Royal Wedding Tea

Ooh, lookee!  Look what I just got!  Er, what I mean to say is, what has become of me?  I mean, really -- who buys this crap?  (Actually, it would seem that loads of people buy it. Otherwise, why on earth would they sell it?*)  The funny thing is that the second I pulled it out of the box yesterday, I immediately plonked it on the counter for all to see.  'All' would be Michael -- the one who I knew full-well would openly make fun of me to his heart's content.  And he did not disappoint, I'll tell you that much.

Ordinarily this is just the sort of thing that I would tuck into the back of a closet somewhere and deny owning, or indeed, ever seeing before, all the while feeling quite pleased with myself for making the purchase.  You know how it is.  But for some reason I couldn't do it with my Royal Wedding Tea.  The tea in the fancy tin caddy is by Ahmad's of London, which is totally legit, and it is really quite good.  I know because I had some this morning.  And what's more, this was not a frivolous purchase.  I was actually in dire need of tea.  I've been out for a month now, couldn't be bothered driving to Metropolitan Market** for some more, and became an ardent coffee fan in the meantime.  And what's more, it only cost a buck or two more than the other teas I ordered.  My all-time favorite is actually Brodie's Famous Edinburgh, and I've discovered that I can order it in a mondo-sized-box.  After that, I've become a big fan of Bewley's (Irish Afternoon, in particular), also in mondo-size.  Yorkshire Gold has fallen way down on the list, on account of the fact that I am bored to tears with the stuff.  PG Tips I buy when I'm in a pinch, but the older I get the more bitter it seems to taste.  And not to sound too high-falutin, but it clearly is not the best quality.

And so, with that, I suppose I've indulged (and divulged) my inner anglophile-isms a bit too much.  But I stand by it.  After all, who doesn't like Will and Kate?***  He seems quite nice and she wears lovely boots.  And rumor has it that the doll made in her likeness is flying off the shelves.  Hmmm, maybe Emilia needs one?  Because, to be perfectly honest, there is something very American about the Middletons.  They are entirely self-made, which I find rather admirable and so very respectable.  They are not the worst role-models I've ever seen, that's for sure.  Ah, forget it.  I think we'll stick with Madeline and Mary Poppins for now.  But just make sure you keep me off the computer late at night, after a really long day and all that.  Because goodness knows I am capable of doing a lot of damage.  Or, at least as much damage as our already reeling checking account can take, which isn't much.  So we're safe for now.

* However, I do draw the line with the Royal Wedding fridge because that's just absurd.
     
**Metropolitan Market is one of the only shops around that sells strong British tea.  Whole Foods and PCC only have odd hippie tea, which is probably quite nice -- really healthy and all that crap, but I'm partial to my British stuff.

***My Chinese brother claims to never have heard of them before.  I told him that they were getting married on his birthday and he said, and I quote, 'Who?  Are you talking about that show?  Will and Grace or something?'