Chinese Tea with Theresa Wong & Masala Chai with Leena Trivedi-Grenier
This week, we dive into the world of tea, its history, and traditions. First up, we visit the T Shop in New York City with East Asian tea expert Theresa Wong. Theresa leads Francis through a tea tasting, from black, thru oolong all the way to green. We learn a few brewing tips along the way as well. Then, food and culture writer Leena Trevedi-Grenier talks to us about the surprising story of Masala Chai's history and gives us an in-depth guide to spicing and techniques for making the perfect cup.
Racism Caused Early Graying. Now I Turn It Into Hair Art.
I was 16 when I found my first gray hair. Judging by its multiple siblings, it had likely been there for a while. I was playing the xylophone in my high-school band when a friend standing behind me pointed it out. The strangest part was that the hair wasn’t gray, but a pure white from root to tip. It felt wrong, foreign, like an invader on my body. This is only supposed to happen to old people, I thought as I yanked it out.
How to Make a Better Cup of Iced Chai
Confession: I hate iced chai. I keep buying it because I feel like I should like it, considering my love affair with masala chai and my Indian heritage. Plus, sometimes it’s just too damn hot for a traditional cup of chai, but I still need those flavors in my day, you know? Every time I order the iced version, though, I’m faced with a tall, cool glass of blandness that’s watered down, syrupy, and resembles chai only in name. When I make it at home, it’s not much better.
Dried Ginger Masala Chai recipe
Fresh Ginger Masala Chai recipe
There’s a Lot More to Masala Chai Than Spiced Milk Tea
Three times a day there is a small pot of masala chai bubbling on my stove, threatening to overflow. Milky foam and spice-filled bubbles rise above the pot’s edges, flecked with black tea granules and just daring me to look away. When I inevitably do, to help my daughter find her shoe or to break up a fight, not two seconds later I’ll hear that unmistakable whoosh and sizzle as chai floods my stovetop and smothers the flame. It mocks me. Chai’s strength knows no bounds.
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