Image credits: www.epicurious.com
Why I love my Chai, you ask?
I will give you one reason
And then a thousand more.
Exhausted you'll say,
"Give me a break!"
"Why," I'll reply
"Let's take this over a Chai!"
O'er to my kitchen I'll walk
Just as my watch chimes at 4 O' Clock
I'll take out my aged marble mortar
And hold up an inch of ginger
I'll toss it in the air
And catch it with a flair
Bring down the stone with one swift motion
The root releasing juices for my favourite potion!
But now you'll be distracted
By a bed of brown dust
Sitting at the bottom of my tea cup
And you'll ask what you must.
"Cane sugar" I answer
But you're not any wiser
"Chai, my Dear, is versatile
Jaggery or sugar, either works just fine
But the tastes differ about a mile
Ginger, for the winter has come
For summer I prefer cardamom,
In the monsoons though I like my Chai
Extra spicy!
So I'll brew it with Masala
Made by a Gujarati!
I'll add the leaf in milk
Or I'll boil it in water
I'll prepare it a cup full
Or cut it to a quarter
His Chai will be different than mine
And mine will be different than yours
But rest assured each one will be divine!
Chai is not a mere drink
It's a way of life, I think
It's personal, it's public
It's for every mood
Sad, happy or nostalgic!
It's a process that grows with time
Chai is a poem, with a sweet, warm rhyme!