The hell is up with this day? Everyone I know has had a rotten time of it today. I burned myself baking bread. Now every kitchen implement I use regularly has officially bitten me at some point.

THIS DAY IS MORE THAN FIRED. I'M PUTTING OUT A HIT ON IT.

To the brave soul who inhumes this Thursday (never could get the hang of Thursdays) I offer a scoop of peppermint ice cream and a glass of Sonic Screwdriver (one part vodka, one part blue curacao or in my place rum hurricane mix, and four parts lemon-lime soda. It's evil in a glass).

I did get 1200 words on Valet of Anize today, though.

Hey, does anyone know the supposed reasoning behind drinking hot tea in the summertime? This is my supposition:

"In Anize, we drink hot tea even in the summer," she said, as I stood awkwardly by the desk. "Sit down, Carry. I think it's a mixture of masochism and common sense. Supposedly," she continued, as I settled on the edge of the bed, "the tea either raises your body temperature, making you more comfortable in the heat, or it makes you sweat to cool yourself. On the other hand, as a country we seem obsessed with discovering who can survive the worst heat."

Are either of those correct? Are there other theories? I'd love to hear superstitions about tea. :D

(103 comments) - (Post a new comment)

	kath_ballantyne 2009-11-06 01:54 am UTC (link)
	I've heard both of those. I drink tea in 40° heat because it's WRONG if I don't drink tea. Iced tea just isn't tea tea. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	tapedeck 2009-11-06 02:01 am UTC (link)
	I concur 100%. Iced tea is an abomination of the worst kind. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

(no subject) - wellowned, 2009-11-06 02:20 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - copperbadge, 2009-11-06 02:40 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - wellowned, 2009-11-06 02:41 am UTC (Expand)

	firesprite1105 2009-11-06 01:54 am UTC (link)
	Oh, I fully agree with you that today sucks. And it sucks even more because it's my birthday. And I'm hungover. And all my favorite LJ comms are having drama today. Ugh. And as for drinking hot tea in the summertime, the only people I've ever met who do that are people who drink tea instead of coffee at breakfast, so this is a mystery to me. (Reply to this) (Thread)(Expand)

	dramaturgca 2009-11-06 02:44 am UTC (link)
	Happy Birthday, anyway. And many much happier returns of the day. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

(no subject) - firesprite1105, 2009-11-06 02:50 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - copperbadge, 2009-11-06 02:58 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - firesprite1105, 2009-11-06 03:01 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - copperbadge, 2009-11-06 03:14 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - firesprite1105, 2009-11-06 03:21 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - copperbadge, 2009-11-06 03:52 am UTC (Expand)

	duckgirlie 2009-11-06 01:56 am UTC (link)
	Yeah, it pushes your body temp closer to the outside, which means you notice the difference less. Or so my dad told us in India when we laughed at him for drinking hot tea instead of limca or thumbs up. (Reply to this)

	twirlynoodle 2009-11-06 01:58 am UTC (link)
	I've only ever heard the latter (the sweat one – in reference to spicy foods as well). I firmly believe that these are lies created by people without access to refrigeration, but then I am also endothermic so maybe I'm naturally at a disadvantage. (Reply to this) (Thread)(Expand)

twirlynoodle 2009-11-06 02:02 am UTC (link)

P.S. Hot tea would only push your body temperature closer to the outside air if it were over 98.6ºF/37ºC outside ... I am quite capable of feeling hot at much lower temperatures. And if that's the case, why does tea also warm you up when it's cold outside? Hmm? Hmm? Yes, I may have had this argument a few times with my two-pots-a-day former roommate, who made me try it on several occasions ... Edited at 2009-11-06 02:03 am UTC (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

(no subject) - firesprite1105, 2009-11-06 02:11 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - dremiel, 2009-11-06 02:55 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - firesprite1105, 2009-11-06 02:56 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - firesprite1105, 2009-11-06 02:57 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - dremiel, 2009-11-06 03:01 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - firesprite1105, 2009-11-06 03:05 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - dremiel, 2009-11-06 03:12 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - firesprite1105, 2009-11-06 03:18 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - twirlynoodle, 2009-11-06 02:24 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - rednwhiterose, 2009-11-06 02:34 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - twirlynoodle, 2009-11-06 02:44 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - kath_ballantyne, 2009-11-06 06:17 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - copperbadge, 2009-11-06 02:40 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - copperbadge, 2009-11-06 03:01 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - twirlynoodle, 2009-11-06 03:20 am UTC (Expand)

	forest_rose 2009-11-06 01:59 am UTC (link)
	One of my physiology lecturers claims that the raising-the-body-temperature thing is a myth. Me, I drink it because I'm Northern, and therefore the drinking of tea is compulsory. Also, it's nice. (Reply to this)

megaloo13 2009-11-06 02:00 am UTC (link)

