I'm a snacker.
I know, I know - this post is obviously supposed to be about tea, and I will get to that. My being a snacker is a major part of my tea fetish.
Like I was saying, I'm a snacker. My snacking tendencies are not mitigated in the least by the layout of our little house, which puts the open kitchen in full, glorious view from the living room, where Keith and I spend most of our waking hours at home. I get bored, I eat. I get antsy, I eat. I experience that annoying fake hunger where, if you just ignore it, it'll be totally gone in half an hour, but I don't, and I eat.
Often, though, I have tea instead. Because so many of my impulses to eat are based on a) the presence of food and b) boredom, instead of an actual physiological need, it's remarkable how often tea satisfies my craving. I just finished a cup of the Coconut Cocoa, topped off with about half a teaspoon of sugar and some whole milk. It's basically a dessert, without consuming the massive brownie I know I'd love to have instead.
I'm-embarrassed-to-say-how-many days later, as I actually finish writing this post, I've just finished another cup of tea. This is genmaicha, a loose leaf green tea with toasted brown rice and popped sorghum kernels. I love this tea. I love this tea. It needs nothing - no sugar, no milk (in green tea? yech) - but hot water, and it's perfect. When I'm done, I eat the tea leaves and rice, which may be weird, but I accept that. I figure the leaves have to be full of some sort of super power antioxidants.
I love tea on its own, of course, but I love using it as a tool for portion control. Plus it warms me up as these (usually) cold winter months chill me to the bone, and the light caffeine buzz of black tea is great for fighting the occasional headache. For me, the only drawback of my wintertime tea consumption is stains on my teeth, but my dental hygienist suggested last I was in that brushing with a baking soda paste can clear them right up. I'll have to give that a try!
In the mean time, drink tea, keep warm, and don't eat unless you're hungry.
This is an interesting phenomena. I collect tea too! Heavy on the hoarding, light on the drinking. In fact, I recently needed to move my wall of boxes to a bigger cupboard because I don't drink it fast enough (or enough.) I make tea to avoid snacking too...but often, when the water is heating up I grab a handful of chocolate chips. *facepalm. Fun fodder for a new LL post.
ReplyDeleteI would love to host a tea trading party where guests bring bags and loose leaf to swap with others who have different kinds. You will be invited.
http://lifeslemonsbymolly.wordpress.com/2011/08/14/have-you-met-my-teas/
A friend of mine had a tea party years ago - her primary intention was to help get rid of some of the many, many teas that were overwhelming her kitchen. Unfortunately, she didn't communicate that, and many of the guests brought more tea as a hostess gift. Oops!
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