No Mice in My Tea!

One of the tea books I got for Christmas, "Tea Lover's Treasury", was written by James Norwood Pratt in 1983 - back when we were all a lot younger. The introduction was written by MFK Fisher, a food writer whom I have always enjoyed. Part of it really cracked me up:

"My grandmother died before tea bags. I am thankful. My mother never admitted their existence. A friend has described them as boiled mice, and he is right, too, but I have some teas in little white bags for people who have never known anything else, and who are adept enough to leave the wee tail hanging over the edge of the cup. I am told that these mice are often dried out and used again..." I don't know if I can ever look a teabag in the face again.