The remarks about the boiled tea and the starched underwear are, of course, ironic. But it will make Udo happy.
No, nothing is ever perfect. I was drawing along happily on this and then the reindeer clicked in and cried, “Where’s my master??”
Aw, damn. I just made myself cry. 
There’s film of the Chukchi riding those big reindeer.
Mint Juleps are this recipe, but with cold water and bourbon. Who knows; it might have been the actual inspiration. Sweet mint tea has been a thirst-quencher for generations in north Africa.
Udo really can talk him into just about anything.
It makes one wonder who really initiated the rather improper contacts in the latter issues.
Then again, Pfirsich is a Swabian, and when they’re not accused of being country bumpkins, they’re accused of being sharpers. By other Germans.
I can’t help myself. No matter how serious the scene, the jester has to be in there someplace.
Kit-Fox DID use to grab a cup of nearly-finished tea and gobble-lick it like that. He was so weird.
It’s amazing how much tea comes up in World War Two: Rommel sat down to tea to work out guidelines of behavior with the tribal people and Arabs of north Africa. Hitler and Churchill always offered tea; maybe they should have been drinking beer, and calmed everybody now.
I remember the tightrope we had to walk as women in uniform.
Maybe we should arrange some marriages in the world right now. With tea and camels and demon-scaring music.
Suggestions of possible match-ups?
You don’t want to get into a fight with anyone who lives in a hot climate. No, really, trying to breathe under the broiling sun all day can make us all a bit tetchy and impatient.
Americans cannot seem to get it through their heads that we do not fuck with the hot-climate locals, for any reason. The Germans made separate peace with these people — Rommel did it by sitting down to tea with local chiefs.
Hitler used offering cups of tea and cakes to convince, far before he’d start screaming. Most people will always respond to goodies and pats on the heads, and if anybody knew that and how to use it, he did.
Everybody in a hot climate drinks tea; might be why they’ve never slaughtered each other into extinction, at least so far, although it’s not from lack of trying.
I dunno, if I were traveling in a hostile hot area, I’d take along packages of fancy tea and offer them at any possibility of anger or distrust. People do seem to get sidetracked by tea. It is a drug, after all.
What’s this? Mood icons? A new toy Lt. Sparky has put on the blog?
“Slobber” because it’s actually Sunday, December 20, and we’re eating Triple Nickel Hamburger. No, it’s NOT made out of their horses. It’s from their happy, clean-fed beef cattle, locally slaughtered and butchered, packed all up into hamburger. They tried to have it cut up into fine cuts last year, but it was too expensive, so they just ground it up this year. It’s flying out the door of the Sunset Co-Op in Clallam Bay.
Ah, a tea story, today. I am a sucker for any time of tea. It’s saved my life — rather literally — more than once. When the British say “Want a cup of tea?” they MEAN it. Boiling hot, nearly black, like blood in the veins when you’re cold and exhausted. It’s probably why they’re still alive on that wet little island.
