-- "We can eat nothing except drinking tea." For hundreds of years, Tibetans have developed the habit of sipping tea.

When visiting a local family, a guest will be offered highland barley wine by the host, into which he should dip his fourth finger and then flick, three times altogether. The three drops of wine are meant for worshipping heaven, earth and Tibetan ancestors. It is only then that the guest should take a sip, and have his cup refilled three times. On the host refilling his cup a third time, the guest should empty it, otherwise, the host will be insulted, and considering the guest impolite or arrogant. While seated (sitting upright on the floor with legs crossed), the host will present the guest with butter tea. The guest should wait for the host to hand over the tea and not help himself/herself to it. When receiving a gift, the guest should accept with both hands. When presenting a gift, he/she should bow and hold the gift high above the head. When offering wine or tea, the guest should hold the bowl with both hands, and his fingers should not touch its rim.

In Tibet, two beverages--tea and barley beer (chang)--are particularly noteworthy. Brick tea from China and local Tibetan tea leaves are boiled in soda water. The tea is then strained and poured into a churn, and salt and butter are added before the mixture is churned. The resulting tea is light reddish white and has a thick buttery surface. Chang, which is mildly intoxicating, is thick and white and has a sweet and pungent taste.

The salted butter tea is an indispensable Tsampa companion. Boiled tea is poured into a long cylindrical churn along with salt and yak butter, and vigorous churning makes the ingredients well blended and ready to serve. Tibetan people drink it throughout the day. Yak butter is a very important food for Tibetans. It is separated from yak milk by hard churning, and after the butter is separated from the milk, the residue becomes sour and can be made into milk curd, which is a nice thirst quencher and can be made into a delightful milk curd pastry with bailey flour.

Tibetans like drinking tea. Besides salted butter tea, sweet milk tea is another popular beverage. Hot boiling black tea filtered is decanted into a churn, and then fresh milk and sugar are added. Vigorous churning turns out a light reddish white drink. There are many tea shops in Lhasa serving the sweet milk tea. Tibetan barley beer, called Chang is popular among all Tibetans. The beer is mild, slightly sweet and sour and contains little alcohol. The beverage is worth trying. Soft drinks and beer are also available in Lhasa.

Due to the high altitude of Tibet, the water boils at 90 degree Celsius, and cooking with water is impossible. The diet and foods are peculiar in Tibet. The Tibetan diet consists mostly of meat, milks and other high-protein foods. The main staple is `tsamba'. Tea is a necessary. Travelers usually bring dried meat, tsamba, and tea for foods.There are three ways to make tea: simple tea, milk tea and butter tea. The most common tea leaves are produced in the Han Land, as Fu Tea from Hunan, Tou Tea from Yunnnan and Ta Tea from Szechuan. Tibetan tea-drinking forms a special `tea culture'.