Quintessentially English

[mtbc]

I wonder if cups of tea are English in particular. I remember being amused years ago in reading some story in the Guardian Weekly, I think, in which somebody with passport trouble went to the British Consulate in Paris for help and indeed one welcome aspect of the help was a cup of tea. I am reminded of this in noticing that some Scottish Gaelic speakers appear to switch to English mid-sentence for the phrase cup of tea. I am sure they must have the words in their own language but perhaps as a familiar concept the custom is decidedly an import.