Blog of Oonah V Joslin -- please visit my Parallel Oonahverse at WordPress

where I post stories and poems that have not been seen elsewhere - also recipes and various other stuff. http://oovj.wordpress.com/

and see me At the Cumberland Arms 2011









Friday 19 April 2013

Food for Thought for Friday -- Tea Apologist Eats Humble American Pie

In my own defense I had been, two evenings in a row, whipped into a frenzy of patrioitic Tea ferver by a Victoria Wood's Nice Cup of Tea -- a really good treatment of the subject on the Beeb. And I learned rather a lot from that about our national drink Camilia Sinensis which is in effect, a tree indiginous to China. And so when people said you couldn't get a proper cuppa abroad (and in fairness it can be difficult) I jumped on the tea wagon. Then it struck me about some of the good experiences I have had in America (not the Char at Washington DC admittedly) but I found that my friends actually do drink tea! In fact Kath's friend Luann loves tea and Jim never refused a cup of (my favourite) PUNJANA any time I made one.


But more than that -- Ms Wood mentioned that perhaps if they could do a 'starbucks' on tea it might become 'cool' and wouldn't be on the decline. News for you Victoria :)

TEAVOLVE Baltimore MD. 
It's far and away the COOLEST tea place I have ever been to -- introduced to us by Jody Costa in 2010, it does all types of tea including Black Tea (which is American for English tea) and bubble tea which has grains of semolina in the bottom which swell up like bubbles... I reckon we need TEAVOLVEs on every High street in Britain to counter the coffee craze and repopularise tea.


Also in Baltimore there's a Breakfast place called Miss Shirleys. They do a decent cuppa that'll set you up for the day -- just ask for two bags and they'll do it. And opposite Saint Paul's church there's an oriental tea and sandwiches place that does great tea.


Also I confess I practically begged Nathan Rosen to bring me my favourite Bigelow's Spiced Chai when he came to visit -- It tastes like Christmas! Do yourself a favour and Buy some. I even save it when it's gone cold, bottle it and drink it as iced tea -- it's so delicious!


So you see I owed my American friends an apology for being such a stolid Brit :( 
and now that's over -- a nice cup of tea I think :)