"When Marcel Proust dipped his petites madeleines into his tea, the taste and aroma set off a flood of memories and emotions from which modern literature has still not recovered." -Twyla Tharp
A rather magical fall weekend full of time in the city shopping for art supplies, dinner with new friends (including a fantastic lobster with paella), lunches of noodle soup at a local cafe, long meandering walks in the woods (exploring new paths), time spent in front of the fire drinking wine, reading and watching movies.
All of these things are greatly needed as the plumbing problems in the house have reached a fevered pitch. I will spare you the nasty details, but suffice to say we are almost without water, again. So today I have decided to ask the universe for help with the matter, relinquish control of the situation (not an easy task from one who likes to push, shape, fix, anything and everything herself. read: control). I am also once again in a place where I must ask for help from friends and neighbors, (something this fiercely independent girl does not like to do). And so it is that we are always presented with the lessons that we most need to learn. What is not learned will be repeated.
Sometimes in life I have the awareness that I am being given a little gift. I had one such moment at dinner the other night. Our hosts had a family member visiting from Manilla, and after dinner she made the most wonderful ginger tea I have EVER had. As with all of the best things it was made of the most basic of ingredients. Surprisingly simple. I recalled attempting to make my own ginger tea once before, by boiling the ginger, the result was always much to strong and in fact not soothing at all.
In this version the ginger is first pounded and then steeped (not boiled). I will have to experiement with quantities to get the right mixture. (My husband the tea expert and connoisseur, adamantly points out that this is not actually tea (which comes from a specific plant), but instead a herbal infusion.) Whatever it is, it is wonderfully soothing and addictive.
further reading on ginger
another version of ginger lemon tea
in other tea news...visit Infuze Tea House! I've been waiting for a good tea house in Canada for a long time (one that deals with all forms of tea), this looks like the perfect place. And they have online ordering. (Link via Lori Joy Smith)
Posted by kerismith at October 04, 2004 09:45 AMI love ginger! My acupuncturist prescribed it for my chemo stomach. She said start with three 1/4" slices (I had to cut down the amount--it threw me into hot flashes!)and be sure to steep it covered for at least 12 minutes. The longer steep time makes it work on the downward movement of the chi.
Posted by: frog on October 7, 2004 01:42 PMI believe this goes without saying but, I did not mean to imply that "asking the universe for help with the matter" meant that one does not call a plumber. When one's basement is covered in sewage the FIRST person you want to see is someone, anyone who can fix a pipe, preferably an expert. Which is who I called immediately. Ten of them in fact, put out the call to whoever would show up first.
But a little extra call put out to the universe cannot hurt either.
it goes in the form of this:
Dear Universe,
I am having some major plumbing problems (amidst other house issues which have all happened at the same time), this is putting quite a strain on my finances of late, (read: I'm feeling kind of overwhelmed.) I would like to ask for your help in dealing with this in whatever form you can provide, (preferably financial). A few extra jobs perhaps. Maybe I will meet a plumber who will exchange services for artwork. Or maybe I will recieve a free massage as a gift, thusly relieving the tension in my lower back. Who knows? I leave it up to you. thank you,
sincerely,
keri smith
Maybe you should put down your tea, get off your butt and call a plumber. The "universe" (last time I checked) doesn't "do" plumbing. Reality check, folks.
Posted by: JMS on October 6, 2004 01:37 PMIt must be the mood I'm in, but the words "release it" on your teabag jumped out at me -- followed by the words "so simple." I'm glad I popped by for some inspiration to go!
Have a great day, Keri!
Posted by: Ann on October 5, 2004 03:33 PMMmmmmmm, i could really go for a hot cup of tea in a cozy cafe on this cold 4 degree morning (i wore my winter coat...yikes!)
Posted by: amanda on October 5, 2004 10:22 AMhi keri -
have been visiting your site for a while. your drawings and stories are really inspiring. i decided to leave a comment this time, because i'm from manila and i realized i know the ginger tea you're talking about :o) we call it "salabat", and we usually drink it when we have sore throat. legend has it that it even beautifies a person's voice. glad to hear that you're enjoying the drink immensely! your vocal chords are going to have a ball! :o)
Yummm, I can not wait to try this recipe!
Posted by: theoulofhope on October 4, 2004 09:26 PMYes indeed ginger tea is mighty fine I recently rediscovered it made just the way you have tried it minus the lemon. I just bought a new jar of wonderful honey from my bee keeper friend Bay. I think honey goes with ginger like well like Frank Sinatra says "like love and marriage". Sorry to hear of your plumbing woes.
Posted by: kim on October 4, 2004 07:35 PMReading this entry made my mouth clamp shut and my taste buds to cringe. I am able to eat all foods except for scallops (allergy), and ginger due to the ewww! factor. I am very adventurous with food, however, for some reason I have never been able to stomach eating ginger. Asian food with a very background flavour of ginger is ok, but anything stronger makes me feel very ill. Alas, I must venture forth to find myself another herbal infusion tea to enjoy.
On another note ... How does it feel to say, "My husband, ..."?
Your journal and drawings are, as usual, absolutely inspiring and beautiful. When i get to be an editor (i'm studying for it) be sure i'll ask you to let me print your books or even your journal here in spain. Don't sell them to anyone before! ;)
Posted by: nadine on October 4, 2004 03:53 PMI love ginger tea. I just grate it and steep it in boiling water. Add lemon juice and sugar/honey to taste. I brew it up when I've got a cold.
Posted by: mary on October 4, 2004 01:30 PMkeri, where i come from (malaysia) - we also have ginger tea in satchets. i bought back a few boxes here (uk) when i went back a few weeks ago for curious friends to try. i have a box extra - its all yours if you want to try it.
Posted by: azuradec on October 4, 2004 10:38 AM