Tea as a Cure For Brainrot
I've recently become something of a tea junkie. I've always liked tea, but rarely did I ever go farther than a simple tea bag, which is basically the instant coffee of the tea world. If you asked me if I preferred coffee or tea, I'd usually say coffee. My primary tea drinks were either matcha lattes, or Americanized Masala chai.
After watching Avatar: The Last Airbender with my wife and really loving Uncle Iroh, I decided to look a bit more into tea. I decided to make actual matcha, the non-latte way. I think something in my brain changed and so too did my relationship with tea.
I have since began to learn about Chinese Gongfu tea. I purchased a small starter kit that came with a gaiwan, a gong dao bei, some tea cups, a tray, and a small dragon tea pet I've named after the Dragon of the West. Nothing too fancy, something nice enough to not hate the process, but cheap enough to where if I don't like it or something breaks due to my inexperience, it's no big deal. I also purchased some tea from Harney & Sons, specifically their dragon pearl jasmine. Obviously starting with jasmine because of Iroh.
I've realized there's beauty in the simple experience of tea making. Something relaxing about sitting their, brewing tea, and enjoying the taste and aroma. Going through the ritual of gongfu tea making, and the social nature of it. Jasmine tea specifically has a very nice, floral aroma. Very light on the palette, no bitterness at all when brewed right (which was about 10-20 seconds at 175degrees Fahrenheit for my gaiwan). Gongfu tea brewing is one that commands full attention, and is very difficult to multitask with lest you break your gaiwan or burn your fingers.
I tried making some of the bag teas, the sweeter fruit-infused teas that my wife likes. It kinda sucks if I'm being honest. It's incredibly bitter by comparison, I just thought that's what tea tasted like, but no. I've learned that loose leaf tea is really where it's at.
So how does this more meticulous style of tea making (not exclusive to gongfu mind you) act as a possible cure for brain rot? I'm glad you asked... or didn't.
When we talk about brainrot, it's usually due to an excess of low-quality stimulation. With tea brewing, or really any form of drink making that requires a sort of methodical ritual to it (pour over coffee also comes to mind), it's on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. When you're dealing with onset brainrot, it's due to rapid-fire, high-intense, visual stimuli.
A lot of us, myself included, find it really hard to not be able to do something without some background stimulation. Be it music while cleaning the house, a podcast while doing homework, a youtube video while eating. It's important to be able to sit with yourself. A mind that can't be alone in the quite is a mind that misses subtle beauties.
Hobbies/interests that force you to really slow down override that tendency for your brain to pull a Sonic. "Gotta go fast" and all that. Vinyl, espresso coffee making, gongfu tea, all of these require you to take a moment and slow the fuck down. It also gives that instant gratification reward when the ritual is over. After you've brushed your record and carefully set the needle, you're rewarded with your favorite music. After you've gone through the ritual of brewing espresso, you're rewarded with a delicious cup of coffee. You get the point.
One of the main coping mechanisms I was taught to deal with my ADHD is mindfulness. Often this comes in the form of meditation, or just simply slowing down and really thinking through your steps so you don't blink and wonder how you got from the inside of your house to your car (that can't just be me right?).
Gongfu tea brewing isn't a fast process really. Not nearly as fast and simple as just pouring hot water over a tea bag. It's just as much a science as it is an art. I won't drone on with the details of what goes into gongfu tea, so if you want to look it up there's plenty of videos on Youtube (the one by Jesse's Teahouse is what got me started).
Anyway that's my yap session for today. I encourage you to find a hobby that exercises mindfulness. Can be anything really, from tea, to music, to meditation. Do it with care and do it in peace. Your spirit will thank you for it.
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as of writing this...
I've been kinda away from blogging for a bit. My mom was diagnosed with stage 3 carcinoma and have been taking time to process all that. It's serious, obviously, but the odds are very much in her favor. Wishing her all the best and offering support where I can. I started a new beta 1.7.3 minecraft world that I want to treat as a sort of long-term evolving project. Starting with 1.7.3 and then slowly upgrading over time to newer versions, capping off at silver age (probably release 1.8).