“Do y’all have sweet tea?”
“We have raspberry tea.”
“I’ll take a water. Thanks.”
I should know that when I’m anywhere south of the panhandle I may as well request a water up front, but there’s always some glimmer, some tiny ray of hope that my drink of choice will be featured on some menu, some where. Sweet tea’s popularity grew exponentially during the six years I lived in Orlando, so I thought that the good people of Clearwater would have caught on by now. They haven’t. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that it’s like Little Ontario down here. And what do Canadians know about southern staples, eh?
Clearwater is a good place, don’t get me wrong. There’s a lot to love here. And I love and appreciate greatly the time I am getting to spend with my sweet friends. But I wish I could also enjoy that sweet beverage while I’m visiting. I’ve asked for it three places now, and at all three locales it was no where to be found. I forget that tea and sugar don’t hook up and have delicious babies all the time here. It just doesn’t happen.
I don’t know why not. It’s just so natch.
It’s true, there’s always Chick-Fil-A. But even here, I promise you the tea is not as sweet. I have not yet decided if for a self-proclaimed sugar addict, this situation is good or bad. Either way, the day will come again when I'm back in my neck of the woods, liquid gold in my hand.
