takes. To refuse would be to misread the invitation. To hurry it would be to miss it entirely.
How to accept
Hold the glass with your right hand. Do not fill it yourself. Say yes when it is offered again, even if you have already said yes twice. The ritual is not about thirst.
Later, when you leave, you will notice that the tea has taken the temperature of the afternoon. That is the trick of it.
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MUDDO Editorial
