Taste differs from person to person. Beverages play an important role on occasions. It witnesses the greatest moments of life as we move on. I would like to bring your attention towards an awesome beverage called Tea and in India mainly known as “Chai”. No matter where you travel in India you will always find that delicious chai on the roadside at a reasonable price. For many consumers, it’s not only drinking but also a medium to kick start for the day.
Most of us know how tea is made, but have you noticed something beyond, than just making the tea? Okay, let me take you through a virtual tour and enlighten ourselves behind this tea making process.
The process
It was Tuesday morning, I just wake up and folding my bedsheets suddenly I heard my mom’s voice “Money is on the table take it, go and get the milk from the shop”. Splashing water on my face and thinking it’s time to grab some fresh air outside. As I was moving towards the table I could see money is still on the table, but as I blink my eye, it vanished. Another voice appear “ha-ha, you stay at home” and my younger sister ran to the shop.
I kindly walked towards mom seeing her turning on the gas with a freighting smile towards me. I asked her “what? She went before me”. Pouring a cup of water into the vessel. She put it on the gas to heat. Asking me to pass the tea leaves, sugar and ginger. She said, “at certain extend this tea is similar to your behaviour”. Confused? Thinking about how is it related to my behaviour? I didn’t understand that day but soon I will figure out what she meant.
Looking at the bubbles popping up in the vessel, she put 3.5 teaspoons of sugar and 2 spoons of tea leaves into it, while crushing ginger she says, “This is for the flavour to tea crush it properly”. After 2 minutes she added the milk into the vessel and adjusted the flame to its low intensity. Turning on my stop-watch, it took 2 min to hear the sound of popping again and appearing mild brown colour of the solution. To give flavour to the tea she put the ginger and left it for a few minutes to boil. She said, “let it heat till it turns to golden brown in colour”. It was fun watching the popping, sound and the layer of the tea trapped on the circumference inside the vessel.
The most important step comes at the end and that is to filter. Why filter? Because we only want to have the tea in its purest form and not the contents which made it, right?
As much as the materials are important in the making process but the desired intake is the tea which we want to drink. And finally, I found comfort in holding a warm cup of tea while sitting. It has a soothing effect on my body and mind and the ritual allows my thoughts to slow down to enjoy the sip.
Reuse:
There are many methods to make the tea and its type. Each one is special in its own, containing its own benefits. But one thing is common in all is tea leaves. Hence I was wondering what can be done using the waste tea leaves. I am sure many of you have wondered sometimes. Here are a few things that can be done using the tea leaves they are as follows:-
Tea leaves add nutrients to the soil
It increases the decomposition of other items
Reduce humidity in your room
It helps in Neutralize bad odours
Burns & Scratches like relieve the burning sensation and minimize redness.
Deodorize your shoes
Freshen your breath
Clean reflective surfaces, etc.
Conclusion:
After the little joy of life and a great way to start our day, a good cup of TEA with mom.
As few questions strike into my mind, if I can enjoy my day with just a few minutes with my mom making tea then what all things can make me happy observing a bit more? I am going to slow down, think and enjoy the things around me and know about it.
During the holidays we can find ourselves speeding up instead of slowing down. But, I do hope that you take time to observe your habits and surroundings and recognize something that needs to change, some background noise you have been ignoring, or putting up with, that has been weighing on your heart. Making a little change in the routine and witness how a small shift can make a big difference.
- SachinKumar Pandit, First year B.Sc.
Yashwantrao Mohite College, Pune