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TEA AND RICE ARE STAND-BYS IN THE DESERT
Our food consisted chiefly of rice, flour, dates,
and Bedouin butter, the latter almost invariably in liquid form, made
from sheep's milk and usually rancid because of its containers—old hide
bags.
The stand-by of the desert traveler, however, is
tea—not the emasculated and emaciated beverage of civilization, but a
potent black brew made from one handful of tea and sugar in equal
proportions, placed in a small pot having a capacity of perhaps a pint
of water. This is boiled and the bitter-sweet liquid is served in tiny
glasses holding about two ounces.
Two glasses of this drink will imbue the user with
remarkable vitality. He
(p245)
becomes wakeful, watchful, and eager for the journey. The effect is
exhilarating without being intoxicating. This desert tea is an acquired
taste; but once the Bedouin beverage habit is formed, it is very
difficult to go back to the pallid tea of civilization. The staff of
life in desert travel is not bread, but rice, which is boiled afresh at
each halt. Bread is made without leaven, and is a heavy, unpalatable
food, eaten chiefly during the days march.
 
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