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Computers are not "a technology". They're processed rocks. Insofar as tea involves technique, including selection, cultivation, harvest, processing, and prepa

Computers are not "a technology". They're processed rocks. Insofar as tea involves technique, including selection, cultivation, harvest, processing, and preparation, it's a technology. One that I personally dislike.

jhgb 5y ago
The notion of pouring hot water over plant leaves is not something that had to be "stolen" from China. For example it's been known in Ancient Egypt already.
- edgyquant 5y ago
  Right but the seeds needed and the growing and processing of the tea leads was definitely stolen from China in a way similar to how China acts today
  - jhgb 5y ago
    That is a bizarre argument to me. "Stolen"? Plant species spread. Sometimes they're even being spread by animals. Humans have spread numerous plant species across the world. Yet tea plants were "stolen"? Not to mention that even claiming it in the context of Europe is nonsensical to begin with as tea doesn't grow in Europe, where there simply isn't a climate for it. As far as consumption of tea in Europe is concerned, virtually all of it is imports from countries outside of Europe, not something being produced in Europe.
    - qwytw 5y ago
      > the context of Europe is nonsensical to begin with as tea doesn't grow in Europe It does grow just fine in India which was mostly controlled by Europeans at the time. As much as all of this seems bizarre to you it's still a historical fact. The Chinese government (wanting to maintain its global monopoly) banned the export of tea plants. In the 1840's a British botanist Robert Fortune (commissioned by the East India company) travelled to the tea growing provinces of China, disguised himself as Chinese and illegally smuggled several tea plants back to India. After replicating them in greenhouse he introduced them to the Darjeeling region in Northern India. To be fair tea was already grown in India before 'the Great Tea Heist' it was just different kinds of tea (e.g. Assam) and Chinese teas were more popular and much more expensive (largely due to Chinese monopoly on trade, western ships were only allowed to trade at specifically designed trade ports).
lenkite 5y ago
I object to Tea being a Chinese invention. Place of origin is East India.

jhgb 5y ago

The notion of pouring hot water over plant leaves is not something that had to be "stolen" from China. For example it's been known in Ancient Egypt already.

edgyquant 5y ago
Right but the seeds needed and the growing and processing of the tea leads was definitely stolen from China in a way similar to how China acts today
- jhgb 5y ago
  That is a bizarre argument to me. "Stolen"? Plant species spread. Sometimes they're even being spread by animals. Humans have spread numerous plant species across the world. Yet tea plants were "stolen"? Not to mention that even claiming it in the context of Europe is nonsensical to begin with as tea doesn't grow in Europe, where there simply isn't a climate for it. As far as consumption of tea in Europe is concerned, virtually all of it is imports from countries outside of Europe, not something being produced in Europe.
  - qwytw 5y ago
    > the context of Europe is nonsensical to begin with as tea doesn't grow in Europe It does grow just fine in India which was mostly controlled by Europeans at the time. As much as all of this seems bizarre to you it's still a historical fact. The Chinese government (wanting to maintain its global monopoly) banned the export of tea plants. In the 1840's a British botanist Robert Fortune (commissioned by the East India company) travelled to the tea growing provinces of China, disguised himself as Chinese and illegally smuggled several tea plants back to India. After replicating them in greenhouse he introduced them to the Darjeeling region in Northern India. To be fair tea was already grown in India before 'the Great Tea Heist' it was just different kinds of tea (e.g. Assam) and Chinese teas were more popular and much more expensive (largely due to Chinese monopoly on trade, western ships were only allowed to trade at specifically designed trade ports).

lenkite 5y ago

I object to Tea being a Chinese invention. Place of origin is East India.