We Drink Tea! (Profanity Warning)

Some boys from the UK made a video response to Chris Parnell and Andy Samburg's 'Lazy Sunday' Saturday Night Live short (AKA 'Narnia Rap'). Though the original made me titter--a rarity for SNL these days--I find the parody a smarter, edgier experience.

Or could it just be the assertiveness with which they extol the virtues of weekend tea?

Look out, Tazo - INTI ZEN Teas

I'm feeling loved with Argentinean tea brand Inti Zen's 8-blend sampler; everything from green tea with chamomile flowers and orange peel to a tropical fruit-filled version of Assam Black to, yes, good ol' chai, all in a cute little black box that fits in my shoulder bag. Each artistically-named tea (come on, you have to love a company that calls English Breakfast Illumine) has a distinctive, delicious aroma you can smell even before you open the bag! My favorite so far is the Tea for Tango, a jasmine-infused yerba mate; one of the simpler blends and very refreshing. This is the brand for people who think tea is bland, bitter, or boring--Tazo, watch your back!

Beyond April Fool's - And You Thought It Was A Real Post

You Are Green Tea Pocky

Your attitude: natural and zen Peaceful yet full of life. Deep and thoughtful. You're halfway to tantric bliss!

What Flavor Pocky Are You?

Let's just have this be my overdue April Fool's entry...though I didn't rig it in any way! I promise it's the last quiz result that's gonna be on here.

Tea for Breakfast - Optimum Rebound Cereal

Forget Froot Loops! Banana chips, almonds, and Matcha green tea--all USDA Organic, I might add--make Optimum Rebound by Nature's Path anything but run-of-the-mill granola. (Sorry about that!) Puns aside, the banana makes for a quaint sweetness, not too strong, while crunch and chew is provided by the tried-and-true nuts and raisins. And then there's the puffed Kamut, which apart from having a way awesomer name than every other grain in existence, tastes better than the rest too. Add it all up, and then top it off with organic green tea. Why don't they make more cereals like this?

PS. Best enjoyed with Silk Soymilk, trust me. I would know!

Flowers in the Grass - Ranong Green Teas

Flavored green tea is a boon for those who don't relish its strong toastiness, but still want to get the health benefits of the stuff. Still, I believe green tea is an acquired taste, and shouldn't always be buried under Honey-Lemon, Blueberry, or Ginger. How about just a whiff of Jasmine or Chrysanthemum? Thai brand Ranong Tea has made just that--delicately scented green teas in four flavors, so you'll definitely find a sip to suit you.

ps. Another completely unrelated, but hilarious, Wiki tidbit from my research. While checking out my novel's setting (Osaka, Japan) I came upon the Hanshin Tigers, a very Red Sox-like baseball team (and I root for Boston, so no hate mail!) complete with its own curse, called 'The Curse of the Colonel'. The funny part is, the Colonel it refers to is the KFC dude, no less.

As with many other underachieving baseball teams, a curse is believed to lurk over the Tigers. After their 1985 Japan Series win, fans celebrated by having people who looked like Tigers players jump into the Dotonbori Canal. According to legend, because none of the fans resembled first baseman Randy Bass, fans grabbed a life-sized statue of Kentucky Fried Chicken mascot Colonel Sanders and threw it into the river (like Bass, the Colonel had a beard and was not Japanese). The statue was never recovered. Thus, the Tigers are said to be doomed never to win the season again until the Colonel is rescued from the river.

In 2003, when the Tigers returned to the Japan Series after 18 years with one of the worst records in the Central League, many KFC outlets in Kōbe and Ōsaka moved their Colonel Sanders statues inside until the series was over to protect them from Tigers fans.

You wouldn't think baseball would have such an occult side to it, huh? With due respect to the Tigers, all I can say is there's probably a very unhappy whale somewhere, suffering from indigestion and dreaming of a cup of Tazo Green Ginger.

What kind of Tea are You? - Quizilla's Concoction

What kind of tea are you?

Hot herbal tea: A spa for the soul.
Take this quiz!

These net-quizzes are the worst--blogthings.com takes a bite out of my work ethic, to be sure--but don't you want to know what sort of tea you'd be?

Got Milk, But Not Really - Silk Soy Products

I'm no vegan, sure. I even eat fish sometimes, though not since all those mercury warnings in the Times. But I was raised on soymilk, so to me real milk tastes like the fake stuff. Yeah, I know.
However...

Soymilk is a perfect beverage for those who have a
dairy allergy or are lactose intolerant. Silk Soymilks are
dairy and lactose free, in addition to being vegan safe,
kosher-DE, and gluten-free.

Soy protein has been shown to moderately reduce
elevated blood cholesterol levels and may lower blood
pressure as well. Research on the heart-healthy
benefits of soy is so convincing that the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) allows soy food companies
to carry a health claim on their labels advising
consumers of the cardiovascular benefits of eating soy
protein as part of a healthy diet.

Studies show that populations who consume soy foods
on a regular basis have lower rates of certain cancers
including breast, prostate, colon, and endometrial
cancers. In fact, in Japan and China where soy foods
are a staple of the diet, breast cancer rates are just
one-fifth of those in the Western world.

So why not give Silk Soymilk a try? As a fortified soymilk, it has the same amount of calcium as run-of-the-mill cow's milk; 300 miligrams per 8-ounce glass. Plus, this stuff comes in Plain, Vanilla, Chocolate, even Mocha and--wait for it--CHAI. AND ALL OF THEM ARE GOOD FOR YOU! Plus, Starbucks picked this brand as its choice soymilk. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is JUSTICE.

Sources:
http://www.silksoymilk.com/Documents/J.%20Bissex%20Brochure%20FINAL.pdf