three cups of tea

...When the cups of tea steamed in their hands, Haji Ali spoke. "If you want to thrive in Baltistan, you must respect our ways," he said, blowing his tea. "The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family, and for our family, we are prepared to do anything, even die," he went on, laying a hand on Greg's own. "Dr. Greg, you must make time to share three cups of tea. We may uneducated. But we are not stupid. We have lived and survived here a long time."

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