Tea

No meal would be complete without having a warm cup of tea, or in the case you are on a military campaign at the borders, warmonger cup of tea. To drink a tea cold is blasphemy and while no one would chop of your head for it, you would have wished they would.   Green tea, black tea, white tea, soothing or energetic and strong, there are teas of many kinds that you can find all over the empire - each of them has a specific occassion or purpose to it and knowing your teas can mark you as a civilised and accomplished human no matter what social class you hail from. There is always some room for personal preferences as far as the taste and the rarity of the tea goes, but no matter if you are rich or poor, having a good cup of tea alongside dinner (or even instead of dinner) is seen and counted as a blessing and something that everyone should have a right to do. Tea is the first thing orphanages and charities for the poor are serving, so many people will have the strength to survive the cold cruel nights.   Preparing tea and serving it is a particular ritual on its own, with many tools and kettles and cups to make the entire experience something you can look forward to the entire day. It marks the work as finished and starts the period of rest and rejuvenation and if you are lucky also food. Dinner is the main dish served in households as many people are usually too busy to eat during the day, depending on what type of a task they perform. A rich and filling dinner alongisde a good cup of tea to get you through it, is something that will help you face the next day ahead no matter what it may bring.