Happiness (or contentment or peace or heaven) for me is sitting in the second room at my home in Vizag at fourish in the afternoon, drinking tea, made by Appa, along with my family. It is the best time of the day. We have had our afternoon siesta and now are in that state of limbo before the evening activity begins. Over a hot cup of perfectly made tea, we chat about sundry topics.The usual suspects are Amma, Appa, Mamma, myself, Akka, Anna and Attiga (take or leave one or two). And at that precise moment, it feels like God is in his Heaven and all is right with the world.
The Tea Nazi: Tea made by Appa is simply the best and perfect tea for all of us. There are a lot of in-jokes about it. For example, he will never start the process of starting the tea before four o'clock (unless it is an emergency) whether he is in Vizag, Hyderabad or USA. Secondly, he has to know how many of us are going to have tea.If you happen to be sleeping or out at that time, you may be awake or home just 5 minutes after he started making tea, Appa's response -"sorry, no tea for you!" So, you should consider yourself lucky if you are able to get a cup of tea.The way he makes tea is also like a scientist - measuring the right amount of milk, tea powder and sugar. Everything has to be precise. But like gourmet chefs or those fancy dining restaurants, where food is served in minuscule portions, Appa's tea comes in limited amounts...the tea is great but it will be over in two gulps.All said and done, Appa makes awesome chai. The only downside as I realized once - when I made tea, my maid told me, "Sorry, amma, you do not make good tea like your father." So, it's always Appa's chai for us...and especially in Vizag when we are all assembled, it is
the most chilled-out and happiest time ever.
P.S: This post has been inspired by two of my friend's posts, "Happiness is" and "How to Make Tea".
