The Tea Boy

Another one of Arif’s “simple” captioned cartoons that says so much with so little—facial expression, posture, wrinkled clothing. The caption literally reads, “I go up, I go down all year!” But its looser meaning is probably, “I’m sick and tired, man!” You’ll see boys and young men in virtually every workspace in Turkey carrying this type of traditional “hanging” tea tray. Each of its tulip-shaped glasses sits in its own saucer, and contains a tiny spoon for stirring in sugar.