#The Flavour of Green Tea Over Rice | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

softquietsteadylove · 25 days

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Okay I’m glad we can cry about the vow au together, because if Thena’s going to keep remembering things when her sweet and precious Gil makes her a treat I might just never stop asking for it 😭 would love to read more, whatever you think comes next i’m happy to read!!!

"Sweetie?"

Thena looked up from her pillow. She looked particularly miserable, which made sense; she had never done well when sick. "Hm?"

Gil stepped into the guest room with his tray in hand. He nudged the door closed before setting it down on the dresser, "how are you feeling, hon?"

Thena blinked her glassy green eyes at him, "I'm sorry to make you take care of me like this."

Gil just shook his head. She had no memory of him nursing her back to health when a flu took her down hard after their first trip together. Her first cold with him as a couple when she kept insisting he couldn't see her with her runny nose and blotchy fever skin. Even when she had some bad periods that could make her growly.

She thought of herself as a real lioness, but he couldn't help but think of a plush, ragdoll cat who kept hissing at him.

He leaned forward, kissing her clammy forehead. "I think your fever's broken, at least. Did you get a little rest?"

Thena just nodded, pulling up her knees under the covers so he could sit on the edge of the bed. "Did you apologise to Ajak for me?"

"Hey, come on, people get sick, it happens," he chuckled as he patted her knees. "I have some time off to use, and she understands. They can do without me for a few days."

"I don't know how true that is," she muttered as he retrieved the tray. She straightened her legs again so he could stand it up over her lap. "Your customers will be missing out on your perfect croissants."

He grinned, offering her the mug of tea first. "And my seasalt vanilla fours?"

Thena's smile turned soft and a little shy. He was elated, though--ever since their first date and their kiss, he had been excited to see how they would continue to progress their relationship.

"Here," he whispered, adjusting the platter he had brought with him. "I made you some homemade chicken soup, nothing too heavy. I boiled the chicken in the broth, like Hainanese chicken rice. I gave you a little side of rice if you wanna dip it in the broth, but don't force yourself. Some cucumbers, but they're not pickled because I don't think it's good for you if you're sick--I guess I don't really know."

Thena tilted her head at him, her hair rustling against one of the many pillows propping her up. She kept insisting she looked awful, but he thought she looked as beautiful as always. "Thank you."

He sighed a little, trying not to make it obvious that he was mourning a time when this would be natural for them. But he adjusted the little cilantro flower he included on her napkin, "in sickness and in health, right?"

Thena's expression changed, but she gave him one of those gorgeous smiles that used all her teeth and picked up her spoon, "I suppose you're right."

Gil looked around the room, standing to pick up the extra blanket she had picked off in her sleep, as well as some pajama changes. It was hard to tell how messy she could be at times based on the polished appearance of his wife, but he liked picking up after her (most of the time).

"Gil?"

He looked back at her as he folded up the blanket. She had her big sad kitten eyes on again. "What's up?"

"You're not going to sit with me?"

His face split into a grin, even if she seemed a little sheepish about it. He knew it wasn't something she would ask easily, and obviously she had kind of just let it slip. But he all but dropped the blanket and threw himself onto the bed again. "Of course I am."

Thena settled against the pillows again after he gave her knee a squeeze on his way to lying on his side to face her. "Did you eat?"

"I grazed while I was cooking," he excused easily. He'd had some rice and a few pieces of chicken, mostly concerned with getting the flavours right for Thena's weakened state.

Thena eyed him, nudging the dish of rice he had specifically described as optional, "I won't eat it all anyway."

That was true, she tended to eat less in terms of the starch of any dish. Gil chuckled, "okay."

Placated by him picking up the rice and using the chopsticks, she continued using the spoon to sip the broth. She was delicate about it. It reminded him of the first time they'd gotten ramen together--she'd held her hair back while taking delicate little bites the whole time. He'd found it unbearably cute while he'd guzzled his back in minutes. Of course he ordered another bowl so she wouldn't have to eat alone.

Thena's eyes watered a little, but he squinted. Was it just the general sickness, was it her fever coming back, was there too much ginger? She sniffled, putting the spoon down. "I know this taste."

Ah, his sweet wife. He put the rice down gently before reaching for her hand. "I make it for you every time you're sick. You know how to make it too."

"I do?" she asked, staring at him as if he'd suggested she knew rocket science. "Me?"

"Yes, you," he reached out to tap her nose, but she leaned away from him. "All you do is add the aromatics to the pot with the whole chicken, even you can do it."

"Hm," she remarked quietly, staring at the meal she couldn't believe she would be capable of replicating.

"I made it for you the first time you were sick when we were dating," he continued, picking up some cucumber for himself. "I surprised you with it, showed up at your doorstep--very romantic, y'know."

She gave him a look, definitely knowing that she - in the story - hadn't appreciated being ambushed.

"You told me I shouldn't have and that you looked awful, but I couldn't have been more in love with you," he sighed, fluttering his lashes at her. She rolled her eyes, but he could see her smiling just a tiny little bit. "I delivered this dish and we hung out a little. You told me I would get sick, I said I wouldn't, and you were totally right, I got sick the next day."

She tilted her head the other way and raised her eyebrows at him, unimpressed to say the least.

He shrugged though, still grinning. "But I didn't want to admit it, so I told you I was healthy as a horse and couldn't make our date that week because of a work emergency."

"Deceitful," she murmured, pursing her lips at it.

