Archive for August, 2006

Tea is Serious Business

Thursday, August 31st, 2006 by Sandy M. Bushberg


The tea that we drink is grown in foreign countries. That makes it easy to distance ourselves from all that is involved in getting the product to us. We don’t often think about the workers’ lives which are so inextricably connected to the growing and preparation of the foods we consume.
Here is an article about [...]

Thanks but now I can’t drink the water!

Wednesday, August 30th, 2006 by Michelle Rabin


Moving to rural Oregon 3 years ago from New Jersey, the most densely populated state in the country, brought a lot of change into our lives. Water was one of them. Being health conscious and always aware of pollutants in water, we had invested in a whole house Reverse Osmosis system for our historic home [...]

Tea In Early America Part 2

Wednesday, August 30th, 2006 by Pearl Dexter


Although some Americans renounced tea as a social beverage during the Revolutionary War, it regained popularity when the war ended.
After the war the entrepreneurship of Americans like the Pecks of Boston, Derbys of Salem, Browns of Providence, Constables, Parkers, Schermerhorns, and Vanderbilts of New York, and the Morris family of Philadelphia, the United States of [...]

The Asian Paradox

Tuesday, August 29th, 2006 by Sandy M. Bushberg


What is the “Asian Paradox”? It refers to the fact that there is a greater amount of cigarette smoking in Asia, but a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease and cancer. What would cause that apparent contradiction? New research from Yale University suggests this may be due to the greater consumption of green tea in Asia.

Tea in Early America Part 1

Tuesday, August 29th, 2006 by Pearl Dexter


In 18th-century America, tea customs stemmed from the social customs brought to New Amsterdam (now New York City) by Dutch settlers in the 17th century and by the English colonists. Dutch Colonists erected tea water pumps over natural springs and later established tea gardens near the springs. Not only were the early colonists drinking spring [...]