Inspired by previous posts on green tea and proper tea consumption, I’ve decided to share a batch of simple, soothing homemade teas. As with everything here on AL.ME, these fresh and healthy tea options are meant to keep life simple and keep your body happy. We’ll select fresh, natural, inexpensive ingredients and use them to create a harmonious balance throughout the body. Let’s kick things off with a light one…

None of the following require sugar, but if you feel its necessary, try dripping in some organic honey or brown sugar. None of these teas require milk or cream.

1. Lemon/Orange Peel tea: (aka “citron tea”) It’s said that most of the nutritional value in fruit comes from its outer layer, the rind. And although drying the skins of oranges and lemons for tea is common, you could chop up them up for the same purpose. Try steeping these together for a sweet, acid taste that will undoubtedly do wonders when you’re feeling under the weather.

Koreans drink something called “Yuja” tea which can be purchased in marmalade jars. (See the video below) The retail version contains a lot of sugar, but has the same affect on colds, coughs, and headaches.

2. Ginger tea: Just about all supermarkets have fresh ginger root in the produce isle now. So when you decide to make ginger tea I suggest buying a smooth “finger” or two and putting them in your refrigerator. Wash them with the skin on and break of little nodes that get in the way. Watch how Sumei Yu prepares her tea in the video below. All you really need to do is slice up your ginger and boil it for a few minutes. When it’s ready you’ll strain out the tea and add honey to it if you want.

Ginger is great for people with stomach-related issues: nausea, bloating, gas, diarrhea, etc. It’s great for muscle soreness, menstrual pain, and respiratory tract infections. By consuming ginger you’ll combat inflammation in your body. *

3. Turmeric tea: Turmeric root is less likely to be found in your local supermarket but you will find it at Whole Foods or similar markets. It’s normally smaller than ginger root but grows in connected “fingers.” Choose smoother ones to make cutting easier. Again, whenever possible, buy fresh root rather than powder. The less you process these natural foods, the better. Wash thoroughly and slice the turmeric into thin slices. Fill half a mug with the slices and let it sit for a few minutes. Then fill the rest of the mug with your hot water. If needed, add honey to the tea.

Turmeric is great for digestion and liver problems. I prefer to drink it at the end of the day before bedtime. It’s also useful for a variety of other issues, including arthritis, heartburn, stomach pain, diarrhea, intestinal gas, loss of appetite, jaundice, and gallbladder disorders. It is also used for headaches, bronchitis, colds, lung infections, fever, menstrual problems, and cancer. Other uses include combating depression, Alzheimer’s, water retention, worms, and kidney problems.*

4. Licorice tea: Licorice root looks like sticks or chopped up wood. Just let it steep in hot water just like we did with the ginger and turmeric. It can help with stomach issues and inflammation; however, this plant can produce some side-effects if used too regularly by people prone to blood clotting or high blood pressure.*  Still, if you’d like to find another flavor of natural tea that can help prevent stomach inflammation or assist with a sore throat, then licorice is an option. Throw in a tea bag of choice if you don’t find the tea strong enough for your taste.

Nourishing Days has a good article about how to make Licorice tea taste better. It includes orange peels, cinnamon, whole cloves, and chamomile flowers. For simplicity sake, I suggest steeping the licorice by itself and then adding your own sweetener to it.

5. Cinnamon tea: Similar to the licorice root, you might be expecting to add a little bit of powder and be done with it. But actually, it’s always better to cut out the middle man, so to speak. Buy sticks of cinnamon and wash them thoroughly. If you’d like, boil water and steep a black tea bag first. Then you put in your cinnamon sticks and let them steep together for a little while. Ah, Christmasy!

The health benefits of cinnamon are similar to licorice, and as with licorice, be careful not to overdue it for too many days in a row. In traditional Chinese medicine, cinnamon is used to for colds, reduces flatulence, and improves circulation. Read more about the pros and cons of cinnamon consumption here.

For years I’ve been attempting to explain (and cook) the differences between real Chinese food and American Chinese food. At first, it surprised American friends to discover that the Chinese have never heard of dishes like Crab Rangoon, General Tso’s Chicken, Egg Rolls, Egg Foo Young, and Chop Suey. All were created in America for American taste buds.

Crab Rangoon was actually an American creation that has been served in San Francisco since the 1950s.

Egg Foo Young was an adaptation on a real Chinese dish and made its American debut in the 1930s.

General Tso’s Chicken [pronounced ‘TSAO’] was coined after a famous Chinese general but the people of his modern-day hometown in Xiangyin, Hunan province have never tried it before! (See Jennifer’s talk below)

Egg Rolls in China are actually just egg-based wafers that are enjoyed as a dessert.
Spring rolls are a little bit similar to the 春卷 you might find around Asia, in my opinion.

Chop Suey literally translates as “leftovers” and is simply a mix of various unfinished dishes. It’s origins are debated, although I’m sure every culture has their method of dealing with uneaten portions.
(How would you describe ‘leftovers’ in your home?)

Fortune Cookies are to this day still a Japanese creation which American Chinese restaurants started serving when we put Japanese Americans in internment camps in 1942.

The classic Chinese Takeout Box has never seen the light of day in China and probably never will. It’s 100% American!
(Disposable chopsticks are used all over Asia though.)

