Traveling around the South Asian island nation, I bypassed the beach resorts and saw Sri Lanka for what it is: an island nation that, despite decades of conflict, is teeming with treasures.
The man in the khaki vest slurped noisily from his cup, descended briefly into scowling meditation, spat the contents into a sink and then unleashed a torrent of approving descriptors, lavishly rolling his r’s along the way: “No foreign taste, very refreshing, robust, strong tannins, a tingly sensation at the end of the tongue — good show!”
I sipped as well and nodded gravely, thinking: right, but it’s still tea.