Maggie's Farm

For a certain sort of British Expat:

Tea (the hot variety) must be made not by the cup, but in a proper tea pot. And not with tea-bags, but with loose-leaf tea, which will be strained upon pouring. The teapot must be 'warmed' before use by bringing water to the boil, pouring it into the teapot and swishing it around, and then dumping it out. Then the requisite number of teaspoons of tea are put in the teapot, and fresh cold water is brought just to the boil before being poured in. The tea must 'steep' for the perfect amount of time, and then you have an argument about whether to add the tea to the milk or the milk to the tea.

The appropriate amount of tea to use is what we're talking about here, so if you plan to serve 4 cups of tea, you will use 5 teaspoons of loose leaf tea in the teapot. (one for each cup, and one 'for the pot').

I subsequently moved to the UK, and was surprised to find that all in my social circle in England, from posh to common, used teabags in the cup.