Just Tea? A Breakfast Surprise

Last year, I had an experience that think about how differently other cultures do things, especially something as ordinary as food. Some white friends invited me to join their small group for a day trip to Bradford for a little explore. It was a casual outing, but I think what struck me the most was probably not the day trip, but the food that we ended up eating.

I am a Ghanaian and when it comes to breakfast there is no breakfast that fits in categories like western cultures such as cereal, toast or "light" meals. In Ghana, breakfast can truly be anything, heavy or light. It is in fact more uncommon to skip a substantial breakfast meal or just settle for a light breakfast.

Breakfast can be waakye, kenkey with fish or even just a whole bowl of porridge, so we rationalize the breakfast meal more importantly as it is a significant meal to prepare you for the day. So naturally when we stopped to eat, I was expecting something that was heavy (it turned we were just going to drink tea).

I was starving and so the thought of going to eat made me happy. However, to my surprise and amusement, everyone else had tea. Just tea. No toast, no eggs and no filling food. I found myself sitting at the table wishing for a full plate of food while everyone else was drinking tea out of a little teacup, like it was not a big deal.

I sat quietly, it was a tea shop and there was no other food apart from tea. Isn't that interesting, about the fact that in that instant a really small cultural difference can illustrate how culture shapes us. That little difference got me to reflecting on the many surprises that we discover about culture whenever we meet or engage with someone from a different culture.

What may appear normal and natural for one culural group could be puzzling and shockingly out of place for an other culture. For instance, to the average Ghanaian simply having a cup of tea or coffee for "light breakfast", makes no sense. In some cultures, breakfast may legitimately be considered a large meal; and for other cultures this notion of heavy food so early in day is either completely strange, or extravagantly needless.

Cultural differences are not just food related but can also be about greetings, manners, schedules and ways we celebrate some events. If you find yourself in a new cultural context you may witness some of the surprises and sometimes you may appear strange to those local who are use to culture of the area, as you try to hold onto your own cultural practices in this new location. It may feel awkward with what is going on around you (if you are self-aware about it).

You may find you want to make that special dish that you always make, but then realize that you just are not going to be able to access a lot of the ingredients. Even if you find some available at the local market it still may not align with how and when a certain dish is prepared in relation to time the new culture thinks is normal. Or, even the way you greet someone; what feels completely normal for you feels completely strange in another cultural context.

That is both the beauty and challenge of culture; it shapes, in both expected and sometimes truly peculiar ways, our habits and expectations without us even recognizing we have been placed in another cultural space. So, next time you find yourself in a different cultural context, or even just having the privilege to enjoy your friends from different cultures, remember those little details- like how we do breakfast- can be in some ways delightfully fascinating entry points into exploring culture.