Alright, let’s talk about this blue white tea set thing. I don’t know much fancy stuff, but I’ll tell ya what I know.

First off, them teacups can be right expensive. I heard tell of one, a little chicken cup, sold for 36 million dollars! Can you believe that? Thirty-six million! For a little bitty cup. They say it was from some old Emperor, Cheng-whatchamacallit, way back when. Said there ain’t but 17 of ’em left in the whole world. Makes ya wonder what kinda tea they drank outta that thing.

Now, if you got yourself an old tea set, and you wanna know if it’s worth somethin’, you gotta look real close. See, on the bottom of them saucers, or the teapot, or even the cups, there’s a little mark. That mark tells you who made it. That’s the secret.

Over in China, they got these fancy tea sets, and I can’t even say the names right. Jun-zi-loo-gee-something. Anyways, they got all sorts of pieces in ’em. A vase thingy for the tea, a scoop to get the tea, a spoon, a funnel, them little pincher things, and a pointy thing, like a needle. All for just makin’ tea! Seems like a lot of trouble if you ask me.

• Cha Tong – That’s the vase lookin’ thing for the tea.
• Cha Ze – That’s the scoop, ya know, for gettin’ the tea out.
• Cha Shi – Just a little spoon, nothin’ fancy.
• Cha Lou – Looks like a funnel, helps ya pour without spillin’.
• Cha Jia – Them pincher things, for grabbin’ hot cups, I reckon.
• Cha Zhen – That pointy thing, maybe for pokin’ the tea leaves or somethin’.

Mostly, though, tea sets come with a bunch of cups, like five or six. Enough for a few folks to sit around and have a cuppa. But these days, you can find all sorts of sets, all different colors and shapes and sizes.

Speakin’ of colors, that blue and white, that’s a real popular one. Folks seem to like that blue and white english tea set. They call it “English” I guess ’cause them English folks like it so much. I seen folks lookin’ high and low for them blue and white ones. They say it’s “unique” or “custom”. Fancy words for somethin’ pretty, I guess.

Now, I ain’t no expert, but I know what I like. A good cup of tea in a pretty cup, that’s all I need. Don’t matter if it’s some fancy antique or just a plain ol’ cup from the store. It’s the tea that matters, and the company you share it with.

So, if you’re lookin’ for a blue white tea set, you go right ahead. There’s plenty of ’em out there. Just remember to check that little mark on the bottom, and don’t go spendin’ thirty-six million dollars on a teacup, unless you got money to burn. And if you do got money to burn, well, send some my way! I could use a new set of teeth, maybe even some fancy ones, to match my tea set!

And another thing, don’t let them fancy folks fool ya with all their big words. Tea is tea, and a cup is a cup. Whether it’s a chicken cup or a blue and white cup, it’s all the same. It’s about sittin’ down, relaxin’, and enjoyin’ a warm drink. That’s what matters. So go on, get yourself a nice blue white tea set, or any tea set you like, and enjoy a cuppa. You deserve it.

And if you find an extra cup, bring it on over. We’ll have a good ol’ time, just sittin’ and sippin’ and talkin’ about nothin’ much. That’s the best kinda tea party, if you ask me.

Now I gotta go, my kettle’s whistlin’. Time for tea!