Tea for you? Starbucks is down the road.

The intent of this blog isn't to complain about things here.  I try to write about my observations in the spirit of international good will and cultural exchange.

That said, thank you for forgiving my indulgence in the following rant.

I have been told that it is customary, when someone comes to one's home to fix something, to offer them a cup of tea.  Seems like a nice gesture, if a bit awkward, with varying milk and sugar preferences and so on.

Here's my problem with this quaint little custom:  After you have waited upwards of 5 hours for the repairman and you still haven't heard from him on when he is coming to your house to fix your boiler/radiator/wall/broken whatever, you've just about had it. When he finally does show up, the last thing you want to do is fix him a cup of tea. You want him to do his job, not enjoy a nice hot beverage.

Mind you, I realize that in many countries, including my native land, one can be trapped at home at the mercy of a repairman, waiting hours for him to show up. Here, though, one's expected to offer him a cup of tea.