That's an interesting idea towards the tea thing. I have heard the opposite with winter and ice cream. I believe it was a theory by Ben & Jerry, that they told to people in Vermont, that eating ice cream will lower your body temperature in a way that will not make the cold seem so cold. I don't if it's actual science, but I like to think it's a justified reason to eat ice cream. :) (Reply to this) (Thread)

	Ice cream and winter huesiemama 2009-11-06 02:43 am UTC (link)
	I have noticed that when it is bitterly cold, (I am talking below zero, dangerous to be outdoors with skin uncovered cold) that I crave ice cream, down to my soul. I cannot explain it, but must listen to the sweet cravings of my soul sometimes. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

Re: Ice cream and winter - copperbadge, 2009-11-06 02:43 am UTC (Expand)

Re: Ice cream and winter - travels_in_time, 2009-11-06 03:40 am UTC (Expand)

Re: Ice cream and winter - uninvitedcat, 2009-11-06 12:41 pm UTC (Expand)

Re: Ice cream and winter - copperbadge, 2009-11-06 02:33 pm UTC (Expand)

	corbistheca 2009-11-06 02:02 am UTC (link)
	I drink tea in the summer because I drink tea. Do I need another reason? (Reply to this) (Thread)(Expand)

	adina_atl 2009-11-06 02:06 am UTC (link)
	Exactly! (Reply to this) (Parent)

(no subject) - fer_de_lance, 2009-11-06 02:17 am UTC (Expand)

thank goodness for painkillers... dremiel 2009-11-06 02:06 am UTC (link)

May I add my four hour root canal to the list of Thursday's transgressions. My lovely Dentist and her incredibly gentle assistant kept exclaiming about how everything single thing about this tooth (location, angle, old filling, extent of decay,...) was about as difficult as it could possibly be. They more than earned their fee today so I guess it was a sort of lousy day for them, too. (Reply to this)

	renshai 2009-11-06 02:09 am UTC (link)
	I've heard both of them, and also that you should drink hot tea in hot weather because really cold tea could cause you to go into shock (that was my kindergarten teacher....I'm pretty sure that's not true). (Reply to this) (Thread)

	copperbadge 2009-11-06 03:50 am UTC (link)
	LOL that's FANTASTIC. :D (Reply to this) (Parent)

polkadot_magic 2009-11-06 02:10 am UTC (link)

I drink hot tea in all weather just because. There's debate in the world about the cool-down factor. Some (like me) say it does make a person feel cooler in the heat. Others seem to think it's just an old trick that doesn't actually work. Unrelated, my two favourite tea superstitions are: 1. If you leave the lid off a tea pot while brewing, a stranger will pay you a visit. 2. If the bubbles atop the tea can be picked up on a spoon without popping, a letter will arrive in the morning. (Reply to this) (Thread)(Expand)

	twirlynoodle 2009-11-06 02:20 am UTC (link)
	I leave the lid off the pot all the time and can't remember the last time a stranger visited me. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

(no subject) - dremiel, 2009-11-06 02:57 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - copperbadge, 2009-11-06 08:29 pm UTC (Expand)

	imaginarycircus 2009-11-06 02:12 am UTC (link)
	Dear God. No more shootings today please. In Morraco they drink sweet hot mint tea because it makes you sweat and the mint is also cooling and aids in digestion. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	travels_in_time 2009-11-06 03:42 am UTC (link)
	No more shootings today please. Jesus. This. (Reply to this) (Parent)

fer_de_lance 2009-11-06 02:15 am UTC (link)

THIS DAY IS MORE THAN FIRED. I'M PUTTING OUT A HIT ON IT. I'd like to chip in toward that. I volunteer to the inhumer of this day THREE BATCHES of homemade Scottish shortbread cookies, the tea of their choice, and all my bookstore coupons for the next year. It Has Been A Day. And if I have another day like it in the next three months, I'm going to refer customers to 1-800-U-BITE-ME and run out the door screaming. (Except I'll be too tired to run or scream; it'll be more like "trudge quickly out the door, snarling under my breath.") (Reply to this)

	firynze 2009-11-06 02:16 am UTC (link)
	I have decided that today is a particularly stabby-splodey-burn-in-effigy sort of a day (I had a miserable day as well), because it's Guy Fawkes Day. I need to go burn something. I really do. (Reply to this)

	lonecow 2009-11-06 02:17 am UTC (link)
	Over the weekend I visited my sister and her med school friends and they had this discussion too! I think one of the med students guessed that maybe the tea opens the blood vessels wider so heat gets transferred quicker...? Though personally I think it's just to make you sweat. And tea is delicious. (Reply to this)

adina_atl 2009-11-06 02:17 am UTC (link)

