Cup of tea, one’s: (n) Something that is in accord with one’s liking or taste.

If I were flying through space—maybe even at light speed—on a craft from another world, with creatures from another dimension, who for some reason had abducted me to study (for inexplicable reasons) and we were about to land on Earth and my tutor from this alien world, who had gradually won my confidence, turned to me and tenderly said, “Since we only have a minute, tell me the most important thing to know in dealing with Earth and Earthlings,” I’m sure a million things would come to my mind—or maybe just a thousand in lieu of my limited capacity.

Things like:

“Don’t spit on the sidewalk when you’re meeting strangers.”

“Brush your teeth after eating garlic pizza.”

“Don’t stare directly into a woman’s bosom.”

Or:

“Avoid eating off of trucks near parks.”

But after a few seconds, I probably would land on the truth of truths—the statement I would need to tell my little friend (yes, that’s right, he’s only four foot four, but is quite muscular) so that he would be able to function and get by on our little establishment.

Here you go:

DON’T BE PICKY.

You will be tempted. You will want to crinkle your face, show disapproval, and there will be those who will even say, “If you don’t like it, let me know.”

They are lying.

Even though all human beings insist on being picky, we all certainly hate picky people.

It seems to be the standard we set for ourselves and others—allowing for taste and appreciation—but we tend to become snarly when someone opts to pass on something because it’s “not their cup of tea.”

When this happens, we swallow our discontent but walk away thinking:

“Hmmm. Like YOU drink tea.”