~

Jennifer 8. Lee gave a hilarious talk at TED in 2008 and gets into more detail not only about American Chinese food but French, Italian, Mexican, Japanese, and Korean versions of Chinese food. All have their own unique twist but are still called Chinese!

Enjoy! 请慢用！

Try eating dinner tonight out of bowls. You don’t have to change your forks, knives, or spoons. Just use this smaller container for your food. The Asian tradition of using bowls instead of plates can make a big impact on how much we eat at meal time. Smaller plates work fine too.

When Dr. Nancy Snyderman is speaking about obseity concerns on the news, she frequently suggests using smaller plates.

Don’t forget: Eating 2 servings in a smaller container is better than 1 big serving in a bigger container.

A long two-hand handshake. An arm around a friend. A hand on the knee.

These may seem like ways to flirt, but they are very common among same-sex friends across many Asian countries. Men touch men and women touch women. Closeness is important for relationships and it should be shown in a healthy way.

While we’re on the topic… Remember to hold your loved ones and show them that you love them. Today, give them an extra long hug or hold a hand a little longer. Don’t worry about what it looks like.

The human touch can be more important than words.

One type of glue which holds society together across Asia is the truly giving nature of friendships. Having lived in Asian countries since 2004, I had never experienced such generosity before coming here. One of the more friendly ways to show your sincere friendship is to treat others to a meal or buy a round at your table.

Charity starts at home. If you don’t donate to charity very often (or at all), why not spend a little extra on the people you care about most?

Most of the rice consumed in Asian countries is white although Brown and Wild rice are more nutritious. So, why eat white rice?

Because many people think it tastes better and some of the healthiest diets in the world include this traditional staple. And contrary to what you often hear, it’s not harmful to your body to eat white rice, whereas butter and jam on white bread might be…

An ancient Chinese saying reminds us that “A good day starts with a good morning, and a good year starts with a good Spring.”

This is why morning exercise is very important because is increases your chances of having a great day. Now challenge yourself to have a better year.

Spring is a time of rebirth and rejuvenation. Plan out this new year and get things on the right track this Spring. Make this year happen on purpose.

It’s not just for old people… Everyone should do morning exercise. Any kind of morning activity is fine, whether it be stretching, dancing, working out, etc. Doing something is better than waking up and going straight to work or class. Its not just because “it’s good for you”, its because you are getting your motor started. Your metabolism will get revving and that’s all you need to start a perfect day.

Start with 5-10 minutes everyday and you will have noticeably more energy everyday. Remember, it should be something you enjoy doing and not just another chore.

Information Collection
When you browse the “Asianliving.me” web site, you do so anonymously. Personal information — including your E-mail address — is not collected. Your IP address (the Internet address of your computer) is logged to give us an idea of which parts of our web site you are visiting and how long you are spending there. We do not link your IP address to anything personally identifiable. The only other information automatically provided to us is the type of computer and operating system you are using. This information is supplied to us by your browser. There are times that we may request that you voluntarily supply us with personal information, including your E-mail address and possibly your postal address, for purposes such as correspondence, member registration, applying for a special offer, entering a prize draw, registering for a free test, or participating in an online survey. Like many other commercial web sites, the “Asianliving.me” web site may utilize a standard technology called a “cookie” to collect information about how the site is used.

Information Use
If you provide us with your E-mail address, or have done so in the past, we may upon occasion send you E-mail offers. We may use information you have given us to, for example, provide a service, measure consumer interest in our various services, and inform you about new products and services.

Declining E-mail Offers
“Asianliving.me” provides interested parties with an easy means to decline receiving E-mail newsletters or offers. Although most interested parties tell us they appreciate receiving notice of these carefully designed opportunities, we recognize the importance of providing you with choices. At any time, you may request to discontinue receiving these newsletters or offers from us by simply replying to the E-mail and informing us of your preferences. All E-mail offers that you receive from “Asianliving.me” will inform you of how to decline receiving further E-mail from us.

Your Acceptance of These Terms
By using this site, you signify your assent to the “Asianliving.me” Customer Internet Privacy Statement. If you do not agree to this policy, please do not use our site. We reserve the right, at our discretion, to change, modify, add, or remove portions from this policy at any time. Please check this page periodically for changes. Your continued use of the “Asianliving.me” site following the posting of changes to these terms means you accept these changes.

Since 2008, I’ve had severe issues getting on Blogger and posting about what was going on in my life here in China. Proxies are available, but it’s always a headache to knowingly force your internet speed down in order to get some Blogger and Facebook time in.

But now, I’m putting my foot down. I’m going to MAKE time for these necessities. I noticed that I only blogged 8 times in 2008 and I know there were plenty of amazing opportunities for reflection and publication. Today is the start of creating a presence online for Chinese Learning Curves. It will support my own personal experiences in China both privately and in business. I’ll use a publishing filter, as mentioned on the Dragos Roua blog. Posts will not drag on until some visual quota seems to be filled. Many more good habits will be formed too!

As my experiences with Worldshop.us and WS Online Learning develop, I will reflect that in this blog. Please contact me and tell me if you find the content useful or not. I’m looking forward to focusing this blog on the Good Stuff and giving the world Ben Piscopo’s view of what it takes to work, live, and learn in modern China.