Tag Archives: WEB101

Me and Tea.

I must confess, I am something of a nanna.

I drink coffee in the morning. In fact, if I don’t drink coffee in the morning there are two chances of anything getting done – buckley’s and none*. I like my coffee strong, well-made and preferably made by my darling, though this isn’t always a possibility.

After lunch, I like to have myself a short (or not-so-short, depending on the particular circumstances) nap to recharge the batteries. I find I can carry on without the nap, but my productivity in the afternoon is much better for it.

I knit. I do cross-stitch. I moan about the terrible music young-en’s play these days (unless it’s my own). I sew. I grow herbs and tend them lovingly like a retiree would their magnolias. I bake.

After my afternoon nap however, I like to partake of that sterling past-time: afternoon tea.

I am fussy when it comes to my tea. I will drink any kind o tea at least once, preferably three times across various moods and scenarios just to see if I do or do not like it, BUT (and it is such a big but that bold AND underline are most definitely necessary) there are certain protocols that simply MUST be adhered to.

First and foremost, please for the love of all that is sacred do not use anything but a teapot! When I say teapot, I mean any kind of receptacle actually manufactured for the sole purpose of holding and pouring tea into a drinking receptacle. Not an urn. I don’t care what they had to do in war times in England, it’s just not cricket. Not a tea bag, unless that is all you have available (yes, those reader’s who know me personally will know I do from time to time use teabags, however I disdain the practice and find it rather boorish). DO warm the pot and cups with hot water first. DO allow the tea to brew for the required time, not less and certainly not more. Do use a strainer when pouring English-style tea that has been made with loose tea leaves. DO add the milk to the cup first.

DO NOT clank your teaspoon around your cup as though it were a musical instrument. DO NOT double boil your water. DO NOT make your tea so sugary that you cannot possibly taste the tea. DO NOT add milk to Lady Grey (the Critic’s current, and somewhat perennial, favourite tea), it is just plain wrong.

Why?! I hear you ask in tomes most plaintive. BECAUSE I SAID SO! You wouldn’t stick your Beluga caviar on a Vegemite sandwich. You wouldn’t dream of having and ice cream and tomato ketchup soup. Don’t spoil my tea.

Tea time is a chance to sit, relax, recharge the batteries, console yourself that the world may be going to hell in a hand basket, but just for that very moment as you sip at the warm, fragrant drink in your cup, all is right and well.

Too often I see people at cafe’s asking for tea. Apart from the fact that the best temperature for brewing black tea (the “average” tea everyone in the western world seems most familiar with) is 100 degrees Celsius and the best temperature for pulling a coffee shot out of a machine is 92-96 degrees Celsius (as most cafe’s use the hot water dispenser on their coffee machine to set up the tea for brewing) it seems highly unlikely that you’ll be getting the most out of your tea from a cafe that is not a specialist in the art of brewing tea. Also, most people either under-brew (resulting in a weak, rather forgetful cup) or over-brew (resulting in a cold, bitter cup). It’s a travesty that such people should be allowed to handle such a precious commodity!

Okay. Okay… Maybe you’re all right. Maybe I take this too seriously. But think of it this way. If it weren’t for people like myself, we wouldn’t have Michelin Star restaurants, as we’d all be happy eating whatever slop arrived at the table. Yes. I rather like that analogy.

So this has been something of a deviation from my recent format in that it is not a direct critique, but more of a lesson. My apologies. I shall have another review for you rather shortly. Until then, bon appetit. Also, if you have any suggestions for where you would like me to try the food, please comment and let me know!

* A reference to “buckley’s” for non-Aussie reader’s:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckley%27s_chance

Shanghai Food Court.

This is not going to be enlightening to most of my readers, but I am not a fan of food courts in general. I find the quality of food to be sub-par, the service is normally lacking (if there at all), and you’re almost always left with the feeling you should have looked harder for somewhere to eat.

However, they do serve a purpose. When it’s late at night, or you’re just in a bit of a rush and not being terribly picky about what you eat (I know. I know. It happens to the best of us at times), the humble food court is there with it’s neon signage and glazed over food staring at us.

So, today was one of those days where I knew I needed to eat, but was not so inclined to cook. See, it does hit the best of us. At it happened, a friend obsessed with wanton noodle soup dropped past and suggested lunch. Who was I to say no?

Now, I have tried to educate this friend on her wayward trend towards the food equivalent of a “dive bar”, but she insists on having her soup from the Shanghai food court. *sigh* You can lead a horse to water… It’s okay. She knows I love her.

So she picked the place and we had battle of the Wanton & Noodles. Hers was in soup form. Mine was dry.

Shanghai Food Court - Taste of Asia - Wanton Noodle Soup.

Shanghai Food Court - Taste of Asia - Wanton Noodle Soup.

It’s not awesome. The wantons are mushy and flavourless. The soup isn’t seasoned and has a bit of oil floating on the top of it and the spring onions are the only relief to the “meh” of it all. The noodles are overcooked AND undercooked and the BBQ pork is too sweet. The veg is just how I like it, undercooked and just heated through, but most people would dislike it immensely. The hoisin sauce is a little watered down and there is too much of it.

You get more of the soup poured over when you have it as a soup, which is fine if you like the soup. It tends to pick up some more flavour when it’s poured over the noodles and veg.

Despite of all of that, it’s a passable meal. If you’re not au fait with authentic cuisine from Asian countries, you’ll like it for what it is. It’s a warm meal that fills you up and is relatively healthy. It’s better for you than a kebab from down the road, or soggy chips.