If At First you Don't Succeed, Chai and Chai Again

I started drinking hot cups of black tea when I was still a child. Hence, began a lifelong love affair with tea. And hence began the cycle of me being rather particular about tea. And now that I have learned to accept Earl Grey, it was time to move on to other undesirable tea options. 

Here is an early photo of me. I promise the tea was black and caffeinated.

Now, I do drink peppermint tea when I get a tummy ache, and I partake of Throat Coat when I have a sore throat, but aside from that, I never drink herbal tea. Most importantly, what's the point of drinking tea without caffeine?!? But secondly, who likes to drink a warm meadow?!? I suppose I like Rooibus ok, but as for any other variety of herbal teas, I say a big No Thank You.

I have a small stash of herbal tea at home.... all of it given to me as a gifts.... that I keep around for the times that we have Old People or various other No Caffeine At Night tea drinkers visiting us. I discovered a never used tin of chamomile tea, and decided to brew up a pot for my husband and I the other night. And when I loaded up the teapot with those tiny flowers and little leaves I had a major DUH moment! I hadn't thought of the connection before, but obviously, my aversion to herbal tea is just an offshoot of another of my Food Issues that I need to tackle during this project: I don't like any food or drink that tastes flowery! 

Hubby and I enjoy another wild night on the Sunset Strip!

I suppose I've drank worse things lately than the cup of chamomile tea.... Ginger beer immediately comes to mind! But it wasn't so bad that I required any sympathy with my tea. So, if some well-meaning old lady ever gives me a cup of chamomile tea, I will be able to drink it without making a face, and I will just wish inside that I were drinking black tea instead!

And speaking of black tea, I also investigated another way in which black tea has been ruined. In my kitchen cabinet search for herbal tea, I came across one lonely bag of Chai tea. I've had Chai once or twice, and I was not a fan. For one thing, milk or cream simply do not belong in tea! And in the case of Chai, sure I like all of the spices that go into it (cloves, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, peppercorns, etc.)...... it's just that none of them belong in tea! My husband pointed out that a billion people in India disagree with me!

I have to say, the Chai was actually ok.... once I was able to trick myself into thinking, "You are not drinking tea sullied with soymilk and wrong spices.... You are drinking Something Else...." When I stopped thinking of Chai as ruined tea, but as a whole different thing, I managed to even like it a little bit!

How do I get through the day? Oh, you know, tai chi, chai tea.

 I already found a real recipe for Chai so I can make some from scratch next time, instead of just using a tragic old tea bag. And we'll see how that treats me! And I will try other kinds of herbal tea from my Old People Tea stash, until I can finally shake the feeling of drinking a flower garden. And I will work on my flower aversion in other ways too, just you wait and see!