"Come on, just a harmless little lie, y'know," he pursed his lips right back at her, even hitting her with his own sad puppy eyes.

She looked back into the bowl and took a loud sip. He would take that as him being forgiven. "I remember you coming over."

"Really?" he sat up straighter.

She nodded, taking another, slower, quieter sip. "No one had ever done that for me before. I was so astounded. And the food was so good it made me want to cry."

"No crying," he whispered, keeping his eye on her now, watching for tears. Not that it wasn't a chef's dream to have people cry from their food, but this was different.

"Kari called me to ask how I was doing," she smiled more at the memory as it came to her. They were coming more often and at greater length. It was nothing if not encouraging. "I told her that this very sweet guy I was seeing brought me some homemade chicken rice. She practically slapped her phone in her hurry to tell me to 'lock it down'."

Gil made a face, stroking the hair on his chin, "she's wise."

Thena shook her head at him again, but he could tell she was falling for his charm all over again. "I suppose I followed her advice, didn't I?"

So much came to mind, but Gil leaned forward to kiss her forehead again, which continued to feel cooler to the touch, "I'm lucky you did."

Thena leaned into his affection. She had gotten more used to it as they continued to explore their relationship, and he really had the feeling that she was looking for more sometimes. He would save that for a time when she wasn't ill.

"You keep eating," he encouraged, moving the rice closer to her again in hopes of tempting her.

"But-"

"I'll get a bowl for myself and come right back," he promised, sealing it with a wink and everything. His wife gave him another look of feigned exasperation, but she was already waiting for his return, preciously clutching her rice to eat with him.

#Thenamesh Vow AU #yes I love writing sickfic #yes I am sick right now what's your point?#I'm so glad you're liking this au!!!!#please never stop asking for more of it #Gil excels at the in sickness and in health #obviously #but it's not just the big deals like brain seizures and hospital visits #it's also when she gets a common cold #Thena gets all grumpy and sour when she's sick #and Gil calls her his little umeboshi #he makes dishes that are gentle on the stomach but still nutritious #because the less time Thena spends being sick the better for both of them #Gil definitely thought it was really romantic of him that first time #meanwhile Thena is like fuck I look disgusting #meanwhile Kari is like dude this is like out of a romcom or something #Kari is out here like friends to lovers slowburn hurt/comfort 100k words #Thena: I don't know what that means

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thevalleyisjolly · 4 months

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One of my dreams is to just take all my friends out for a Lunar New Year’s dinner at a Cantonese seafood restaurant. The (admittedly loud) experience of sitting at one of the big round tables, the piping hot ceramic teapots that always spill on the tablecloth no matter how carefully you pour, the waiters handing out the hot towelettes before the first course. In the really fancy places, they give you actual rolls of towels from a tray of hot water, but most places just have the pre-packaged disposable ones. Lucky money has already been handed out (and a whole horde of young people suddenly conveniently had to go to the bathroom because opening your lai see in front of others is beyond rude).

Then the first courses - two course Peking duck, of course, a true hallmark of how special the evening is. Hot Cantonese seafood soup that you always squint suspiciously at even though everyone swears there’s no shark fin in it. The rice comes out in perfect little domes, signalling the start of the main dishes. Bitter snow pea leaves stir-fried with garlic, white chunks of fish with snap peas, the dark mushroom dish in a stone pot that the older adults love, the crispy noodles, the obligatory sweet and sour pork, the crispy skin chicken with shrimp chips and sea salt on the side for flavouring, maybe king crab if you’re really feeling fancy (and rich). Then the moment when the star of the meal comes out, the whole steamed fish on a nest of ginger, green onions, and soy sauce. Sometimes the waiter shows it off, presents the fish to the oldest or most important looking person at the table for their approval, before whisking it away to actually cut up the fish so you can eat it.

Despite all this, someone will inevitably think there’s not enough food and order a stone pot rice or a bowl of noodles, which exactly two people will poke at because there’s already enough leftovers for several days.

Tiny ceramic tea cups refilled many, many times. Every five minutes, there’s always someone spinning the Lazy Susan, reaching for the teapot (which for some reason, always has a little plastic spout taped on that does nothing to stop it dripping everywhere). The person beside them will pour for them, that’s just manners, and for everyone else in the nearby vicinity who has a cup that’s less than full. Inevitable calls for more hot water, as the tea steeps and becomes over-bitter for even the toughest old aunties. Tonight is for tea and hot water - perhaps some of the younger generation may indulge in a beer, and the really little kids bring their own sippy cups or get a glass of cold water, but there isn’t a soda or novelty drink to be found.

Dessert, usually red bean soup, maybe a sweet mung bean soup. Sometimes the waiter will bring over a few plates of tapioca or mango pudding for those who don’t want soup. Usually it’s for the children, but the adults do a really bad job of pretending they’re not jealous the whole time. Surprisingly, there isn’t much of a fight over the bill this time, this meal’s been planned for weeks and everyone’s paid their share in advance, but there’s an even fiercer fight over who has to take home all the leftovers. Inevitably, it gets foisted on the younger generation, the elders talking about how they have no appetite nowadays and how it’s very bad for their health to eat all this and how it saves you kids having to cook a few meals since you can’t cook proper Chinese food anyways. Naturally the person who ordered the extra dishes will be saddled with the bulk of the leftovers, as is only fair.

