Now, I know this may seem like a silly thing to worry about after a nuclear attack but for those of us who can't function without our morning cup of tea, we understand completely. Just substitute coffee for tea and maybe you can understand:
Never mind the radiation: British contingency planners worried there would be a dramatic shortage of tea in the aftermath of a nuclear attack, recently declassified documents showed Monday.I'm sure they talked about radiation in another memo, don't you think?The shortfall of the staple British beverage would be "very serious" if the country were to come under attack with atomic and hydrogen bombs, said according to a memo drafted between 1954 and 1956.
"The tea position would be very serious with a loss of 75 percent of stocks and substantial delays in imports and with no system of rationing it would be wrong to consider that even one ounce (28 grams) per head per week could be ensured," it said.
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Oh yes, definitely scones. You can't have a proper tea without scones.
Some years ago friends of mine went travelling around among the British and stopped in a tea shop. The owner, recognizing them as colonials by their dreadful accents said, "You won't be wanting to ruin my fine tea with ice, now will you?"
They, being gently reared, took pains to inform the shopkeeper that they intended no such blasphemy and he was very happy.
Ok, I'm having too much fun with this.
Isn't that pronounced "sconns"? I prefer the cucumber sandwiches.
I wonder if he would have minded if they had used their leftover tea for iced tea? I do that sometimes.
If there was an attack there would be a world wide shortage of tea.
This information shows how important tea is to the world.
Jon Stout
I'll chill tea but I won't put ice in it. Bleck.
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