Tea Time
It is very strange, this domination of our intellect by our digestive organs. We cannot work, we cannot think, unless our stomach wills so. It dictates to us our emotions, our passions. After eggs and bacon it says, "Work!" After beefsteak and porter, it says, "Sleep!" After a cup of tea (two spoonfuls for each cup, and don't let it stand for more than three minutes), it says to the brain, "Now rise, and show your strength. Be eloquent, and deep, and tender; see, with a clear eye, into Nature, and into life: spread your white wings of quivering thought, and soar, a god-like spirit, over the whirling world beneath you, up through long lanes of flaming stars to the gates of eternity!"
~Jerome K. Jerome, Three Men in a Boat
What used to mean a social gathering of civil fun punctuated with fresh brewed tea and finger sandwiches or mad confusion attended by a hatter, a hare, and a little girl is losing that association. Times they are a changing...
Tea these days doesn't seem to inspire such poetic insights, instead it produces a bitter after thought thanks to the incessant anti-progressive fringe gatherings of the self-named Tea Party. Filtered through free-- and mostly non-newsworthy-- media coverage, this minority invoked, then hijacked a nationally defining, albeit illegal, moment in our country's collective memory into a tunnel-visioned, headphones-on movement with substantively contradicting beliefs about our current economic, social, and political state. Wailing about community cutbacks and low federal funding, yet trying to squeeze dry the federal wallet; ranting about their religious self-righteousness while simultaneously railing against a brother's keeper ideal and a leadership which upholds that belief; shooting down Separation of Church and State but fighting teeth and nails for the 2nd Amendment.
Even if I don't agree with the group's politics, I would've respected it if it had been a civil, respectful community. Instead, the majority of the tea party participants readily spout racial slurs, spitballs, and other cheap hurtful taunts during their parties...then denies them all. The only bright note to this toxic brew is-- if the company remains the same and the tactics remain unchanged, it will just remain an embarrassing fringe of our national profile as opposed to a representative grassroot uprising of the People, which is what it's marketing.
Many things will build up my bile, and bigotry is one of those potent catalysts that causes an overflow. I need to calm down and perhaps calm you down too from this subject. The best remedy is inanely obvious- tea time.
Tea's popularity as a beverage in America has ebbed and flowed as witnessed from the number of standing tea shops and menu space alloted it. The import of Taiwanese bubble tea about a decade ago certainly boosted its sales and profile. Additionally, hundreds, if not thousands of studies and papers promoting tea's antioxidant benefits for deterring cancer and stemming off aging and wrinkles have had almost everyone rushing to imbibe this natural elixir and companies churning out tea creams and pill for profit.
The potential diversity of tea's usage remains to be seen. In the meantime, here're my suggestions in the categories of skincare and food.
Anti-Oxidant Mask
2. Mix the ingredients together. Recline to a comfortable position. Slather and massage onto face and neck. Close your eyes and carefully apply on eyelids also. Relax as mask does its work for the next 15-20 minutes. Using a face cloth and warm water, gently exfoliate away mask.
Serves 4
2. Heat a saute pan with a tablespoon of olive oil over very low heat. Add the garlic slices to brown.
3. When the garlic slices are a golden color and crispy, remove them with a slotted spoon or scoop with a fork. Basically remove the garlic and keep the oil.
4. Turn the heat up to a high flame.
5. Strain and add the shrimps to the pan. Saute evenly til they're light pink.
6. Add the tea leaves into pan. Saute the mixture quickly.
7. Turn the flame down to a medium and season to taste with salt.
8. Dish to serve and garnish with the browned garlic slices.
Serve 4
2. In a rice cooker, cook the rice with the brewed tea.
3. When the rice cooker clicks over to the "warm" status, open the lid to gently fluff the rice. Then layer the tilapia fillets over the surface of the rice. Spoon a little of the brewed tea evenly over the fish.
4. Click to cook again.
5. When the rice cooker clicks over to "warm" to indicate doneness, check to make sure the fish is done. If not, cook again. If yes, carefully scoop both rice and fish together to a bowl.
6. Grate some fresh wasabi over the fish and rice.
~Jerome K. Jerome, Three Men in a Boat
What used to mean a social gathering of civil fun punctuated with fresh brewed tea and finger sandwiches or mad confusion attended by a hatter, a hare, and a little girl is losing that association. Times they are a changing...
