EAT, DRINK

 »Making the Switch: from Coffee to Green Tea

Goodbye Joe, Gotta Go

I admit it. Coffee has played a leading part in my life.

I have hazy memories from high school of drinking bottomless cups of java at the local McDonald's while skipping class with friends. Although we were only 14, we'd down more coffee than I could ever drink today, at 28. I guess that "caffeine high" was what we were going for -anything to make school a little more fun!

My addiction to Joe deepened during university, where my pals and I spent all niters together, furiously typing papers fueled by the marvelous powers of caffeine. However, the combination of bad food, lack of sleep and too much coffee quickly made me realize my addiction and that my fantasy of coming back as a coffee mug in my next life was a sign I should cut down. But it was easier said than done.

The first time I tried to quit, I broke down and bought my own cappuccino machine. At least I was saving money this way. Eventually, when I managed to cut down to 1 or 2 cups per day, I continued to look forward to going to bed early just so I could get up and enjoy my daily dose while reading the paper. Another sign of my addiction.

You might be thinking "get to the point already! what about the green tea?"

The point of telling you this story is to paint the backdrop and enable you to have a fuller, richer understanding of just how much I love and adore coffee. But, despite that, I have reconciled with the notion that I may just love it too much, and that kind of love is not good for me.

So, I'm making the switch to green tea. If I can do it, any diehard coffee drinker can.

The trick is to find a green tea that really works for you.

Before switching to tea drinking, I never thought my favorite drink would include puffed rice and popcorn. The green tea world is a wacky one, ripe with odd possibilities.

Read more in the next issue of Ladies-room.