The very slow and meandering goodbyes, people running to the bathroom from all the tea, and the last minute carpool arrangements because why would people go home in the same cars they came in? The yawning children wave a sleepy goodbye to the crabs in their tanks as they leave. The fish tanks are a vital part of any Chinese seafood restaurant worth anything, and have fascinated generations of squirmy children getting a little too bored in their high chairs. And that is another Lunar New Year!

#the valley is posting #food #this post brought to you be me unwisely signing up to run a lunar new year dnd oneshot next month #look i'm unemployed and i have very little disposable income so i can't take my friends out for a proper lunar new year dinner #the next best thing is finally running a dnd oneshot like i keep saying i will

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tastesoftamriel · 2 years

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As someone who loves sweets, what fine desserts exist across Tamriel? I’ll bet the bosmer get super creative! And the Khajiit are sure winners.

Aside from candies and sweets, desserts across Tamriel reflect local tastes and vary in complexity, flavour, and texture.

Altmer

Dessert in Summerset is always served cool or chilled, and is bound to be just the right amount of flavourful and refreshing. Take, for example, the famous sorbet cups served everywhere from street corners in Alinor to posh dining tables. Some of my favourite flavours are candied cherry blossom, jasmine with dark chocolate chips, and mint with lime zest.

Argonians

Nothing beats the popping "onde-onde" balls beloved by Black Marsh residents. These sticky "cakes" are made of glutinous rice, and have a liquid coconut or palm sugar centre, and are liberally coated in shredded coconut. While small and easy to eat in a bite, the glutinous rice does get quite filling, so four is usually enough for dessert!

Bosmer

Custard, in its most perfect, creamy, glorious, silky form, is one of the staples of Valenwood desserts. Made with sugar mammoth cream and eggs, these lightly sweet custards are served as is, chilled, or topped with bacon bits for some crunch. My personal favourite is the non-Green Pact version of a creme brulee, where custard is drizzled with moon sugar and blasted with a flame spell until caramelised and crisp on top.

Bretons

The humble chocolate pastry is probably every Breton's favourite everyday treat, and for good reason. Sweet dark chocolate enveloped by buttery puff pastry is oh so simple yet oh so decadent. Best served with a cup of tea or coffee.

Dunmer

A traditional Dark Elf dessert loved by all from Mournhold to Windhelm is a deliciously weird "cake" made from a layer of sweetened glutinous saltrice, and topped with an equally-sized firm layer of marshmerrow custard. Served chilled, these "kueh salat" are enormously addictive and satisfying. One of my favourite desserts.

Imperials

Every Imperial dessert is enjoyable in my book, especially those containing a drop or two of something boozy. Take, for example, the humble tiramisu of Bruma. Almond and coffee and all things flavourful make up this rich, mascarpone-based cake, made traditionally with almond biscuits soaked in amaretto as a base. Topped with a mound of glorious cocoa powder, it's a sumptuous delight of a dessert.

Khajiit

Miso...caramel? Umami fermented soy bean paste meets rich moon sugar caramel for the ultimate flavour fusion that I certainly wasn't prepared for! Big batches of Miso caramel are always on hand in any confectioner's kitchen. It goes in everything from ice cream and cheesecake to being mixed with dulce de leche for an outrageously decadent pudding. On that note, I'll have one miso caramel pudding with a miso caramel cream coffee, thanks.

Nords

Steamed treacle pudding gets my vote as one of Skyrim's best desserts. Dense and gooey, and sometimes even drenched in mead, these puddings are served hot at every tavern (rivalling Breton sticky toffee pudding). Topped with whipped cream, the rich treacle is a real treat when poured over and infused into the rich butter pudding!

Orcs

Sweet potato pudding is a set custard infused with lots and lots of roasted sweet potatoes! Mashed and mixed into a plain creme patissiere, then swirled through with a spiced caramel swirl, these ganache-like treats are simply to die for (and you just might, if you try nick this off an Orc).

Redguards

Cardamom and saffron are ubiquitous in Redguard cooking, and this includes desserts. "Rasmalai", a dish made from fried, spongy patties of cottage cheese soaked in cardamon syrup, floating in a thick and sweet saffron and cardamom milk sauce. While it sounds a bit odd, rasmalai is a true treat for the senses, and is a rich and flavourful end to any meal.

#the elder scrolls #tes #cooking #food #Asks #World building #worldbuilding #Dessert

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fatefulstars · 2 years

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JJK Cafe 2022 - Info & Food and Drink Menu

Event Date: August 11 to October 10

Locations: Tokyo & Osaka

Details: Early reservation provides the buyer with an A4 poster of the above picture.

Food Menu

Yuji Itadori - Chicken Over Rice

Chicken over rice with chili tomato sauce and a salad filled with oranges, carrots, and chorizo sausages that are shaped like Sakuna’s fingers.

Megumi Fushiguro - Fitting Dark Garden Sandwich

Black French toast served with orange and chocolate sauce and chocolate ice cream.

Nobara Kugisaki - Vegetable Spice Curry

Medium spicy millet rice curry with bell roses and vegetables. it comes with a cheese crisp as well.

Second Years - Breakfast Plate

A plate of eggs benedict, Vichyssoise soup with non-powdered protein, and a pancake with a picture of Panda on it. The eggs benedict can be served with hot sauce if wanted.

Kento Nanami - Apple Pork Wrap Sandwich

Balsamic flavoured apple pork sandwich with Camembert cheese, a small bowl of Vichyssoise soup, and potato salad.

