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2010Tea Party (No Really), Dessert, and D&D
This is the last entry I have of the house visit and it’s mostly food and tea, but who minds photos of food? I sure don’t! Will brought with him some tea from his stays in China for us to taste and enjoy and then to add to our ever expanding tea cupboard. (And I used to not like tea, but more on that later.) Those of you interested in photography/photos of every day life, China, and backpacking hiking through exotic places, Will will (haha) be blogging about his trip back this summer, so keep an eye out! And now back to tea.
I used to hate tea. But really. I would try to drink various kinds due to the amazing health benefits or for herbal naturalist remedies like Chamomile when I couldn’t sleep (Witch doctor wannabe, remember?) but I’d have to wait until it was practically stone cold and plug my nose while I drank it. I just don’t enjoy hot beverages of any kind, really! But the man of my dreams happens to be an avid tea drinker, and the entire nine years we’ve known each other he’s sworn to convert me.
I woke up this morning with tea on the brain. I still wait until it’s lukewarm, but I like it. What I’ve learned about my tea drinking habits is that I don’t like herbal tea. Green tea is great and so is red tea. (OH, oh is it ever.) I haven’t been able to handle black tea yet, though. ANYWAY. Before this blog post becomes entirely about tea, I’ll just say that these were delightful. I was surprised that I liked every single one! Though my favorite was without question, the Pu’er (cooked)! This is probably going to sound really strange, but it tasted like a Japanese tatami mat (畳). Okay, I’ve never actually licked a tatami mat, so I don’t know what those taste like. But the smell of the tea was very earthy and very reedy and really really reminded me of those mats, and I happen to love that smell, so I loved this tea.
If it wasn’t already eleven I’d have a cup. But since it is eleven, I won’t, and I’ll wrap up this crazy tea post by sharing photos of our desserts and our D&D (Dungeons and Dragons) party. It’s not really D&D since we’ve made up our own campaign and world and system (NERDS) but it’s best explained that way. Besides, they play as supernatural detectives in the future. It’s totally not as nerdy as it sounds, I swear. Or is it?
Seven layer carrot cake, WHAT.
My sister’s crazy plate sized crepe with ice cream and fruit.
This is his, "Hmm… I’m suspicious" face. Or maybe it’s his, "I’m eating cake" face. One can never be too sure.
wormvsbird
woaaa thought it was weed
Sara
Haha, Will was joking about how it was going to be fun crossing the border, but they barely even blink twice because they know what it looks like right away. =)
Kim
Black tea is my jam. Straight up. I’m with ya on the herbal blends, though. For the MOST part, I’m not a fan, though I do love tea lattes made with vanilla rooibos more than life itself.
And all that dice got me real nostalgic for D&D! It’s been years since I had folks to play with, unfortunately. I’m curious– what were your character names?!
Oh yeah, and making up your own campaign, etc. is the way to go with D&D! Throw the rulebooks out the window. Really.
Kim
I had to race back here to say that– SPEAKING of home remedies– I always use peppermint tea to calm my stomach when I have belly aches of any kind. Peppermint tea is said to aid in digestion and it’s always had a really calming effect on me if I feel sick.
Sara
Witchdoctors, Kim. We’re witchdoctors. Peppermint is a better option than ginger!! Well, I guess that depends. Sometimes I’ll put ginger in my soup and that calms my tummy too. But you’re spot on with the peppermint.
I was the DM, so I didn’t have a character name, but in our campaign you try not to tell anyone else your real name because, you know, there’s power in a name and all, so everyone goes by code names. “Dominic”, “Vladimir”, “Nines”, “December”, “Jade”, are some of the ones kicking around. =)
Kim
Oh man. Code names for your D&D characters? Fake names for fake names. So awesome!
I’m impressed that you were DM, too! That’s a task I’ve never been able to take on– I have the imagination but not the skills needed to constantly think of stuff on the spot. My best friend was the greatest DM I’ve ever played with, whose own personal motto is that he can make you understand something without knowing anything about it himself. He’s just that good at BSing, hah!
Sara
This is kind of unrelated, but Tom has said to me, and this is no lie – “Did you know pea juice [in a can] is toxic?” and I believed him. I am way too trusting (or, ahem, gullible) for my own good. Today he tells me peach pits are poisonous as he’s biting into one and would you believe I fell for it again? He’s so good at BS it’s unreal. (At least that’s what I tell myself so I’m not too embarrassed by my gullibility.
liz
Wow, that seven layer carrot cake is impressive.
My husband’s D&D group switched to Call of Cthulhu. Too bad none of them are skilled enough to bake anything for when they play.
Sara
I’ll take a look at Call of Cthulhu because it sound amazing. I like D&D but sometimes a variety is nice! How about baking them something next time they play? =D
Cri
taylor cried a little seeing all your glorious dice. he loves to write and make games but alas, he has no cool people to test them on.
your tea looks amazing! i have never had red tea before, what kind do you drink?
Sally
I’m not a fan of herbal teas, either. I’ll take a mint tea every so often, & sometimes I just really crave a nice fruity tea (mmm, blueberry…), but if you offer me tea, my first thought will be green or black. & unlike you (you crazy girl, you), I love my tea hot hot HOT.
I love that you even have a proper little teapot to brew your Chinese/Taiwanese teas in!
Sara
Oh my gosh, Tom loves it hot too, and it’s the same with his coffee! Literally it will just have been poured and he’ll be slurping it up that fast. Incredible.
I love fruity tea too, I just wish that they had fruity green/white/rooibos tea more often! (And now that I think of it, I have green tea with strawberry, green tea with mandarins, white tea with peaches, and plum rooibos. Yeah, I’d say I like fruit. =D
Rhymes with "delicious"
It’s his “I’m eating suspicious cake…suspiciously” face. Obviously.
Sara
Or his “I’m trying to get all the info I can out of the DM face”.
Rhymes with "Orange"
I think that is the more accurate description.