Your ViewsKeep your e-mails pouring in, it's good to know that there are lots of you out there with views and opinions. To help you work out what is what, are now little icons to help you see biscuit related themes. And now you can see at a glance which are the most contested subjects via this graph (requires Flash 6.0 plugin). Please keep your mails coming in to nicey@nicecupofteaandasitdown.com | If you like, you can use this search thingy to find stuff that matches with any of the icons you pick, or use the fantastic free text search, Yay! | Your e-Mails |
David Taylor |
Dear nicey and wifey,
On the subject of children and tea, I would just like to say it only works if the child's tea is made first. Because if made at the same time as your own and passed to the child, she will pronounce the tea too hot - and still make a leap for your own equally warm cup and spill it as described. And if you wait until their own tea is cool enough to be acceptable, your own will be too cold to be a nice cup any more. So, if you have children, plan your tea making activities well in advance.
Oh, and don't forget to make sure you have suitable cheap biscuits to keep them distracted from your own more special tea-accompaniments. (I'm sorry, but Choco Liebnitz are wasted on a 2 year old)
Yours in fatherly experience
David Taylor |
Nicey replies: I find it handy to make only half a mug and to put in quite a lot of milk, both of which have a cooling effect allowing the younger members of staff to get tucked into their tea almost straight away. |
| |
Richard Thomas
Bahlsen Afrika Review |
Dear Nicey,
I feel that I have to spring to the defence of the exquisite Africa biscuit. This was a staple biscuit where I spent my childhood in the Netherlands and its lack of availability in the UK until recently was a sad loss.
The biscuits are a good size - small enough to pop in your mouth in one shot, rather than wasting time nibbling. The dark chocolate, with crisp, thin wafer is perfect and encourages more scoffing. One area that I do agree with you on is that it is more suited to a nice cup of coffee than tea, although with a sweetened tea it can be a fine accompaniment.
Most excellent biscuit inspired site - I'm off now to put the kettle on and dunk a couple of Jam Sandwich Creams!
Mmmmm!
Yours biscuitly,
Richard
|
| |
Emily Hopkins |
Dear Nicey, Wifey and the younger members of staff,
First of all, I love the website- tea and biscuits truly deserve the recognition your site gives them!
I was hoping you (as the guru of all things tea-related) could answer this question for me: is there a right way to stir tea? It hadn't occurred to me that there was a right or a wrong way to stir tea, until I made a cup of tea for my mum the other day. She complained that I'd stirred it the 'wrong way' (anti-clockwise, probably because I'm left handed!) and that tea should always be stirred clockwise. Was she just being mad (likely) or am I indeed going against the laws of tea? I'd hate to be angering the gods of the teapot lest I get a poisoned cup of tea one day as punishment...
Also, on the subject of kettle-fur, our kettle in the office at work (a small office of 6 people and one kettle, meaning we're only inches away from essential tea supplies- which surely makes for more satisfied and therefore productive staff) had until recently rather disgusting flakes of white stuff. Apparently this only started after we changed to 'pow-wow' water- as we rather naughtily use the water from the big tank in the water cooler because we're miles away from a tap. It all came off with some peculiar blue stuff called 'Oust' though, so we have nice tea (without dandruff) again now!
Looking forward to reading the book, and it will make an excellent Christmas present for my tea-loving boyfriend,
Emily |
Nicey replies: Yes the answer is all too obvious as it involves the Coriolis Force which causes a change in angular momentum proportional to the distance from the equator. In the northern hemisphere one would expect to stir tea in a clockwise direction however in the southern hemisphere it should be stirred anti-clockwise. These are the same forces that goven the rotation of weather systems, and the water running out of your bath. To stir in the other direction would be flying in the face of the celestial dance itself. |
| |
Sarah Williamson |
Dear Nicey,
I am a new visitor to your site but felt compelled to write on the following subject....
Having lived and worked in France for 6 years I would like to impart what knowledge I have on the subject of tea and the French. As already mentioned by Steve Rapaport the very mention of tea in any French establishment is bound to bring about sniggers and tittering but should you go so far as to ask for, heaven forbid, milk, with aforementioned tea you are sure to greeted by looks of sheer contempt.
The other major problem with French tea is it's weakness. Ask a Frenchman to make a cup of tea and he will bring some water to the temperature of a new born baby's bath and pour it into a cup. He will then proceed to get his tea bag and show it to the warm water then pronouce the tea brewed. This proved to be such a problem that in the six years I was there I took to importing Tetley teabags and carrying with me wherever I went - now, you can buy Tetley in France but they are quite frankly rubbish - although marginally better than the 'Lipton Yellow' brand favoured by the French themselves.
(The slight diping of a teabag into the cup and pronouncing it brewed is also a problem which severly afflicts the Dutch)
So my tip to anyone planning a trip to France would be take your own tea bags and prepared to be ridiculed if you dare to ask for milk in a cafe or bistro.
|
Nicey replies: Yes we would always advise travelers to take appropriate precautions when traveling abroad and bring a supply of their own tea bags.
|
| |
Mark Pennington |
Dear Nicey,
I read Steve Rapaport's recent email regarding French tea drinkers with interest. I believe something similar is true in the Good Ol' US of A. Recently I was in my local pub in London with my American friend Mikey from Cleveland. He comes over for business so in the office I have been introducing him to tea. It was after a few pints that he informed me that only woman and 'special chaps' drink tea back home. Not believing him I asked the barmaid who is from Washington DC. She confirmed it was true. I
fancy going to live there one day, but this has made me rethink.
Mark
|
Nicey replies: Steve,
First of all good work on the force feeding of Americans with tea, we applaud your efforts. Secondly how do Americans get extensions built on their houses unless huge quantities of tea are involved. Presumably their builders all drink Coke/Pepsi/Rootbeer/Budwieser/Starbucks coffee. Perhaps this is why their houses are so enormous, and require no extensions as they don't have the correct beverage and biscuit culture to support the activities of local jobbing builders. |
| |
|
|
|