Satoru Gojo - Fictitious "茈" cake

A whipped pancake that uses vanilla ice cream and berry sauce in the image of Gojo’s "茈" technique. The plate is decorated with blueberry sauce, has blueberries and raspberries, and has a silhouette of Gojo showing this technique.

Area of Curses Plate

A dessert plate inspired by the curses (we know who you’re talking about 😉) who enjoy playing soccer on the beach. It comes with a yogurt and cheese parfait, a lemon sorbet, and a chocolate cupcake.

Drinks Menu

Yuji Itadori - Passion Cranberry Tea Soda

Megumi Fushiguro - Green Apple Mint Soda

Contains Ramune jelly at the bottom.

Nobara Kugisaki - Orange Rose Hip Tea Soda

Contains bell rose and raspberry.

Kento Nanami - Coffee Mojito Soda

Non-alcoholic (😂) lemon mojito soda with a side of espresso to pour in.

Satoru Gojo - Blue Hawaii Lemon Drink

Contains lemon jelly.

Gojo’s Hot Coffee

Since Gojo doesn’t like alcohol, here is a cup of hot coffee inspired by the scene where he puts a lot of sugar cubes in his coffee. ☕️

The goods list will follow in a separate post as this has became a monster post!! 😎

#jjk #jujutsu kaisen #itadori yuji #yuji itadori #yuji #fushiguro megumi #megumi fushiguro #megumi #kugisaki nobara #nobara kugisaki #nobara #satoru gojo #gojo satoru #gojo #kento nanami #nanami kento #nanami

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liu-lang · 11 months

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earlier this week I made thunder tea rice / 擂茶饭

it's a hakka chinese dish but strangely google will only give me results for restos in sg - so now i wonder if it's more of a hakka diaspora dish, i haven't been able to find it outside of sg.

the name thunder tea rice comes from the fact that the character and pronunciation of the words 'thunder' 雷 and 'to pound' 擂 are the same.

you pound together green tea leaves with seeds and nuts and herbs (and sometimes anchovies or dried shrimp but i made a vegan version this time) to make a tea paste which you steep and then pour over the rice or eat on the side in separate bowl. it's like a more... flavourful version of ochazuke. there was an ozu retrospective at film forum to commemorate his birth / death and i saw his film 'the flavour of green tea over rice'

from left to right, i steamed different green leafy veg : long napa cabbage, bok choy, choy sum, edamame and watercress. this would go on top of the rice and stir fried veg in the circular black container. i stir fried long beans, carrots and onions and sauteed mini king oyster and shiitake mushrooms. instead of typical white rice, i cooked thai riceberry black rice in a mixture of coconut milk and cold brewed green tea. the dish is very simple and light so i thought the nutty flavour of the rice would complement it well. i also fried firm tofu that was coated in rice flour and shichimi togarashi.

my tea paste consisted of gunpowder green tea leaves, thai basil, mint, sesame seeds and peanuts. i forgot to get fresh coriander and add in a teaspoon of matcha. i also made this dish over 2 days so the tea paste oxydised a bit but that's okay. not pictured, i made a seaweed salad with cucumbers and bean sprouts and lightly pickled shredded jicama and green korean radishes

#personal #nyc move #cooking

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dummy-kanji · 2 years

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(vía The Flavour of Green Tea over Rice (1952) **** Blu-ray - Filmuforia)

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cakesexuality · 2 years

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what do you think are the most redeeming qualities about human beings? anything you've seen lately that reminds you of said redeeming qualities? and how have you been kind to yourself this week?

I'll start with "How have you been kind to yourself this week?" because the other part of this gets so long that I have to cut it off. Apparently this is a controversial opinion in some parts of the internet, but if you're craving a food, you should probably just eat that food. On Friday, I was craving something chocolatey, so I bought some of my vegan ice cream sandwiches at the grocery store yesterday (Saturday) and I might have one with some tea tonight! They're just like regular ice cream sandwiches except it's like they're filled with a coconut-flavoured ice cream instead of a vanilla-flavoured ice cream, and it's great because they don't make me sick 💖

I often think about when humans help out/are kind to someone they've just met or barely know

When I was in high school, I went on a field trip to one of those museums where it's a bunch of old buildings put together as a little village, and twice a year (once per semester) they do a whole day of historians dressing in period clothing with a bunch of stations for kids to learn about parts of WWI, e.g. a "pastor" in the parish talking about funerals for soldiers, a "nurse" in the barn talking about medical care in the field, etc. There was only, like, one modern building on the whole property, which was a cafeteria. I hadn't packed anything to eat, because I was really bad at that in high school, so I went to the cafeteria to get some green tea and a cup of rice pudding... only to get to the cash register and realise I had no money. Without hesitation, the woman in line behind me said "Oh, I'll pay for it, then." I probably would have been hungry for the rest of the day if nobody had offered to buy my lunch for me.