Tea these days doesn't seem to inspire such poetic insights, instead it produces a bitter after thought thanks to the incessant anti-progressive fringe gatherings of the self-named Tea Party. Filtered through free-- and mostly non-newsworthy-- media coverage, this minority invoked, then hijacked a nationally defining, albeit illegal, moment in our country's collective memory into a tunnel-visioned, headphones-on movement with substantively contradicting beliefs about our current economic, social, and political state. Wailing about community cutbacks and low federal funding, yet trying to squeeze dry the federal wallet; ranting about their religious self-righteousness while simultaneously railing against a brother's keeper ideal and a leadership which upholds that belief; shooting down Separation of Church and State but fighting teeth and nails for the 2nd Amendment.
Even if I don't agree with the group's politics, I would've respected it if it had been a civil, respectful community. Instead, the majority of the tea party participants readily spout racial slurs, spitballs, and other cheap hurtful taunts during their parties...then denies them all. The only bright note to this toxic brew is-- if the company remains the same and the tactics remain unchanged, it will just remain an embarrassing fringe of our national profile as opposed to a representative grassroot uprising of the People, which is what it's marketing.
Many things will build up my bile, and bigotry is one of those potent catalysts that causes an overflow. I need to calm down and perhaps calm you down too from this subject. The best remedy is inanely obvious- tea time.
Tea's popularity as a beverage in America has ebbed and flowed as witnessed from the number of standing tea shops and menu space alloted it. The import of Taiwanese bubble tea about a decade ago certainly boosted its sales and profile. Additionally, hundreds, if not thousands of studies and papers promoting tea's antioxidant benefits for deterring cancer and stemming off aging and wrinkles have had almost everyone rushing to imbibe this natural elixir and companies churning out tea creams and pill for profit.
The potential diversity of tea's usage remains to be seen. In the meantime, here're my suggestions in the categories of skincare and food.
Skincare:
Anti-Oxidant Mask
- 1 tbsp brewed green or black tea- 1 tbs tea:1/2 c water ratio; liquid and tea leaves pureed
- 1 tbsp zest of orange or grapefruit
- egg white
2. Mix the ingredients together. Recline to a comfortable position. Slather and massage onto face and neck. Close your eyes and carefully apply on eyelids also. Relax as mask does its work for the next 15-20 minutes. Using a face cloth and warm water, gently exfoliate away mask.
Food:
Green Tea and Shrimp Saute
Serves 4
- 3 tbsp sencha green tea leaves- 1 tbsp tea:1 c water ratio; brewed then strained. Let tea liquid cool and set aside unfurled tea leaves *Sencha tea are Japanese tea. It is the most commonly drank tea, full of fragrant clean notes compared to its Chinese counterpart which imparts a nuttier earthier taste profile.
- 8 prawns- peeled, sliced in half, cleaned; save the shells for stock for another recipe
- 1 tbsp sake or rice wine
- 2 cloves garlic- sliced thinly
- olive oil
- 3/4 tbsp soy sauce or 1/2 tbsp sea salt
2. Heat a saute pan with a tablespoon of olive oil over very low heat. Add the garlic slices to brown.
3. When the garlic slices are a golden color and crispy, remove them with a slotted spoon or scoop with a fork. Basically remove the garlic and keep the oil.
4. Turn the heat up to a high flame.
5. Strain and add the shrimps to the pan. Saute evenly til they're light pink.
6. Add the tea leaves into pan. Saute the mixture quickly.
7. Turn the flame down to a medium and season to taste with salt.
8. Dish to serve and garnish with the browned garlic slices.
One Pot Steamed Tea Rice with Tilapia Fillet
Serve 4
- 2 cups short grain rice- washed and rinsed 4 times
- 10-12 oz tilapia fillets- washed and cut into 3 inch chunks
- brewed genmaicha (roasted rice and green tea)-enough to at least immerse rice with a half inch coverage *Can substitute with another earthy cleansing tea such as houjicha.
- 1/2 cup white sesame seed- toasted and ground to a paste
- 1 tbsp soy sauce- use a Japanese brew
- fresh wasabi (if available) or prepared wasabi
2. In a rice cooker, cook the rice with the brewed tea.
3. When the rice cooker clicks over to the "warm" status, open the lid to gently fluff the rice. Then layer the tilapia fillets over the surface of the rice. Spoon a little of the brewed tea evenly over the fish.
4. Click to cook again.
5. When the rice cooker clicks over to "warm" to indicate doneness, check to make sure the fish is done. If not, cook again. If yes, carefully scoop both rice and fish together to a bowl.
6. Grate some fresh wasabi over the fish and rice.
“If thou are cold, tea will warm thee,
If thou art hot, tea will cool thee,
If thou art sad, tea will cheer thee,
If thou art cross, tea will calm thee.”
~William Ewart Gladstone, British Prime Minister
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