I've had a reasonable good day, actually, despite having a cold. My boss agreed that I couldn't do anything more on my current project until he and some other people test what I've already done, so losing most of this week to being a pollworker on Tuesday and sick Wednesday and Thursday is not a problem. Then I got another mini-project that took me twenty-one minutes to complete--4:44PM to 5:05PM from the email assigning it to me to the email stating it was complete. The client was originally quoted $1000, but our VP in charge decided to waive the fee, earning much brownie points with the client and my bosses. And at home we got a brand new stove to replace the one with only two working burners and an oven door that wouldn't open easily. The new one has sealed burners and a convection oven. We inaugurated the new oven with roast beef with horseradish and roasted sweet potatoes and roasted garlic. Nom, nom, nom. (Reply to this)

	clodia_risa 2009-11-06 02:18 am UTC (link)
	Well I must be having all of you guys fantastic because I'm having a good day. I'll try to give y'all some back for tomorrow. I don't really have much in the way of tea stories. I drink sweet iced tea even in the winter, but I'm Southern. That's all I've got. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	copperbadge 2009-11-06 06:05 pm UTC (link)
	LOL, "winter" in the south :D (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

(no subject) - clodia_risa, 2009-11-06 07:19 pm UTC (Expand)

	jo02 2009-11-06 02:19 am UTC (link)
	I've heard the theory that it makes you sweat and therefore cools your body down since I was a kid. Regardless, I'm an Aussie, we drink hot tea pretty much every day, Summer or Winter. Why? Because it's tea, and tea makes everything better. (Reply to this)

	mrsalemp 2009-11-06 02:31 am UTC (link)
	I know it's horrible, but I take a small amount of comfort in the fact that everyone else is sharing my shit day. I HATE BEING SICK. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	kath_ballantyne 2009-11-06 06:21 am UTC (link)
	*pours you tea* (Reply to this) (Parent)

	dramaturgca 2009-11-06 02:42 am UTC (link)
	My Day Other people having a worse day (Reply to this) (Thread)

	copperbadge 2009-11-06 06:04 pm UTC (link)
	GAH. THIS WEEK SUCKS. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	winterthunder 2009-11-06 02:42 am UTC (link)
	I'll trade you your burn for my blood sugar roller coaster. Lacking a hand is preferable to lacking a sense of your location in space, IMO. And I've always heard that hot tea cools you down because of that law of physics... for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction? If you're hot, and you add hot tea, your body compensates by cooling down. (Reply to this)

	chicleeblair 2009-11-06 03:10 am UTC (link)
	Actually, this is the first not-horrible day I've had in ages. (Reply to this)

	libgirl 2009-11-06 03:47 am UTC (link)
	I am with you Sam. My dog died today and I found her on my way in to work. I probably shouldn't even be here, but they needed me to come in. :/ (Reply to this) (Thread)(Expand)

	copperbadge 2009-11-06 03:50 am UTC (link)
	Oh, no. I'm so sorry. :( That's really hard, losing a pet, and especially unexpectedly like that. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

(no subject) - libgirl, 2009-11-06 04:38 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - silentstep, 2009-11-06 03:55 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - libgirl, 2009-11-06 04:42 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - tenebris, 2009-11-06 04:15 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - libgirl, 2009-11-06 04:43 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - kath_ballantyne, 2009-11-06 06:22 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - libgirl, 2009-11-06 06:35 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - adina_atl, 2009-11-06 06:20 pm UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - timberwolfoz, 2009-11-06 10:24 pm UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - debitha, 2009-11-10 11:10 am UTC (Expand)

	braidedmane 2009-11-06 04:02 am UTC (link)
	It wasn't the worst day ever, but it was so busy at work that I not only forgot to take lunch, but I only REALIZED that fact at 5pm when I started shaking. My coworker (and best friend) was out today, owing to having a (no-injury, but still damn scary) car accident yesterday, making the busy-ness even crazier. (Reply to this)

sophie_spence 2009-11-06 04:12 am UTC (link)

My mother's theory is that having the hot tea in one's mouth makes all the rest of one's body feel cooler by contrast. My father's theory is subtler: that a hot beverage must be drunk more slowly than a cold one. So the greater perception of coolness comes merely from being able to take a longer break from one's work, sitting down somewhere out of the sun, perhaps in a cool room or under a shady tree, and resting for a longer time, and thus going back to work feeling more refreshed. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	copperbadge 2009-11-06 04:15 pm UTC (link)
	I like your father's theory BEST OF ALL. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	libgirl 2009-11-06 04:40 am UTC (link)
	Thank you. Really, thank you. (Reply to this)

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(103 comments) - (Post a new comment)