On the current food-related discussions...
Cheese curds, huh? Sounds awful when you say it that way, but I, for one, like cottage cheese (although I generally add maple syrup to it).
Cheese fries are yummy, but I don't generally indulge.
Anyone here familiar with potatoes au gratin?
Tea:
I keep several kinds stocked at all times, so I'm ready with the right one when the mood strikes. My faves are (in no particular order) cinnamon, mint, irish breakfast, vanilla, oolong, and a special rare kind sold only in a certain place in northern Virginia -- "Mount Vernon Blend."
I tried tea with milk on that aforementioned trip to England. I just don't get it. It's so wrong.
No lemon for me, either.
I do take plenty of sweetener, though.
Like Laura, I love hot tea, but I can't stand iced. Weird, but... <shrug>
Tea with honey is great for a sore throat, but I haven't had it in ages. Not really good for diabetics.
The water... Full rolling boil, about to boil with those little bubbles, steaming hot... It's all the same to me, really. As long as it's hot enough to steep, I'm happy. Actually, my tongue burns easily, so I prefer it to be less than boiling. Doesn't take as long to cool down enough so I can actually drink it.
Tea bags are okay. They serve well enough, most of the time. I find the quality of loose tea is generally better, though. More flavor, better steeping.
Of course, now you have me thinking about making coffee, too, which just brings to mind the conversation I started putting together in my head when half asleep a few nights ago. Don't ask me why. Timmy just started it up, which is kind of wrong, actually, because Timmy is too young for coffee, if you ask me. Anyway, the converstaion went like this (with Martha making small talk, and Lois... not):
Martha: Coffee? Oh, what kind of coffee?
Lois: Uhm... slow roasted, and finely ground.
Martha: Not instant, then?
Lois: Instant? Well... not this time, no. Instant can be good, for when you just need some quick coffee, but brewed is so much better, don't you think?
Martha: I suppose so...
Lois: It's just so much better when you take your time about it. Let the water get gradually hotter, until it starts to steam, and then boil up... And then it makes its way slowly through the grounds, until you get some nice, hot, flavorful coffee...
Martha: I never realized you felt so strongly, Lois.
Lois: ... And then, at the end, you stir in some sugar...
Martha: I thought you used artificial sweetener...
Lois: Not with Clark!
Martha: Oh. Uhm, okay... Well, then... What about creamer?
Lois: Martha!
Martha: What? What did I say?
And so on. ... Nice to get that out of my head, anyway...
Paul