When I first moved into my apartment in January 2016, my internet provider had to mail me the modem to be able to use my internet, but it was too big to fit in my slot at the mailbox in the lobby, so I had to get it from the post office. The thing is, the post office was in not just a different neighbourhood, but a neighbourhood with terrible bus service. The bus only comes once every 60 minutes, but then it never came when it was supposed to, so I was stranded. It was so cold outside that when I finally got home, I still had no feeling in my feet. My phone was dead and my wifi-only tablet wouldn't connect to the internet at the Tim Horton's there, so I went to the Shoppers Drug Mart nearby to think of what to do. I ended up going to the back to use the pharmacy's phone to call my mom to see if she or someone she knew could come get me, except my mom doesn't answer calls from numbers she doesn't know, so I got her voicemail. I started crying because I didn't know what else to do, so the pharmacist gave me $20 from her purse and called a taxi to take me home. My mom did eventually call back and a cashier paged me over the store's PA, but then I had to let her go because my taxi pulled up in front of the store!

There was a little old lady who would come around my building sometimes because her friend lived in my hall. I'd only met her once or twice, and I didn't even know her name, but she once knocked on my door and gave me a purple handbag because "It reminded me of you!"

My friend and I were making a quick trip to the grocery store back in late 2020, but I was in such a hurry to leave the house that I forgot to bring a mask and they were mandated here by that point. We were about to turn around to get disposable masks from my friend's dad's truck when a woman who was leaving the store heard our conversation. She worked for the school board and always has tons of unused fabric masks meant to be given to the kids, so she gave me one and I was able to quickly pop into the store to get my muffin mix that I wanted. I still have that mask and love it because it's solid black and therefore matches all of my outfits!

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hiyouuk · 22 days

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Exploring the Benefits of Mochi Tea for the Mind and Body

The Asian tea culture didn’t start yesterday – it has been part of them for many years. Mochi Green Tea is now gaining popularity everywhere else across the globe – the UK is not an exception. Is this tea good for you, and is it worth trying? Here are the top reasons the tea is good for your mind and body:

Enjoy a Distinctive Tea Taste

You love your beverage tasty, exciting, and enticing, right? That’s what you enjoy when you savour mochi. The fact that this beverage is derived from green tea means you get to enjoy the grassy undertone that comes with it – that’s a perfect feel for those boring afternoons. Moreover, you feel a touch of bitterness and robustness from afar. Also, the teas may have sweeteners and varying flavours depending on the variety you go for.

At HiYou, we have a wide variety of tasty mocha teas for you – experiment with as many as you can and choose your favourites. For example, Royal Family Milk Bubble Tea Mochi Rice Cakes has a perfect blend of bubble milk, butter, and brown sugar among other ingredients to create a bold piece that you’d love to try over and over again. Other tea flavours you can try include:

Love & Love Mochi Bubble Milk Tea Flavour

Yuki & Love Boba Milk Tea Mochi

Wu Yin Cheng Mochi Green Tea

Boost Your Energy Levels with Tea

You require enough energy to carry on with the activities of the day. This energy comes from what you drink and eat. Mochi should take a special space in your dietary plan to help you have an energy burst to carry on with your activities. You can take your tea any time you feel you need that energy boost – when you wake up, in the afternoon, or evening.

So, how does this tea boost your energy levels? The moderate amount of caffeine in this tea makes you more alert. As a result, you can focus more as you proceed with your daily activities. Moreover, this caffeine improves your mood making it easy for you to work.

Your Gateway to Stress Relief and Relaxation

Life is full of stressors – it could be social, financial, or academic issues. You already know the fatigue and mental disturbance that come from these stressors make it difficult for you to function optimally. So, if you require something to help you reduce stress and relax, this tea could just be what you should go for.

The tea has L-theanine which helps make your brain relaxed. Moreover, it improves your mood after that rough day you’ve had. That’s good for your mental well-being – a good reason to embrace these teas.

Immerse Yourself into the Tea Culture

The tea culture has always been an important part of the Japanese culture. For example, the expert preparation of this tea is a demonstration of how they pay attention to details. Moreover, they have tea ceremonies where they foster a sense of togetherness by indulging in tea.

You too, can get into the tea culture. Taking time to prepare this beverage teaches you about patience and paying attention to even the smallest details. So, you can stay in touch with the Japanese culture even if you’re away from them.

Embrace Mochi Tea for Your Good

This is the perfect tea for your body and mind. The teas come in distinctive flavours and help to boost your energy levels. Moreover, this tea is good for your mental well-being. Purchase top-quality tea from HiYou and enjoy what this rich culture has to offer.

#Mochi Tea #Mochi Green Tea

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tanveesharma · 3 months

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Beginner's Guide to a Wholesome Indian Diet Plan

Starting a weight loss journey can be daunting, especially when you're unsure where to begin. Fear not! With the right diet plan for weight loss, you can embark on this journey with confidence and excitement. Indian cuisine, with its rich flavours and diverse ingredients, offers a treasure trove of weight loss foods that are both nutritious and delicious. Let's dive into an Indian diet plan that's designed to kick-start your weight loss while tantalizing your taste buds.

A Week-Long Indian Diet Chart for Weight Loss

Monday Magic:

Breakfast: Start with a steaming bowl of vegetable poha, a light yet fulfilling dish.

Lunch: Grilled Tandoori chicken with a side of mixed vegetable salad.

Dinner: Enjoy a comforting bowl of dal with a serving of brown rice.

Tuesday Treats:

Breakfast: A refreshing smoothie made with yogurt and fresh seasonal fruits.

Lunch: Chickpea salad, packed with protein and fiber.

Dinner: Palak paneer with a couple of whole wheat chapatis.

Wednesday Wonders:

Breakfast: Oatmeal with skimmed milk and a sprinkle of nuts.

Lunch: Quinoa and vegetable stir-fry.

