Lise's Ramblings

Source: etsy.com via Jennifer’s Pinterest board Put down that sippy cup. Set aside those primary-coloured Tupperware tumblers.  Few can resist succumbing to the lure of a fancy glass topped by a bendy straw, citrus slices, a paper umbrella or a plastic sword skewering maraschino cherries. My grown-up foods entry in April 2011 didn’t spark a flurry of emails or online comments, but I bet many of you remember your earliest grown-up drinks.      Where were you when someone introduced you to a mocktail? Who poured your earliest cup of tea or coffee? What was your first taste of wine like?   I hear brandy, surprisingly not sherry, would quiet me when I was an infant (Thank you, Mom-mom) and family photos, videos and tales represent me as a baby motivated to learn to crawl and walk based on my desire to reach beer bottles.      But, what I recall is feeling like a proper young lady when family ordered me a Shirley Temple a...

I support local farmers and food producers, but every now and then I have to rely on imported products. Have you ever craved a food so much that the price didn't even matter? If not, maybe the actual price tag was low, but you spent two tanks of gas to drive somewhere to find your treat. These are the sought-after foods with no substitutes. My grandmother's downfall was Turkish Delight. Sally ’s is steamed puddings. I suspect Dorothy’s might be an imported beer. Expat Kiwis hanker for Pineapple Lumps. And many of my friends go gaga over Mackintosh’s toffee. My imported goodies have varied over the years. Family friends of ours, the VanTols, used to request that their family overseas send extra goodies for us. As I child, I would get hyper when I knew the VanTols had received a box from Holland . We would slide along Marianne and Peter’s kitchen booth to await the spoils such as: ·          breakfast hagel (chocolate or m...

Sweet Makayla pours tea What a diminutive word for an amazing beverage steeped in history. Tea spans classes, cultures, tastes, languages and generations. How many drinks can you name that: date back to the first millennium BC? are derived from such diverse sources? involve incredibly varied customs and ceremonies? taste great either hot or cold? are prepared in special rituals around the world? serve medicinal purposes, warm the body and the heart, and soothe troubled spirits? are as equally suited to quiet, private moments as to grand occasions?  brewed trade wars, came to symbolise a pivotal moment in the American Revolution, was considered an essential ration and morale booster for soldiers? are considered fit for children, convicts, royalty and everyone in between? bring people together for an excuse to sample goodies, chatter, gossip, work, relax, and more? are poured from silver tea services, brown betties, china, wood, stainless st...