Oats and Iron

Techtonik Dance Convention TONIGHT!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Paris France presents… tonight at 10:00pm… Yelle at The Knitting Factory. Confirmed guests include me and at least three of my friends.

Here’s why tomorrow night is going to be amazing… I have spent countless hours watching techtonik dance movies on DailyMotion and YouTube. The first time I heard about le techtonik dance was from some French friends in Mumbai (Sept 2007). Akshay and I were fascinated. These are the videos that captivated us:

Milky Way Tutorial, Tecktonik Ambiance Electro (dance starts 1:16 after intro), and this kid Spoke. To find new videos I suggest this great blog from SMDB (Spoke’s dance team).

So bring your good humor TONIGHT as we dance our faces off in le techtonik style to French pop singer Yelle. Doors at 7 or 8, Yelle goes on at 10:00pm. The Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard St, New York, NY. Some tickets still available.

Why I Work Out

I work out to feel good. I love it when I can make my body do exactly what I want. Here are two practical examples of making my body do what I want:

1. Friends call at 11pm, “We are going to the bar!”
   I know what I need to eat and drink in order to give me the energy to stay awake and on my game until 4am or even 5am. Some people use cocaine; I like to eat protein and vegetables. After dancing for an hour on Saturday night, I rested in a VIP booth at Gallery Bar. There I ate my turkey burger, broccoli, and drank green tea that I had packed in my knapsack. It is about stress and recovery…. We stress (dance dance dance!) and then recover  (food, water, rest). Then repeat.
2. Need to be in SoHo in 30 minutes - but I am in Williamsburg.
   I love riding bike around the city. Now I know that I am strong enough to ride over the Williamsburg bridge on Zach’s fixed gear bicycle. I have ridden my bike from Williamsburg to meet people at bars in the Lower East Side several times now. Usually I arrive feeling refreshed and in state. And when we switch to bars uptown, everyone is jealous that I arrive 10 minutes early.**
    Side note: Eric Lodwick is an insane city biker. I rode with him around town today and it was so exciting.
   ** Actually not true. Riding my bike when my date takes a cab is awkward. Sucks for her - get a bike, lady!
   

What do you need from your body? More energy… Longer attention span… Deeper sleep at night… Toned body image… Additional strength… Better core… Improved digestion or appetite… Stress relief!

White Tea Diary

Here are the white teas that I have known:

1. Darjeeling White. My first experience started on a high note. Darjeeling is referred to as the Champagne of Indian teas. I purchased this expensive tea in a 50g packet from the Tea Board of India’s Churchgate shop.
2. Shou Mei White. This is a low-grade Chinese white tea. Among other places, you can buy it in loose leaf at the Chinatown apothecaries here in New York City. Good for bulk brewing.
3. Peppermint Tea, caffeine-free. My bedtime favorite. I picked up a 15-pack from my grocery and was not disappointed with the price/performance ratio. Debatable if this really counts as white tea.

With the exception of the peppermint tea, each of these white teas has a very light flavor. Because of the subtle taste (which is often times beautiful), I find that you need a ready, attentive, and tuned palette to truly enjoy white tea.

Introduction to Tea for a Reformed Coffee Drinker

My friend Andrea Allen asked me to write about the teas that I drink. She wants to give up coffee in favor of tea. I used to drink a lot of coffee, but now I average only three cups per week.

So here is my introduction to teas for a reformed coffee drinker. While I don’t drink these anymore, all of these teas are available in tea bags at your local grocery store. Expect to pay about $3.50 or less for 20 bags.

First, recognize that you probably have a serious caffeine addiction. So I suggest you start your morning witha cup or two of English Breakfast tea. You could also try Irish Breakfast. Both of these are strong, black teas. Add sugar and milk to taste.

After lunch, try a cup of Earl Grey or another breakfast tea. Have one cup, or four - I drink tea almost all day long. My one rule is that I try to stay away from black teas after 6:00pm on work days. The caffeine would keep me awake all night.

As a general rule, you should let your tea bag steep no longer than three minutes. The tea in a tea bag is so finely ground (thus more surface area) that it steeps much quicker than loose leaf. Time it, pull it, and trash it after 180 seconds. Mostly all of the caffeine comes out in the first 60 seconds, anyway. After that you’re just adding flavor from the leaves (in which case more is not always better).

I like to brew tea bag tea in a tea pot or a large mug. I find that one tea bag is great for about 16 oz of water. If you have to brew your tea in a small coffee mug with 12 oz or less water, then I suggest that you only steep the tea for 90 seconds. I always pull on the string to jump my tea bag around the mug or cup while it is steeping.

For black teas, add boiling water. For green and white teas, add water just before boiling (steaming).

Caffeine content of tea in descending order:

1. Black (the most!)
2. Green (about 25 to 50% of the caffeine in black)
3. White (almost no caffeine)

Cheers to that!
 Next stop: Loose leaves and Green dreams.