Dinner: Grilled fish with a side of steamed vegetables.

Thursday Thrills:

Breakfast: A cup of moong dal chilla, a delightful Indian pancake.

Lunch: Mushroom and pea curry with one chapati.

Dinner: Chicken salad with lots of greens and a citrus dressing.

Friday Feast:

Breakfast: Mixed vegetable upma, a savory semolina dish.

Lunch: Brown rice biryani with raita.

Dinner: Cauliflower and tofu stir-fry.

Saturday Specials:

Breakfast: Besan (chickpea flour) cheela with mint chutney.

Lunch: Grilled paneer tikka with salad.

Dinner: Vegetable soup with a slice of multigrain bread.

Sunday Surprises:

Breakfast: Idli with sambhar, a classic South Indian dish.

Lunch: Lentil curry with a serving of jeera rice.

Dinner: Stir-fried tofu with vegetables.

Snack Smartly

In between meals, it's important to snack smartly. Opt for weight loss friendly options like a handful of nuts, fresh fruits, or a cup of green tea. These snacks will keep you satiated and prevent you from overeating during meal times.

However In the modern world, where time is a luxury, maintaining a healthy lifestyle can often take a backseat. This is particularly true in the fast-paced lifestyle of India, where work and family responsibilities often dominate our schedules. If you're someone who's been struggling to find time for yourself, leading to irregular eating habits and minimal physical activity, resulting in weight gain and decreased energy levels, Meal replacement like VidaSlim might just be the solution you've been looking for.

Effective VidaSlim Routine

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Stay Hydrated

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Exercise for Extra Edge

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Conclusion

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#indian diet plan #weightloss #beginners

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subikshafoods · 3 months

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Health-Conscious Foodies: Unleash the Nutritional Power of Ghee

For health-conscious foodies seeking a balance between flavour and nutrition, the golden elixir of ghee is your secret weapon. Discover the myriad benefits of incorporating fresh ghee in madurai into your culinary repertoire, transforming your dishes into wholesome delights without compromising on taste.

Ghee in Morning Brews: Boost your morning routine by adding a spoonful of ghee to your coffee or tea. The healthy fats in ghee provide sustained energy, promoting a mindful start to your day.

Ghee-Infused Breakfast: Upgrade your breakfast favourites by incorporating ghee. Whether drizzled on oatmeal, spread on toast, or mixed into a smoothie, ghee adds a rich, nutty flavour while enhancing the nutritional profile.

Ghee-Sautéed Greens: Elevate the nutrient content of your sautéed greens by using ghee as the cooking fat. The high smoke point of ghee ensures that the valuable nutrients in your vegetables remain intact.

Ghee-Whipped Mashed Potatoes: Transform a classic comfort dish into a nutritious delight by whipping ghee into your mashed potatoes. The creamy texture and rich taste will make it a staple in your health-conscious repertoire.

Ghee-Roasted Vegetables: Amp up the flavour of roasted vegetables by tossing them in ghee before baking. The result is a caramelized, savoury goodness that makes nutritious eating a pleasure.

Ghee-Drizzled Grains: Infuse your grains with health-boosting fats by drizzling ghee over rice, quinoa, or couscous. This simple addition enhances the taste and nutrient absorption of your favourite grains.

Ghee-Cooked Lean Proteins: Opt for ghee as your cooking fat when preparing lean proteins like chicken or fish. The rich flavour complements the protein while imparting the benefits of healthy fats to your meal.

Ghee-Dressed Salads: Craft a delectable dressing for your salads with a mix of ghee, lemon, and herbs. This not only adds a burst of flavour but also aids in the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients present in your greens.

Ghee-Infused Soups: Stir in a spoonful of ghee into your favourite soups just before serving. The added richness enhances the overall taste while providing a satiating and nutritious element to your bowl.

Ghee-Glazed Sweet Treats: Indulge your sweet tooth healthily by using ghee in baking or drizzling it over desserts. The nutty undertones of ghee add a delightful twist to your favourite treats without compromising on health.

For health-conscious foodies, ghee is not just a cooking fat; it’s a nutritional powerhouse that elevates the taste and benefits of every dish. From breakfast to dinner and everything in between, unleash the transformative power of fresh ghee in madurai to enjoy a wholesome and flavorful culinary experience. Embrace the golden elixir, and let your health-conscious journey be a delightful gastronomic adventure!

Find us inside Subiksha Foods at No 110 A, Bypass Road, Bethaniyapuram, Opp Babu Sharkar Marriage Mahal, Madurai — 625016, or call us at +91 80567 44906. You will be able to browse our website at https://subikshafoods.in/ for details.

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#idlydosamavunearmemadurai #wholewheatparathamadurai #instantpoorimadurai #instantchapatimadurai #instantparathamadurai #instantchapati

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tessbev · 4 months

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Our one full day in krabi

Recounting the day always feeels like we did a million things. We started the day with a little boat trip to railay beach, about a 10 minute scoot on the long tail boat. Spent the afternoon wandering about, swimming, and throwing the football. Saw some monkeys hopping from rooftop to rooftop, didn’t manage to snap a pic but you can use your imagination for this one :)

We all got a little sunned out quicker than we usually do so we called it a day and took the boat back around 230/3. Had a little quiet time before setting out to find myself a papaya salad. These are my favourite so far. It’s unripe papaya, carrot, tomatoes, green beans, and peanuts. It’s cold and crunchy and unripe papaya has a similar vibe to cabbage but better. It’s in this light tangy sweet dressing that I could drink. I looked it up and it’s mainly lime juice garlic, sugar and fish sauce (I ask for no fish sauce, I like it better without). I always ask for one chilli which is the perfect amount of heat. The spiciness here feels different from home, it feels more intense but also way more enjoyable if that makes sense? Like the flavour is just that much more complex. Idk I’m not a food critic but I like the spiciness lately.

