The serving and the drinking of tea is part of the warp and woof of Middle and Far Eastern culture. Laila Lalami has taken pains to express the nuances that surround this Moroccan cultural feature. Tea is present at turning points in the plot or the thoughts of a character. It acts as a flag for the motif of unanswered questions and lack of resolution. Lalami’s emphasis of the social and emotional connection between the characters and tea is clearly revealed. The role it plays shifts between what I will term, the anesthetic, the apathetic and the amalgamator.