Now that the headline has caught your attention, let me clarify that the "tea parties" I am advocating for are not more "reactionary conservatives" such as those in the United States, who recently caused their government's shutdown. Just the opposite of such uncompromising outlooks, this region needs more openness and less conspiratorial thinking. The "tea parties" I am rather recommending are simple social gatherings, where invited guests can get to know each other better over some refreshments, in this case much-liked and popular tea. Drinking Turkish tea is a ritual almost unequivocally loved and cherished among friends and family in Turkey and its surroundings. Yet, the value of tea in the region — both symbolically and literally — is underestimated, although it's immense.
It's worth noting that drink preferences of the secular-minded and pious parts of the population have always been among symbolic markers of identity in Turkey. In that light, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stirred the public in April 2013, by stating that instead of beer or raki (an opaque anise liquor), the national drink is instead ayran, made of yogurt, water and salt. Ayran, whether consumed or not, could become the new line of division in present culture wars. Yet, one drink in Turkey, tea, undoubtedly remains part of the ritual that everyone — regardless of social class, political opinions, ethnicity or religious belief — shares in common.
