Western Walkabout: Tea With Attitude
A heavy cold? Or maybe ‘flu? Richard Harris suggests that drinking Indonesian tea may set you to rights.
For more of Richard’s tasty words please click on
http://www.openwriting.com/archives/western_walkabout/
In a tiny shop, out of the way in the Riverton Forum shopping centre, I found an exquisite tea, imported from Indonesia. I had a heavy cold at the time – it might have been a ‘flu but not swine ‘flu – and was looking for a cayenne tea.
I asked an assistant if they had any and the elderly Chinese woman behind the counter said something to a schoolgirl alongside her, a child aged about ten.
“Granny says that is better.” She pointed to a box with an intricate gold pattern, labeled ‘ginger tea.’
“It’s from Indonesia,” I said.
Granny beamed, said something to the child, who nodded to me. “The best,” she said.
I scrutinized the ingredients. “Cane sugar – it’s full of cane sugar.”
Granny beamed again, said something to the child, who interpreted “Energy. Plenty of fluids. Chicken soup is good, too.”
I bought the tea. Granny was right, it was excellent. My own Granny, from Tyneside, and now long gone, would have given me whisky with hot water, sugar and lemon juice.
The Indonesian tea was far cheaper and I suspect more effective. The cold, ‘flu or whatever it was, soon cleared up. Next time I’ve a cold, I might try it with a teaspoon of whisky. You can take the lad out of the North Country but you can’t take the North Country out of the lad.