After the papaya salad craving was sufficed we walked down to the beach to watch the sunset. I’m trying to make a point of seeing as many sunsets or sunrises that I can. I love how different they all can be but also how similar. Ugh and the lighting, I could cry I just love it. The perfect time to sit and reflect and appreciate all of these experiences I’m having. We finished watching the sunset at a beach bar while playing a couple rounds of pool. The balls here are so much smaller and the table is huge and that is why nick is beating me every round and the only reason!!!!!

We wandered over to the night market for some live music and some uno. Got myself some of the same sushi from last night and tried my first mochi. These are really a Japanese dessert but I’m using this whole trip and an opportunity to try things I normally wouldn’t. If you don’t know what mochi are they are these rice cakes/rice balls that are usually filled with something. Traditional ones have taro or sesame but obviously I got Nutella, Oreo and rainbow flavoured (what is rainbow flavour?? Sprinkles maybe!!??). Theyre super soft and light and I really wished I liked them but they’re super gelatinous and not at all my cup of tea. Rainbow flavour btw was not sprinkle filled it was fruit with chocolate inside (my worst nightmare).

Finished the night with more uno and some fun music back at the hostel. Woke up this morning around 5/530 to go for a run before the heat. Whenever I’m getting a bit testy I know I need to go for a run. When Alison and I travelled Greece she would notice when I would start getting moody and tell me to go for a run and sure enough it resets me completely. So with my battery reset we’re headed off to phi phi island. Finally meeting up with Jenna today, our final member of the gang!!!

Can’t wait xx

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shri-lal-mahal-rice21 · 7 months

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The Nutritional Power of Rice: A Comprehensive Exploration

The humble rice grain has fed billions of people over millennia and is a very important part of the nutrition world. Rice is one of the world's most popular staple foods, providing energy and sustenance to many of humanity. This comprehensive exploration will reveal rice's nutritional power and importance by exploring its history, varieties cultivation, culinary applications, and essential role in the human diet.

The History of a Grain

Oryza Sativa, the scientific name for rice, is thought to have originated in Asia more than 10,000 years ago. Archaeological evidence indicates that rice was domesticated first in the area that is today's China and quickly spread across Asia and beyond. Rice cultivation played an important role in ancient civilizations. It was especially prevalent in Asia, where it was a staple.

In many cultures, rice is more than just a food source. It's also a symbol of culture. Rice is deeply embedded in many Asian cultures' traditions, rituals and everyday life. Rice is sacred in many cultures, from the Japanese tea ceremony to Indian weddings.

Rice varieties from around the world

Rice is an extremely diverse crop, with many varieties with unique tastes, textures and nutritional profiles. There are many varieties of rice. While Basmati and Jasmine are the most popular, there's a whole world to discover. Here are a few of the most popular rice varieties.

Basmati Rice

Basmati rice, with its delicate aroma, long grains and slender shape, is associated with India's subcontinent. It is prized for its high quality and is used in many dishes, including biryanis, pulaos, and pilaf.

Jasmine Rice

The Thai fragrant rice, also known as jasmine rice, is renowned for its floral scent when cooked. It has a slightly sticky texture. It is used as a mainstay in Thai and Southeast Asian cooking and can be found in dishes such as green curry or fried rice.

Arborio Rice

Arborio is a short-grain rice with a high content of starch. It is best known for its use in Italian creamy risotto, where the starchiness of the rice creates a velvety, luscious texture.

Wild Rice

Wild rice is not rice but a grass native to North America. It is characterized by long, thin grains with a nutty taste. Wild rice is used as a side in salads and stuffings.

Brown Rice

The bran and germ are retained in brown rice, making it a whole grain with more nutritional value than white rice. It has a nutty taste and chewy texture.

Red Rice

The outer bran layer is what gives red rice its distinct colour. It's rich in antioxidants. It has a slightly nutty taste and a chewy texture. Red rice is used to make salads and pilafs in many parts of the globe.

Black Rice

Black rice is also called forbidden rice or purple and has a dark, striking colour. It has a sweet, nutty flavour. Once reserved for Chinese Emperors, it is celebrated because of its nutritional value. You can use black rice in sweet and savoury dishes, such as desserts and rice bowls.

The Nutritional Powerhouse

In its many forms, rice provides a variety of nutrients that are essential to health and well-being. Take a look at some of the rice's nutritional components:

Carbohydrates

Rice is composed mainly of carbohydrates and is an excellent energy source. Rice is primarily starch-based carbohydrates, which provide a steady supply of energy.

Dietary Fiber

Dietary fibre is an essential component of digestive health. Fiber helps maintain regular bowel movements and can prevent constipation.

Vitamins

Rice is rich in B vitamins such as thiamine, niacin, and riboflavin. These vitamins are vital for energy metabolism, nerve functions, and overall health.

Minerals

Rice is rich in minerals like magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and phosphate. These minerals are important in many physiological processes, including muscle function and bone strength.

