Having a cup of tea is not merely soaking a tea-bag in some hot water and then drinking it. Anyone who has been to England or Ireland knows that having a cup of tea is more of a ritual, a traditional excuse for a social gathering. When a group of people are having tea they do not sit there and drink tea the whole time. Friends get together and discuss various issues about their lives and family, and to have a couple of laughs. The actual drinking of the tea is also relaxing, and the social interaction involved brings people closer together. Also, in Japan the drinking of tea was the center of complex rituals in serving the tea and being hostess (the female generally served the guest) to a guest. The way someone served their tea and guests denoted elegance and stature.