Tag: tea

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EC: Giovanni's Angel Tea & Conversation

Tea and Conversation 11: Green Tea Cocoa

teaNtalk

Today I’m sharing a picture of hot cocoa I posted on my tea pin board.

Please do not copy this image. Click image to share on Pinterest.

Today in my meditation on the Eternal Curse, I’m writing about: Why green tea cocoa?

Green-tea cocoa isn’t some secret family tradition, but when I came up with it I wished it was. I was feeling under the whether a few years back during the time I was writing Eternal Curse: Giovanni’s Angel, though I didn’t know that’s what I was doing at the time.

I was in a weird predicament. I had a cold which included a very sore throat, but I was also having my monthly visit from Mother Nature. I was craving chocolate and caffeine, which is odd because I am very sensitive to caffeine and carefully monitor my intake of it.

Out of desperation I went into the kitchen determined to find some comfort if total relief was too far out of sight. I poured chocolate syrup into a cup of concentrated green tea and plopped in a caramel cube. At that moment it was the most amazing thing I’d ever tasted.

Later when I was feeling not so under the weather, I tried the same concoction, but was not pleased with the outcome. I played around with many different variations of cocoa, chocolate, green tea, and other ingredients until I found one that suited me better and that I could prepare any time I wanted.

After all that, I put my newly made rare treat into my story simply because I thought that if it wasn’t going to be a secret family tradition in my life, it could be in Giovanni’s. I’m sure I’m not the first person to put green tea and chocolate together, but the whole experience has left a mark on me. I have a memory I will cherish always.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

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EC: Giovanni's Angel Tea & Conversation

Tea and Conversation 10: Virginia

teaNtalk

Today I’m sharing a picture of a painting and quote about “tea in the garden”.

Please do not copy this image. Click image to share on Pinterest.

Today in my meditation on the Eternal Curse, I’m writing about: Why Virginia?

Who was it who said “Write about what you know”? Well, that’s a whole other issue I don’t feel like getting into right now, but I do like what this phrase means to me. To me “Write what you know” means using aspects of your own understanding to enhance your creativity.

While my EC: Giovanni’s Angel story travels a bit, the majority of the present action takes place in a small fictional town in the U.S. state of Virginia. Here is another example of me putting myself into my writing. It’s no secret that writing about life in a small town and Virginia came easy to me because I’ve lived in many small towns and have lived in Virginia for over twenty years. (I can’t believe I just wrote that. Oh man, how old am I?)

I thoroughly enjoy traveling: seeing new places, trying new things, and learning and experiencing different cultures, but I’m always grateful to have a place to call home when I’m ready to leave. I think my personal sense of Virginia being home to me is reflected in my book. As the Eternal Curse continues many more places will be visited and Giovanni will make other places his residence, but there will always be one place he’ll return to when he needs to feel that sense of “home” and it’s in Virginia.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

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EC: Giovanni's Angel Tea & Conversation

Tea and Conversation 09: Nook

teaNtalk

Today I’m sharing a picture of a “keep calm” print.

Please do not copy this image. Click image to share on Pinterest.

Today in my meditation on the Eternal Curse, I’m writing about: Why a nook?

First I must make it clear that I am not speaking of the e-reader associated with .epub files and Barnes and Noble. When I speak of nook I’m speaking of a small room or corner of a room usually set aside for more familiar and intimate gatherings. In Eternal Curse: Giovanni’s Angel, the nook in the kitchen is the place where family and friend time occurs.

I moved around a lot as a kid, but I didn’t exactly have the nomadic lifestyle of many military families. My parents were simply always engaged in finding better opportunities for them and their children. In the places we lived in for more than two or three years, the places that really felt like home, there was always a little nook and round table to gather around.

To me the nook is the place where the ones you care about the most get to spend the precious moments of their lives with you. When strangers or less intimate acquaintances come around for a visit or meal, you would entertain them in your formal dining area or your living room.

There are so many aspects of me and my life sprinkled throughout this work of fantasy that anyone who knows me would be able to figure out that I wrote this book, even if my name wasn’t on the cover.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords