Tea in the City

So... I waited in line from 8:30AM to 1:30PM to get a new iPhone today, having had my older model stolen on Monday. I'm writing this as it syncs, so I'm a little distracted.

However, I wanted to note that I've been seeing mentions of tea everywhere these days, and I don't think it's just because I'm obsessed with it. :) In line, a number of people were sipping RTDs (mostly Snapple, but still...) and I read a New York Times Article about female artists in China that mentioned an artist who wrapped household objects, including (you guessed it) teapots, with yarn. (Being both a female tea-lover and a former textiles artist, I loved that!)

Afterward, I walked one block up from the 14th St Apple Store to Chelsea Markets for tea and a fantastic veggie lunch at T Salon. I have to say that it was one of the best lunches I've had in Manhattan for under $10 in ages. The veggie pate was soooo tasty and I even liked the vegan cheese (it's not usually my thing). It was a pleasant perk after the long wait, especially because it had somehow slipped my mind that the Apple Store was so very close to T Salon, and because I had the chance to chat with T Salon's fabulous Miriam Novalle.


How do you stumble across tea in your daily life? Do you feel that it's showing up more and more places these days?

Campaign for Little Britain

A recent trip to Tea & Sympathy tearoom in the West Village in NYC reminded me of the Campaign for Little Britain. Shops and residents in the West Village are trying to get official designation as NYC's "Little Britain" to support small businesses, recognize the area's traditions and identity, honor Tea & Sympathy (which has been there for almost 18 years), increase tourism, and more. <--pdf file, FYI.

A quote from the Campaign for Little Britain site:

"Tea & Sympathy, located on Greenwich Avenue between 12th and 13th Streets, is located at the heart of Little Britain. The owners, Nicky Perry and Sean Kavanagh-Dowsett, have dedicated the past fifteen years to creating a British community on Greenwich Avenue. Thirty million cups of tea, several thousand tons of chips served at A Salt & Battery next door, and seventeen Tea & Sympathy staff marriages later, we think it’s time to put Little Britain on the map of New York.

The couple is joined by Virgin Atlantic Airways, which flies over half a million people between New York City and the UK each year. New York is important to the history of the airline, which launched its inaugural flight in 1984 from London to New York, and has carried over 13 million travelers between the two cities since."

With deliciousness like this (and a surprizing number of vegan and veggie options for British food), how can you not support them?

Sign by May 2 to get your voice heard!

More SXSW

So, I am finally ready to post more on SXSW. Unfortunately, Blogger is being weird and not letting me post all my photos. Once I'm on my own computer again, I'll try to remedy that.

I've been having way too much fun here! Between the great shows, fantastic (and, for a New Yorker, cheap!) food, and the gorgeous scenery, I've been having a blast.

Great Music

Slim Cessnic's Auto Club--The name sounds silly, but the band put on one of the best shows I've seen here! They played off of the Southern revival tradition and said things like, "This song is for good country folk like you and me" before launching into songs that can only be described as pure rockabilly fun.

Akron/Family--I saw a full set of theirs with some friends who missed them before. It was fantastic. They wore headdresses, got the crowd going, jumped into the audience, lead everyone on a march outside at the end of the show... Looking forward to seeing them in NYC (they're from Brooklyn) soon.

The 8-Bit Peoples Show--Gameboys and Segas and printers as instruments. Totally danceable. There were some sound difficulties with Anamanagichi (whose album I recently bought and love), but some of the earlier bands made it all worth it. Very cool.













Fantastic Food (and Tea!)



Vegan macrobiotic goodness at Casa de Luse (yoga center, spa, restaurant, etc.)



Genmaicha and an iced tisane blend at Casa de Luse






Foods from the local co-op (Wheatville):
Vegetarian Frito Chili Pie (a veg version of a Southern favorite that I have yet to see grace any NYC menu)
Sauteed greens (also Southern and delicious)
Tempeh taco (with all the local fixin's!)
Cashew-butter cookie





The local hangover cure











The original Whole Foods


One of the two local beers. The other one is Lone Star. Despite Lone Star's extremely cheap pricing and instant hipster points, I prefer Shiner. (Side note: Craft breweries are popping up all over the US. When I travel, I find that drinking local can be a fun way to try new things and stay more sustainable.)

I wish the other photos would load, but here's a taste:
More tea!
My friend Lauren's famous "Egg Goo" (the perfect post-bar snack)

Gorgeous Scenery


Barton Springs--This is an all-natural limestone spring the size of a football field. I went swimming when it was 91 deg F outside. The water is 68 deg F year-round. I can see why the locals love it so much!



Zilker Botanical Gardens bridge


Unlike NYC, Austin has way more birds than just pigeons. Here are some black ducks and grackles (mean but beautiful black and indigo birds)... and some pigeons.



Small skyline, but what a view of it!





Soon, you'll also see:
Tanaguchi (Japanese Tea) Garden
View from The Pedestrian Bridge
Flowering plants (NYC is still mostly barren)
Austin's rad landscaping

PS--Thanks to Steph for all the well-wishing!

More on Cooking with Tea

The Arizona Republic recently published an article on cooking trends with tea. Here's an excerpt:

Tea flavors range through floral, earthy, grassy, astringent, clean and brisk, and deep and hearty.

Modern-day applications for cooking with tea are surprisingly similar to those of the ancient Chinese, who stuffed fish with dried, pungent oolong leaves before steaming, and infused boiling water while boiling eggs.

Both tea leaves and brewed tea can be used in cooking. Dried leaves work best as a flavorful rub for fish, poultry, pork and beef. Use only loose tea leaves, not the finely crushed (and less flavorful) contents of brewing bags.


Agreed. However, I had to disagree with the next statement:

"Treat tea like you would any other ingredient. Go for quality, the best you can afford, because quality matters," (Charlie) Romano (vegan-organic chef at the Mandala Tea Room in Scottsdale) said.


To a point, this statement is true. However, beyond that point it absolutely does not apply. One should NEVER waste a delicate white tea or a decadently complex aged pu-erh (some of the most expensive teas you can buy) by adulterating it with any other ingredients (or treating it as an ingredient alongside anything but pure water). It would be absurd. Some of the best teas are meant for tea and tea alone (unless of course you want to infuse the tea multiple times and then make it into chagra for other uses).

I digress. Tea has an enormous potential as a culinary ingredient. I've previously written about making vegan green tea ice cream and posted a listing of tea recipes. In addition to health benefits and a fantastic range of flavors, tea may provide another perk: it may act as a natural preservative. This article pertains to meat preservation in particular, but I have heard from many sources (including the owner of NYC's own Amai Tea & Bake House) that tea acts as a preservative in baked goods as well. This is great news for those seeking natural (and even organic) alternatives to conventional preservatives. As a young city-dweller who loves baking, I find this to be particularly useful, as I no longer have to pick between letting baked goods go bad, force-feeding them to my roommate, and spending days at a time at the gym. :)

Vegan Matcha Ice Cream

Last night, something very special happened. My roommate made vegan vanilla-matcha ice cream with a recipe from the much-praised vegan tome Veganomicon. If you're questioning the sanity behind vegan ice cream, don't. The vanilla and the coconut milk cream gave it a rich sweetness that set off the matcha's astringency perfectly. Delicious! Next time, my roommate will teach me how to make it. Yum!