"Tea. Earl Grey. Hot." Did Picard really need to say it?

[JustKate]

^ I can hear him say it. Some things are just, you know, right.

 

[c0rnedfr0g]

McDonald's now has a 32 oz sweet tea for only $1.

Mmmmmmmmmm

 

[Klingon Empire]

Yeah, What JustKate said.

 

[Gary7]

You'd think "the usual" would cover it - though that's also four syllables, so not much of an abbreviation

Agreed. By the 24th century, computers should be more user adaptive. Certainly on ships with repeat commands from the crew to the computer, the computer would develop a pattern recognition and act accordingly.

Funny thing... In the USA, "tea" usually means "hot tea" in the north. But apparently in southern regions "tea" usually means "iced tea." It makes sense, given the predominant climates. From what I understand, worldwide it is generally accepted that "tea" means "hot tea."

And yet... no milk? Or sugar? Those are common things to add to tea. Apparently there are certain assumptions made on board the 1701-D.

Picard: "Computer, my usual beverage."
Computer: "Tea, Earl Grey, Hot." And the cup materializes.

I think he could have gotten away with this, rather than having to spell it out each time. Or at the very least, "Tea, Earl Grey", with the 'hot' just assumed. If someone wants iced, then "Tea, Earl Grey, Cold".

 

[Anji]

I'm with JustKate on this one. Sometimes with dialogue you've got to go with what sounds right as opposed to what could be technically correct.

Like in ENT, it drove me crazy when they wouldn't use the word "the" before referring to the Enterprise. I used to shout at the TV "It's THE Enterprise, you idiot!"

But then who knows it may be correct in the dialect of Southern California???

 

[Nerys Myk]

Was it wrong of me to make jokes about "Earl Grey, hot" when watching The Duchess?

 

[roguephoenix]

People don't always drink their drinks the same way everytime.

They don't? I would think that most of the time you'd take your tea the same way. I know I have my coffee the same way every day without deviation. The only time it changes up is when I move to iced coffee for the summer months.

i don't. i drink a lot of diff teas. around 20 varieties at the moment and even each i sometimes have diff temps, combinations and mixtures. sometimes with milk, sometimes not. sometimes sweetened, sometimes not. depends on my mood. even the type of milk and sweetener changes. even preparation method changes depending on how i feel.

 

[Sector 7]

^Variety is the spice of life. Hopefully in the future that will still be true. Although in Picard's case I think it was part of his character, that he was a stable person who did not really like change, that he ordered his tea the same way each time.

 

[kissthestar]

Earl Grey always tastes kind of soapy to me.

 

[Sovereign_One]

I prefer Lady Grey tea. A bit more robust than the old Earl.