Sweet tea

About a week before we left Seattle, we met a guy who had grown up in Tennessee. I asked him what we needed to know about life in the Volunteer State. He waxed poetic about sweet tea. "It's NOT the same as iced tea with sugar added," he stated emphatically.

I'd tried sweet tea at McDonald's before and didn't see what the big deal was. His beverage passion left me scratching my head. But now after living here for a bit, I'm starting to get it. Sweet tea IS different, and it's quite tasty! Most of the restaurants here have big tea brewers, so you're drinking fresh brewed tea that is sweetened while it's still warm, and the sugar crystals dissolve completely. I guess it's kind of a big deal.
In fact, one time when I ordered sweet tea, the waitress said, "We only have Gold Peak - is that ok?" I said sure. Nice of her to warn  me, though. I've never been alerted when a diner is serving Folgers or worse :)

In an attempt to be semi-healthy, and because I actually like to taste the flavor of the tea, I'm opting for half sweet, half unsweet when I remember. But I need a cultural ambassador to tell me if there is a term for this - do they call it half & half here? I thought that was for tea & lemonade.