Spicy, warm, and sweet, chai hits the spot even on warm days in India. Making good cup of chai, a combination of tea, spices, and milk, is truly an art. chai wallahs (people who make tea) expertly turn out hundreds of cups a day.
Chai seems to magically appear from nowhere. One chilly morning I was bird watching and was mesmerized by a tree loaded with fruit bats. A chai wallah approached. It was a chilly morning and he served the chai in a small, handmade clay cup. The tea was warm and delicious and I could taste the earthy clay on my lips. I discarded the cup on the ground as instructed. The tiny shards would return to the earth from whence they came. Much better than the plastic cups now gaining in popularity.
The sweetest chai I ever had was in a village on my way to the Chambal river near Sawai Madhopur. The predominant ingredient in this cup of tea was by far the sugar. The young chai wallah possessed a winning smile and an ample belly—surely the recipient of many of his own cups of chai.
I love that photo!
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