> That was indeed part of what you were talking about.
How so?
Even if the tea came from different ports in China, it was going to Portugal. The crates would be labeled in Portuguese. In which case there's no reason to write "cha" or "té" based on where the crate was shipping from. After the first time someone named tea in Portuguese it should always be "cha".
Or the crate would be labeled 茶 and whatever is the Chinese character for "cha", which no one in Portugal could read.
Either way the "tea" etymology story falls apart. There's no reason for it to be labeled "tea".
triceratops|5 days ago
How so?
Even if the tea came from different ports in China, it was going to Portugal. The crates would be labeled in Portuguese. In which case there's no reason to write "cha" or "té" based on where the crate was shipping from. After the first time someone named tea in Portuguese it should always be "cha".
Or the crate would be labeled 茶 and whatever is the Chinese character for "cha", which no one in Portugal could read.
Either way the "tea" etymology story falls apart. There's no reason for it to be labeled "tea".