“Tea is nought but this: first you heat the water, then you make the tea. Then you drink it properly. That is all you need to know.” – Sen Rikyu A week ago, the World Tea Expo’s 2017 “Best Tea Brewing Device” (and 2016 “Innovation Of The Year”) ceased sales, ending one of the most […]
“The Sharing Economy” is one of those phrases that kicks around at the moment, along with the Gig Economy, the Social Economy and The Beard-Oil-Led Recovery, which basically all imply that hipsters know what is good for you. A better term is “Collaborative Consumption”, merely because of the possibilities of working it into a hip […]
If you loved the movie Inception, then you’ll love the fact that I am going to go on a rant about a guy who went on a rant about an article. In it, he bought his own arrogance and prejudice to the fore, and hey, I’m comfortable with doing the same. In fact, I rarely […]
It’s two weeks since Lady Devotea and I left Canada, and this blog has been hovering over me. I just don’t want to admit that that particular adventure was over. Despite cranking up the heat and refusing to change the time back on some of my devices, I am unable to pretend to be in […]
When we arrived in Vancouver, we went through the usual travellers’ ritual of trying to have a nap, and then staggering out in a jet-lagged haze to look about. Rolling downhill to 4th Street Kitsilano, the first commercial premises we entered was an amazing fruit and nut shop. Really amazing. We bought stuff. The second […]
It may amaze you to know I am flawed, but yes, I am. One of my problems is I often fail to do something as I am hoping for better. For example, I won’t hydrate with a cup of water or with a drink from Starbucks when I get the chance because I’m optimistic that […]
One of the joys of overseas travel is shopping malls. No, really. The great thing about a mall is that it is a microcosm of retailers. It contains, for example, a bunch of global retailers that I despise at home, all conveniently collected for me to ignore in one spot. It also contains local chains […]
As I start writing this, I wonder if I will end up apologising for it. You might think that I often wonder if my unfettered sarcasm and wholesale sprays of invective, combined with poor attention to detail will have that result, but you’d be wrong. It’s not that at all. My readers generally love that. […]
With lots to do in Vancouver, our approach to tea shops has mostly been to just find them while walking past and drop in. On a recent walk we came across two that were totally different and loved them both. We were vaguely searching for Neverland Tea Salon when we stumbled across Bayswater Tea Co just […]
What does it really take to know a city? More specifically, can you get to grips with a city by visiting a representative sample of it? And is three restaurants, two Asian style gardens, a rose garden, a back yard and two days of continuous teas in seven different locations a representative sample? I say […]