What wet weather we've been having! Every few days or so, it rains. Could it be that California is experiencing a real autumn? Preposterous! - or so you might think. I, for one, am glad to have some real weather.
Sunday's rainstorm reminded me of an old engraving in a children's book of fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen, the famed Dutch storyteller. The illustration comes from a story titled "The Traveling Companion", and chronicles the adventures of a young man named John who sets out to explore the world after the death of his father. The tale is not well known, but it is one of my favorites. After all, John meets a mysterious stranger who takes him on a journey full of enchantment, oddities and true love, and then vanishes, having repaid his debt. The particular image I am thinking of shows the princess in an ermine-edged cloak, flying through the dark stormy sky with a pair of black dragon-like wings and saying to herself, "How it hails, to be sure!" with the stranger behind her holding a fern rod. I bet that image has piqued your curiosity. Oh, and there's also a grotesque ball at which snakes, rats, owls and cabbage-headed ministers dance about in the mountain... just in case you were wondering.
Rainy days make for plenty of reading, but they also provide a great opportunity to sit back with a warm cup of tea. Not being a coffee-drinker, of course, I enjoy sipping a hot cup of green tea or another herbal tea, minus the caffeine. I am by no means a connoisseur, but I would love to learn more about the thousands of varieties, particularly loose-leaf tea and blooming tea. To this end, I took a little trip to Teavana and looked around. So many combinations of delicious ingredients are infused in their tea blends! One that caught my eye was the Chai-Chai blend. When trying my first cup of Chai tea, I was intrigued by the spice combination and warm aroma. Since then, I've tried a Vanilla Chai, green tea Chai, Chai with rooibos and White Chai. However, I've never tried two different kinds of Chai blended together, as this tea is a combo of White Ayurvedic Chai and Teavana's Samurai Chai Mate. The reviews all look good, and the only con appears to be the price tag.
An acquaintance just invited me out for a "tea excursion" - maybe I'll suggest we experience Teavana...
After all, life is too short to die.
Now, back to Thanksgiving preparations and the test kitchen...
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