Tea Time Trickery

I went to the mall last night with a friend. (with that sentence, you may stop reading)  The plan was to go rollerblading (and another blog-killing sentence), but we didn't. She needed hairspray and I needed to get out of the house...enter the mall. Within two minutes, I got drawn in by a very purposefully-non-chic chic specialty tea shop. Shiny Buddah figurines, vintage-looking tea sets from a non-descript faraway land, and free samples of "special blends" of tea drew me in like a moth to a flame. I WOULD find serenity here!

I should add that I just ended an 8-month relationship (that's as long-term as it gets for me), freshly back from an overdue visit with family on the East Coast and generally frustrated with everything...so pretty vulnerable. I spent an hour and a $150 dollars. Don't judge me. The salesgirl was just the right age, personality and mixed-ethic beauty to convince me that the only thing missing in my life was a reconnection with tea time. A whole wall contained giant metal tins with exoticially colored and named teas that made me feel like a very sophisticated grown up. I know a bit about tea; I worked with a tea master and even visited a tea plantation in China, but I still drink the cheap stuff more often than not (because it's cheap). This visit made me feel like a tea virgin. It felt illicit and exciting.  A giant tin is pulled from the shelf, an introduction given and the the giant tin's lid is fanned over the beautiful tea as you deeply inhale the complex and inviting aromas. I made exclamations of wonder and proclamations of its goodness and pronouncements of its virtue. I was completely content to let my credit card fill in the void between that tea and me. 

After 24 hours with my new tea, I don't feel a greater sense of purpose, zen or satisfaction. I don't find the day's worries slipping away as in sip a warm cup of Kona Pinneapple Pop. I don't know if the Shape Up Blend will really melt away my break-up-is-a-reasonable-excuse-to-eat-anything weight. I don't know if the PerfectTea Maker really IS a better way to brew tea. I don't know if I care. At this point, a little bit of tea time seems like a really good idea.