Morning Coffee & Afternoon Tea

China's Tea & Horse Road

Ran across this article on Tea Talk stating that a new section of the ancient Tea & Horse road has been found.  At least I think that's what it said.  I tried to access the news source, but I can't read Chinese, so I'm SOL.  A quick search on the net turned up lots of stuff about the Tea & Horse Road, but nothing recent about a leg rediscovered.

This is a fascinating bit of history.  According to The Silk Road Foundation:

"Few people have realized how vast and unprecedented this sudden expansion of caravan traffic between India and China was, or how important. It was a unique and spec-tacular phenomenon. No complete story has yet been written about it, but it will always live in my memory as one of the great adventures of mankind. Moreover, it demonstrated to the world very convincingly that, should all modern means of com-munication and transpor-tation be destroyed by some atomic cataclysm, the humble horse, man’s oldest friend, is ever ready to forge again a link between scattered peoples and nations" [Goullart 1955: 88].

Some of the towns and villages along the road have been listed among the most important international sites for historic preservation.  And apparently quite a few tourists are drawn to travel the Tea & Horse Caravan each year.  Looks like a mighty long trek.  All the way from Southern China to India?  Maybe they're just visiting portions with key villages. 

I found a coupla sites offering guided tours.   This one has one called "25 day TEA HORSE ROAD EXPEDITION", and it's got a warning on it: "This is a long and winding journey on challenging and dangerous unpaved roads". I don't mind challenging roads. As long as I can stop for a cuppa tea along the way.  This one's definitely going on my travel itinerary.

Coffee de Mexico for Cinco de Mayo

CdM for CdM.  Today it's Mexican Coffee, in honor of Cinco de Mayo (that's today, the 5th of May).  Cinco de Mayo actually celebrates a victory by Mexican troops in La Batalla de Puebla, not Mexican Independence Day, as is often mistakenly believed.

I didn't know that until a few days ago. I feel some chagrin about my ignorance, having lived in the southwestern U.S. for the last 20 years where Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more vigorously even than St. Patty's Day.  I should have known that. I'm afraid I've been pretty much in the same vein as most Americans, viewing Cinco de Mayo as an excuse to indulge in Mexican beer and tequila.

Is it SKON or SKOAN?

I guess it depends on where you're from.  Some pronounce it like "gone", some pronounce it like "groan". In any case, this is one of the most well-known foods served at afternoon tea.  Personally, I like a scone for brekky with my morning coffee too, but that's not common here in the U.S. where most people go for a donut or a bagel.  It's believed that the word and the food originated in Scotland.  Not everybody agrees with that, however.  Here's a little bit of the history of the scone, and some really delish recipes.

Irish Coffee Anyone?

In honor of the day, or should I say honour, I'll not only be wearin' the green, but drinkin' the Irish as well.  Mug in hand, I went in search of the origins of the stuff. 

According to about.com,

The Port of Foynes, which is located in County Limerick, was a major hub for for air traffic between the United States and Europe during the 30's and 40's. Travel was by Flying Boats. One flight that took off in 1943, encountered some really bad weather and turned back. The weather was equally as nasty upon their return and the passengers headed towards the terminal restaurant. Realizing how miserable these passengers were, Chef Joe Sheridan grabbed a bottle of Irish and prepared the comforting drinks. Legend has it that one of the passengers asked, "is this Brazilian coffee?", to which Sheridan answered, "No, that's Irish Coffee."

The Buena Vista in San Francisco helped to bring this renowned drink to the States in 1952. Owner, Jack Koeppler, made his way to Ireland to learn the secrets of Irish Coffee from the horses mouth; Joe Sheridan. Thank you Jack!

The Buena Vista website tells the story about Jack's search for the perfect whiskey and the perfect cream.  You can read the rest of the story here: http://www.thebuenavista.com/irishcoffee.html

Discover Ireland gives us the recipe and proper instructions:

1 Measure (3 cl) of Irish Whiskey
1 teaspoon of raw sugar
1 heaped desertspoon of whipped cream
Hot strong coffee to fill the glass

Pre-warm a stemmed glass. Add the whiskey. Add the sugar and stir in the coffee.
Float the whipped cream on top. Drink the coffee through the cream (ie do not stir after adding the cream).

And if you really want to do it up right, here's a recipe for Irish Coffee Cake: http://www.recipesource.com/baked-goods/desserts/cakes/01/rec0100.html

Go n-eírí an bóthar leat.
May the road rise with you.