Cupboard Adventures

I diverge from foreign countries and cultures to explore locally. Very locally. I take you to the adventures of house-sitting for a friend. This friend I know well. This house I know well. Yet, somehow, when you are staying in a friend's house, everything changes. I realized that although I am fimiliar with the surroundings, I am not intimate with them. And house-sitting suddenly put me in an intimate relationship with cupboards, the freezer, how the shower works, where the laundry detergent is, ...

One of my personal favorite areas to explore is the tea cupboard. For the whole experience. For the flavors, the smells, the design of the box, the choices of mugs, the choices of sweetener and tea pots and milk or soy or cream...oh my! The array of nuaces in a single tea cupboard is endless!

To start, the choices are all new. Although I have had camomile tea, and even have some in my tea cupboard, I have not had this certain brand of "natuarlly infused camomile." Whatever that means! Pumpkin Spice hides at the back, Decaf Vanilla Chai stands proud, ready to be grabbed at the front. Upon nudging the two front boxes to the left (or better yet having them fall out of the cupboard), Blueberry Green Tea, Rooibus, Candycane White Tea, Lady Earl Gray, Celestial Seasonings Fruit Assortment all show their pretty little faces.

Adventures in Tea Cupboard Hunting!

I could dangerously lock myself in a house and drink cups of teas all day long. With each tea bag comes the choice of mugs. Pretty little rabbit mugs, handmade belly mugs, mugs with their own little top to keep them hot and for the brewing process to turn out just right. To my delight, no standard, boring mugs (the ones that every company gets to put their name or some other gimicky logo on) show their face.

My personal favorite tea became Chinese Jasmine Green Tea brought back by my friend's uncle from China. Truly authentic. Even in a little gold tin with red and black designs.

Balls of Chinese Jasmin Green Tea became the tea cupboard winner.

Only a few balls thrown into a mug of hot water transformed into full leaves of deliciousness. Once the leaves opened, they slowly made their way down to the bottom of the mug...no teaball necessary, and instead hours of enjoyment pretending to read tea leaves or find cute animals or inappropriate shapes floating in my cup.

Reading tea leaves for the third day in a row.

You mightbe reading this and thinking that I have nothing better to do with my life. Don't worry, although this seems like an obsession, it is just a way for me to take pleasure in the small things in life. You never know wher e you might be able to find a new adventure!