Will Quah Dot Com

I like chai.

Banal I know. The first time I had chai I was in Camden Market. It was October, and not only was it cold, it was raining. And not big rain, but the sleeting, fine, sideways rain that you get in London, the sort that seems too light to bother you until you realise you’re drenched in all the hard to reach places.

The food area was near the lock, a mad shambles of tables and tents, featuring food ransacked from all over the world, cobbled together by tie-dye and dreaddie wearing (sort of) youths. Great tagines of Moroccan cous cous sat side by side with groaning platters heaped with noodles so oily they glistened in the scant traces of sun. And in the centre of it all, a smallish table dominated by an almighty cauldron, steaming and bubbling like a prop out of a Shakespearean drama.

The smell rising off it like a mist on the moor was a weird mélange of spices, sweet, savoury, and cloying. I was wary at first – the mulled wine was a much safer option in my mind. And it had alcohol in it. And fruit (healthy, see?). But I was “encouraged” to be experimental.

The much braided and little washed man behind the table ladled a volcanically warm mugful… sorry, styrofoam cupful, and handed it over. It warmed my hands right up. The star anise and cloves floating in it gave a moment’s pause though. Still, it smelt lovely, and I had a sip. Then another. And another. The fact that it was slightly watered down with rain dripping slowly from my top lip did nothing to dampen my enjoyment of this amazing new sensation.

I had a voice over today, and went straight over from killing time in a mall. I had bought myself a large chai tea latte, and had it stuffed into the drink holder in the car while I (being a great Malaysian) drove in the rain while chatting on the phone (err… hands free of course). I only got to drink it as I got out of the car and walked to the studio. The rain, which had been torrential all day, had died down to a spitting hail of large fat droplets. As I walked, I sipped the thick, sweet, viscous warmth, and was instantly back in Camden, in the rain, being “encouraged” to try something new.

I like chai.

Boil and bubble.
WillQ.