Leaflet No. 7

This week’s leaflet tea tastes like … ginger, jujube, lotus, coriander, and Gerbera jamesonii

Jan 12, 2023

Hello, everyone.

Tea Leaf Tech is a process in which I brew a cup of the Beobab.tree’s blend (its bark, leaves, its fruit, and a dapple of honey—of course!), which is a way to introduce settling and warmth into the day’s spiral of events. During this time of sipping and slowness, ideas and images collect at the bottom of the cup. The readings of the tea leaves laid to rest on ceramic glaze will be the basis of Wednesday’s leaflets (but here’s one on Thursday!). From here, I invite you to sit with your own cuppa and peruse what sensations this week’s tea blend has to offer.

Last week I honored a 24th birthday by greeting whatever emotions came up with self-compassion and love. I’m still making promises to myself at this age, I’m still seeing things through. My hands feel tougher, my brows are softer. When the going gets tough, I sit on a bench for a bit. I think about the people I’ve met. I notice petals in a puddle. I get back up with all edges of my feet planted and go look for some hot food.

I think of this birthday as the sound of new hand of cards being dealt.

Enjoying:

On evolving in your creative life by Haley Nahman. I enjoy Haley’s writing and newsletter, Maybe Baby, lots— her thoughts on being on the internet have definitely struck a chord and helped me challenge how I build awareness in what I put out online. I am in the process of choosing what subscriptions I take on this year. Maybe Baby is top three! (Other subscriptions I am thinking about are to Cosmic Anarchy and Patreons for some artists I follow on IG!)

100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics™ – 2023
Lamp [Yume]【ゆめ】(2014) - Japanese pop, jazz, bossa nova <3

Here is some sweetness:

Inspired by Sally Wen Mao’s Ode to Emptiness

I had a few friends pitch in and buy me several Trader Joe’s flower bouquets so that I could arrange them in ikebana vases. c’:
It’s nice when someplace becomes Your Spot. My friend and I go to play pool and have beers at this place that’s both lively and quiet. Him and I catch up over a basket of fries, and things feel easy. People around you seem like regulars, or somehow they’ve known one another over the years, for years. It’s not completely centered on drinking, which I appreciate. Some people just come to rent out the pool tables or dartboards. There is suspicious beer pong tables in the back with cups already filled, but with the night’s crowd, they go untouched. At 10pm—I think it was, a hometown DJ starts up his set and sparks shoulder rolls across a few tables. I met some new folks and it was nice learning about them:) I was reminded of the “people-person” parts of me.
My mom asked me what I’d like her to make for my birthday. I asked for this kind of Vietnamese “dessert” called chè dưỡng nhan. It’s quite possibly the healthiest dessert one could indulge in, but what I really love is how refreshing it is. A chilled gelatinous galaxy of lotus seeds, gogi berries, jujube, chia seeds, and snow fungus(!). She added homemade coconut jello too…I am lucky, I am lucky. The concoction is blessed by Earth and stamped with approval from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The process requires time and attention to detail, soaking each of the ingredients until they bloom plump, then letting them soften their flavors together in heated one pot. Food as a love language as a passage for the Mother Tongue.
Walking to the grocery store in the brisk evening cold! With my little sister! In a bright yellow long puffer coat! Me, not her! No lost wallet, rather, a smoothie in my hand on the way back!
I cooked myself beans and cabbage, out-doing myself. I have no measurements to give, but let me tell you this: butter, garlic and shallots, black beans, slaw mix (shredded red cabbage, cabbage, and carrot), salt, coriander, cumin, black pepper, olive oil, and Fly By Jing’s Zhong Sauce. Enjoyed, thoroughly, over a bed of rice and sliced avocado. Goodness!