Thursday Tea

Thursday Tea is a meme, hosted by Anastasia at Birdbrain(ed) Book Log. I learned about it from Sandra at Fresh Ink (whose blog header is to die for...)

• "To play along, all you need is some tea, a book, and the willingness to answer some very simple questions: What tea are you drinking (and do you like it)? What book are you reading (and do you like it)? Tell us a little about your tea and your book, and whether or not the two go together."

Since I'm not home, my tea is from a bag of Twinings Darjeeling. (The bag comes in a packet, which is environmentally unsound, but at least it's purple.) I have just begun to read People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks, a novel about the very real Sarajevo Haggadah.

Does the tea complement the book? Oh yes, especially since this is the first day of Pesach. The tea tastes, to me, like a subtle but lingering wine. Drinking it, I imagine myself at a seder in Odessa with my great-grandfather. In the room lit by candlelight, I imagine the ancient story of liberation as I sip my delicate wine. Our Haggadah is plain, my family is scholarly, and the desire for freedom from tyrrany is ageless. I wrap my dark green shawl about my shoulders and listen to the youngest boy asking the Questions. At least for this moment, I am content.