I could open a tea shop; I counted this morning that I have 15 different kinds of tea. I've got the traditional Lipton type of teas, then there's green teas, Assam tea, a Vietnamese tea that is in the shape of a ball but opens up into a flower when water is poured on it. I've got Lemon Grass Tea and a local tea called Moringa and then there's Rooibos. I can give people flavoured teas including ginger and I've even got a bag of tea with spices for Christmas, which I forget to use. There's also Milo, Ovaltine and Coffee - if anyone wants coffee I let them entertain themselves as I can't make a good cup.
This morning I opted for a Japanese tea that's in a bag but it's powdered. The instructions were a bit daunting. The water had to be 80 degrees and not boiling. I had to put the bag in the water for exactly 4 seconds and to move it up and down in the water 3 or 4 times. Tomorrow I'll go back to Lipton - tea bag in the cup, hot water on it, when the colour looks right, remove the bag and enjoy.
I was pleased with a BBC programme this morning that included the fact that ties are dying out. I think I have one back in Canada. I didn't realise they were introduced in the 17th Century by mercenaries from Croatia - Croatia will be forever damned.
I love chocolate so that's why I don't buy it. There's the world's biggest "sweet" exhibition going on in Cologne as I write. So many people finding new ways of getting us to eat sugar. Apparently, I should be eating chocolate with my breakfast, sprinkled on my cereal. The Finns are making a variety with oatmeal which sounds ghastly.
I'm in seventh heaven. I went shopping and I saw Campbell's soup on sale. They were down to a dollar a can so I grabbed one of each. I'm not proud! If I can't be bothered cooking, then a can of soup with something added is as good a meal as anything. The healthy people won't agree, but it's my stomach and wellbeing I'm talking about.
A well-known American broadcaster has just announced that he hasn't washed his hands for 10 years. He says we are going over the top washing our hands. I know some people have a hand washing fetish but I do like the idea of having a clean hand when I greet people or prepare food. It sounds to me as if his hands never hit the water. If he has a shower does he put plastic bags on his hands; if he has a bath, does he drape his arms over the side? I'm thinking he doesn't do much in the way of manual work.
Some people do take hand washing to an extreme. Friends in Alberta had a child in a kindergarten class. A health worker came in to show the importance of clean hands. She did that experiment with a blue dye and UV light to show the children where the bacteria were on their hands. The poor boy went home absolutely paranoid and was constantly washing his hands. Mother felt she had to complain to the authorities at the school.
I had Phearak and Srun for their English class and I mentioned that my phone covers were falling apart. They said I should buy a new phone, which I turned down. Srun took it away to be repaired and I said I'd pick it up in the afternoon. I went over to the travel office and for $5 I have a snazzy black cover with a dragon on it and a new plastic screen cover. I got up to leave but Cina told me I couldn't leave until I'd tried her mother's dessert. She brought a large bowl that contained balls of sticky rice that were stuffed with a bean mixture and shrimp, which sounded strange for a dessert. The balls sat in a coconut mixture with ginger. It was a challenge - they were hard to cut up into bite sized pieces - that's why they are called 'sticky'! Then there was a lot of chewing. She said I wouldn't bother with dinner after eating them and she was right too - I was so full I haven't had dinner and it'll soon be bed time.
While I was there, Cathay Pacific reps came in with a stuffed pink pig - it's the year of the pig in Chinese circles. Then Sue arrived. She's been here for 23 years and is originally from Manchester; it was nice to be with someone who spoke a bit like I do. She's worked for UNESCO, taught English to the military and worked for a variety of NGOs. She too was given some dessert but only one sticky ball. We were then introduced to Alain who is from France and has been taking care of rescued children since 2004. Many of the children are ethnic Vietnamese who have come illegally with their parents. Because they're not Khmer they aren't allowed in the schools so he helps to find education for them. Some live on the Cambodian side of a river so they cross the river ever day to go to school. It tickled me no end to have such an interesting time in a travel office.
Via the grapevine I've heard that my former Indian guest is continuing to complain in his new location. I've a feeling he's not going to last long, which is all right, but he'll possibly go home with very negative stories about his time here. I hope he learns to go with the flow before it's too late.
I've been looking at my windows for quite a while and thinking they should be cleaned. I asked Vuth if Cambodians cleaned windows and he laughed and said, "Not very often." I'm British so I fret when they don't look clean. The trouble is that on the inside there are bars that are about 5cms apart so it's hard to get my hand inside to clean the glass. Instead of being able to make sweeping movements over the glass, I'm restricted to tiddly little areas between the bars. Even the bedroom windows, which look into the living space, are covered with bars. For me it's overkill but it's very Asian. The trouble is that I keep seeing bits I missed so I'm constantly getting up to do a bit more wiping. Maybe I should become Cambodian and forget about it.
