Well, I'm finally thrilled to see 'sweet tea' hit north of the Mason/Dixon. Doesn't it taste GOOD? It never tastes the same if the sugar is added by the glassful after the tea is cold. I sort of suspect that the preponderance of sugar in the southern diet is that's where the cane plantation were. I remember having to use sorghum for sweetening at my in-law's farm and well, I don't care if I ever use it again. blech

When I was a child on the Mississippi gulf coast one of the treats of late summer is when the cane crop ripened. We kids could go in the fields and the oldest kid who was adapt at using a knife would cut off sections of a cane stalk and we kids would peel it down and chew on the pulp for it's sweetness. It was and still is poor kid's candy.

Marda, southerners call it "sweet tea" and when we order it anywhere we always ask for "sweet tea with lots of ice".
I think it's catching on in the north now because most
everyone likes sugar whether they will admit it or not.

We drink it year around here in the south, probably more so than soft drinks and water. Sweet iced tea will get you through the the hot humid summers here better than anything I know. We can solve all the worlds problems over a cold glass of sweet tea and a pecan pie anytime.

If it's sweet or fried, folks from the south love it.
It's just our way, Marda, that's all I know.

I am glad "sweet tea" is catching on because I hate to have to add sugar to cold tea. I can't tell you how many times
while visiting my (yankee) relatives, a waitress has looked at me like I had lost my mind when I asked for "sweet tea".

Did you ever have what we call an Arnold Palmer up here? I love it..half ice tea half lemonade.

We usually mix lemonade with gin.
We do drink half tea and half orange juice
now that is delicious. Try it.

After 40 years here in KY I still can't drink sweet tea. But then I must admit that most of sweet anything in the States is too sweet for me. Just as well, since I am now diabetic and can't have it anyhow.

I'm with annelisa, can't abide sweet tea. Was shocked the first time I ordered iced tea in the south, couldn't drink it. If it is ice tea, maybe a squeeze of lemon but sugar no way. Of course we will not drink sweetened carbonated beverages either and I sure don't want sugar on cereal.

Yes, when you order tea here, it's tea or unsweet tea. That is, "sweetened tea" is assumed. Funny us. That and calling all things carbonated "cokes". I don't drink tea, but then I don't drink caffeine; I'm just weird. I do eat caffeine, though. Chocolate makes everything better!

Marda, what did I miss or forgot? You mentioned "starting chemo again". I am so sorry that on top of it you can't keep anything down. Hope it gets better soon.

Marda, Katrina could drink Iced Tea and eat Banana Popsicles
when she was having her treatments.
Boiled custard is smooth going down and taste good.
Don't know if you can handle that or not.

Not being able to eat is related to the tumor more so than chemo. Food isn't digesting properly and until I started chemo,wasn't digesting at all. Luckily slowly but surely I'm able to slowly add foods which I haven't been able to eat since March. I haven't been able to keep down most liquids because of their volume and it's still dicey sometimes but ice tea doesn't seem to cause a single problem. I haven't seen a banana popsicle in ages. I used to love those things.

I didn't think anyone liked sugar more than I do, but DH always wants sweet tea and it makes my teeth stand on edge most of the time. Sometimes it's just sweetened a bit and that's what I was brought up on. He always makes fun of me the amount of sugar I put in my hot tea, but his sweet tea is probably three times as sweet. To each his/her own.

Marda, I'm so sorry you're having this happen.

Marda, you can order your iced tea "half & half", sweet mixed with unsweet.

I my own native-Texan self drink it unsweet.

My grandmother used to make hot sassafras tea;
it was wonderful with sugar or honey.

Endorphinjunkie, you brought back memories:
my grandfather used to cut a stalk of sugar cane into short lengths & smash the ends for us to chew on.

We had a grocery store here which carried once in a while sugar cane in the produce section. Have not seen it since Winn Dixie closed.

Dear Mwoods, I live in Georgia, and it is understood that Sweet Tea should be very close to Hummingbird food. Not MY preference, having grown up in California, but that seems to be the way folks expect it to be.