During all my years in the U.S., I hated traveling by car because I had withdrawals, not of drugs, addictive TV shows, or certain sweets or junk foods. The list can go on.

I had tea withdrawals (all coffee drinkers, sincerely stop rolling your eyes).

For me, the lack of tea during travel was stressful. We were the kind of people who always had to ensure we had tea bags before we left and usually tried getting hot water and milk at a fast-food place. It was comical, my husband and I clamoring into a gas station like parched weeds and crowding the rusted hot water dispenser made for tar-like coffee that can only be found in gas stations. We ignored the workers side-eyeing us as we rejuvenated ourselves from the tea-less trip. Could we have just bought a thermos with tea like ordinary people who have addictions to sweet milky drinks? Maybe.

 Chai, or tea with milk and flavorings, is a genuine test of patriotism for every Pakistani. I am an unapologetic chai drinker, and it’s one of the few pleasures that I haven’t given up. Fried chicken? Don’t need it. Refined sugar? Nah, I’ll pass. 

Chai? Over my dead body.

Doha, a tea paradise, has a fantastic chai scene because small tea stalls are scattered throughout the city. The tea is usually thick and mostly made with evaporated milk. This sweet, flavored tea is called Karak here. It is the unhealthiest thing, and it is spectacular. Many places will flavor the tea with cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon. They are called tea shops, but they only have the single variety, Karak, and a litany of unhealthy snack foods like fried chicken doused in mayo and ketchup or sugary sweet virgin mojitos. Even Jeddah did not have Qatar-style tea shops.

Also CATS! Don’t even get me started on the cats. As someone who only uses her Facebook account to post muddy pictures of street cats through a greasy phone camera, it is safe to say that I probably like cats more than people.

Actually, scratch that. I definitely like cats more.

I absolutely love Qatar because cats and tea are everywhere. Whenever I leave home to run errands, I know cats and tea are waiting, welcoming. This unique combination provides me with an incredible feeling of comfort and safety.