ALL THAT ZAZZ

By Mary N. DiZazzo

Ciao bella,

"...I pour the steaming amber drink in China thin, gold banded, bordered daintily with wild rose flowers and vine; add cream and sugar or condensed, and, sipping slowly, see a film of far-off scenes unroll the "Drama of the Tea."
Minna Irving, 1920.

Sounds like a civilized Boston Tea Party to me. So let's pull out and dust off some of our nana's beautiful porcelain vessels and drink to our health.

It's been proven from around the world in many studies that drinking tea does improve cardiovascular health by conditioning the body's circulatory system of our veins and arteries. How can such a flavorful and beautiful ceremonial indulgence be so healthy?

The antioxidant capacity of tea leaves was compared to 22 antioxidant-rich veggies including broccoli, garlic, onions, corn, and carrots. The tea leaves scored number one against all 22 veggies in this study. Another subsequent study in London recently proved that the antioxidant in two cups of tea is equal to seven glasses of orange juice or 20 glasses of apple juice.

And now let the fun begin and plan an old-fashioned tea party. Invite favorite friends and relatives alike. Design your own invites and cut out into teapots. Take a photo of your treasured porcelain. Make copies of the negative and ecco la, a unique invite.

Splurge and buy a book on tea and its divine ceremony of presentation. Truly a work of art to behold. The beauty and the presentation of an artful tea party shall remain in everyone's memory.

Remember no bags! There are plentiful flavors of loose tea everywhere. Most popular is Tealuxe. The variety is endless and you may purchase as small or large a quantity as you want.

Flavors from Africa to Princess Diana's fav tea are available. The wait staff there can help you with any last minute details.

So ladies and gents, drink tea and see.

And watch for my future column on cultural tea ceremonies.

Have you missed any of my columns in the Post-Gazette? Read prior weeks' "All That Zazz" columns on my website www.mary4nails.com.

Buona giornata.

--Mary.


Mary DiZazzo is a third-generation cosmetologist and owner of Mary for Nails, etc. natural nailcare salon in Andover, and a Massachusetts distributor of Kosmea brand rose hip oil products. She may be contacted at (978) 470-8183. She also sees select clients by appointment in Boston at (617) 742-6881.