Tea houses and night markets

[CN211276]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maghrebi_mint_tea

I did not realise it was impolite to refuse it. I don't like it! My other half loves it and makes it at home now.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

Had it many times I like it as well. I like all sorts of tea but still my basic daily brew is traditionally English with milk and sugar (originated in Southern India mostly as a Tamil tradition, they love it with condensed milk).

[karatestu]

You should try nettle tea, it has a bit of a sting

[savvypaul]

I did part of my growing up in a village near Epping, Essex. A mile or two 'up the hill and past the radio station' was an 'open house' (Dial House) run by a small group of hippies / punks / anarchists academics (they wouldn't have used those terms but everyone else did). Their car (I think a 2CV) would often break down and some of us kids would do our best to push them back up the hill. Our reward was 'weird' tea and homemade cakes, breads and jams, around a low table. The idea of the 'open' house was that anyone who could contribute could stay - art, music, bread making, gardening, permaculture - inspired by houses that one of the long term residents had stopped at in China where you earned your nights stay through telling your own stories...

Earl Grey for me. With or without milk. No sugar.

My Grandma used to make tea with Carnation milk...but only on Sunday afternoons.

[Frasernash]

Love Taiwan, used to go nearly yearly back in the 90's, when I had distributors.

Chinese cities I love and hate in order

Singapore +++++
Taipei ++++
Hong Kong +++
Guangzhou (Canton) ++
Shanghai +
Beijing -----

Agree with Singapore wonderful place when I bought a sandwich and throw it in bin a lady insisted that i have my money back or a new replacement great service, wish I had Visited the old quarter lot of History from WW2 to see and there were loads of Rover Cars out there when I visited.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

I did part of my growing up in a village near Epping, Essex. A mile or two 'up the hill and past the radio station' was an 'open house' (Dial House) run by a small group of hippies / punks / anarchists academics (they wouldn't have used those terms but everyone else did). Their car (I think a 2CV) would often break down and some of us kids would do our best to push them back up the hill. Our reward was 'weird' tea and homemade cakes, breads and jams, around a low table. The idea of the 'open' house was that anyone who could contribute could stay - art, music, bread making, gardening, permaculture - inspired by houses that one of the long term residents had stopped at in China where you earned your nights stay through telling your own stories....

The hippy / punk utopia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LQ1CvwF7BQ

[savvypaul]

I did part of my growing up in a village near Epping, Essex. A mile or two 'up the hill and past the radio station' was an 'open house' (Dial House) run by a small group of hippies / punks / anarchists academics (they wouldn't have used those terms but everyone else did). Their car (I think a 2CV) would often break down and some of us kids would do our best to push them back up the hill. Our reward was 'weird' tea and homemade cakes, breads and jams, around a low table. The idea of the 'open' house was that anyone who could contribute could stay - art, music, bread making, gardening, permaculture - inspired by houses that one of the long term residents had stopped at in China where you earned your nights stay through telling your own stories....

The hippy / punk utopia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LQ1CvwF7BQ

Indeed. Still going...

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

I lived in Epping for 10 years yet knew nothing about the place, sounds and looks from the video like a nice place to visit. I like characters and the guy who lives there who was the drummer with Crass looks like a good conversation. The other guy the singer, I recognise where he lives we used that road Garnon Mead to get into what Nadia called the magic forest, full of Magnolia and mushrooms. Not in Epping but Coopersale, a village a short walk across the fields from us.

[savvypaul]

I lived in North Weald from 1975 to 1984. Went to school at St Johns in Epping. We used to be out on our bikes all the time and decided to follow their old Leyland van up the hill one day. They used to pop in the local convenience shop (for half an ounce of Golden Virginia) where my mum worked and spend a good amount of time chatting ("such lovely boys and girls, Paul, but do they really need to look like that?"). They were a really nice bunch. Very interesting to talk to and genuinely interested in you as well. Penny now does free jazz and poetry readings and lectures. Steve still sings with a few different bands - Paranoid Visions, Slice of Life, Stratford Mercenaries. Gee is a renowned artist. She exhibits regularly in the UK and US and her image of the Statue of Liberty with head in hands was recently used as the front cover of the Daily Mirror to express horror at Trump's election win. You can still turn up at Dial House and do some jobs or create some music / poetry / writing to earn your stay. They also organise permaculture courses.

As Crass, they stayed completely outside the 'corporate' music industry. Created their own label and printing set up. Sold double LPs for £3.00 when the norm was £5 for a single LP. Put any profits into issuing debut singles for other independent minded artists and supporting Anarchist Centres. If you were from Sounds / NME / Melody Maker etc then you could not get an interview with them. If you home produced 30 copies of a fanzine for your mates then you could have all day with them and leave with a load of free paper and printing gear. They wouldn't sell you a t-shirt but would give you a free stencil to spray your own, or your leather jacket, wall or text book. They wouldn't play traditional music venues. If you wanted them to play you wrote to them, found a village hall or empty building to put them on, sent out homemade flyers and agreed to give door donations (not a fee - people were asked to pay what they could afford) to the local anarchist centre or battered wives refuge. If the gig was too far to get home that night they would kip on one of your sofas or floor. In the morning they helped you clean and tidy up the 'venue'. They sold tens of thousands of records (probably hundreds of thousands by now) without any 'marketing men'.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

Well visited the company, very good very well equipped, better quality production than I could get in the UK without spending an arm and a leg, very happy. Just back from Shilin Night Market, much more posh than I remember it 20 years ago. Eaten as many strange things as I could find, all delicious. Names I can't give but am happier not to know I tried Stinky Tofu and it is delicious. All I can say is it is amazing how many different parts of a chicken and a pig you can eat.