Antioxidants

The coloured bran layer of some rice varieties, such as black rice and red, contains antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the body against oxidative stress and may also have health benefits.

Protein

Rice is a good source of plant protein, even though it's not as high in protein as animal products or legumes. Rice and other protein sources, like beans or tofu, can help create balanced meals.

Gluten-Free

All rice varieties are naturally gluten-free, even those from glutinous grains. Rice is a good option for those with celiac or gluten sensitivity.

Low in fat and sodium

Rice is low in sodium and fat, so it's a healthy choice when you don't add too much fat or salt.

Rice as a Global Nutrition

It is impossible to overstate the importance of rice in global nutrition. Rice is an important staple food in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The role of rice in global nutrition is summarized below.

Food Safety

Rice is an important source of food for many countries. It is a reliable and calorie-dense food that can support populations, particularly in regions where it is the main staple.

Caloric Staple

For billions of people, rice is a major source of calories. In many cultures, meals are centred on rice and complemented by other dishes.

Versatility

The versatility of rice makes it a great base for many dishes. Rice can be transformed into sweet desserts or savoury side dishes to suit the tastes of different cultures.

Energy Source

Rice is a great energy source because it contains many carbohydrates. Rice is a great energy source for those who are physically active and need quick replenishment.

Dietary Preferences

Rice is suitable for various diets, including gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan. Rice's adaptability makes it possible to create various delicious and varied meals.

Cultivation, Sustainability

Rice cultivation is complex and varies according to the type of rice grown, the climate and the region. Rice farming is essential for both food security and environmental conservation. Here are a few key aspects of rice farming:

Types of Cultivation

Rice can be grown on different types of land, such as lowland, highland and deepwater. The local conditions and water availability will determine the cultivating method choice.

Water Management

To produce the water needed for rice farming, rice paddies are usually flooded. Water management is essential to preserve this precious resource.

Pest and Disease Management

Rice crops are vulnerable to a variety of pests and diseases. Integrated pest management techniques have been used to minimize pesticide use and environmental impact.

Selecting Varietals

Climate, soil type and local preferences influence the choice of rice varieties. It is vital for rice farming to develop and promote disease-resistant, drought-tolerant varieties.

Environmental Impact

Rice cultivation can cause environmental impacts, such as greenhouse gas emissions due to flooded fields. Sustainable practices are designed to minimize these impacts while still maintaining crop yields.

Rice and Global Agriculture

In many countries, rice farming provides a major source of income for rural communities and farmers. Here are some of the key aspects of global rice agriculture:

Economic livelihoods

Millions of people worldwide are employed and earn income through rice farming. Many small-scale farmers rely on rice as their primary source of income.

Trade and Commerce

Rice is an important agricultural product in the international trade. It is a key component of global food markets and security.

Research and Innovation

Rice cultivation requires continuous research and innovation to improve crop yields, develop resistant varieties and ensure sustainable farming practices.

Global Food Security

Rice is at the heart of global efforts to ensure food security. To combat hunger and malnutrition, increasing rice production and ensuring equitable access to the staple crop is crucial.

Challenges and Opportunities

Rice cultivation is a complex process in the modern age. By addressing these challenges, we can improve global food sustainability and security.

Climate Change

Climate change is a major threat to rice production. Rice cultivation can be disrupted by rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns and extreme weather conditions.

Pests and Diseases

Rice crops are susceptible to a variety of pests and diseases. To combat these problems, it is essential to use sustainable farming methods and develop resistant varieties.

Food Safety

Food security is becoming a more complex issue as the world population grows. Sustainable rice production and a fair distribution of rice are essential to address this issue.

Biodiversity Preservation

The genetic diversity of rice is vital for adaptability and resilience. These genetic resources are worth protecting.

Market Access

Farmers who grow rice need access to fair trade and international markets. Fairtrade and support for small-scale rice farmers can improve livelihoods.

The conclusion of the article is:

With its long history, many varieties and high nutritional value, rice is a food that provides nutrition to billions of people worldwide. It symbolizes sustenance, culture, and economic survival in many societies.

While we celebrate rice's nutritional value, it is important to acknowledge the challenges and possibilities associated with its consumption and cultivation. Sustainable farming practices, conservation of genetic variation, equitable market access, and efforts to combat climate change will all help ensure that rice is available to future generations.

Rice's nutritional legacy is evident in every fragrant Jasmine or brown rice bowl. It reminds us of the importance of rice to global nutrition and how it has a profound impact on our lives.

#basmati rice #premium basmati rice #long grain rice #best basmati rice

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victoriadecapua · 9 months

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Republic of Infidels Book I: The Remains - Chapter Eight - The Tender Void

“When you think about last night, try to remember that you fucked me after the world ended, not the other way around, hm?”

Rachel stared into the mirror. Ten days had passed, and already a lexicon had formed around their new reality. For those who preferred a more sanitized accounting, the Fall was rapidly becoming the most popular euphemism, though the Event was the term that Vikram and his little band of acolytes favoured, when they alluded to it at all. Before was less used. No one had attempted to polish it.

He had asked her to join them, to discuss the fate and future of their little afterworld, but she had declined, instead preferring to sit in front of her mirror and stare. She’d spend hours like this, staring at her own reflection, looking into her own eyes as she watched herself remember everything she had ever done, ever said, or that had ever been done or said in her presence.

Memory came in waves that seemed to lash against her mind, eroding her discipline, all the more irresistible because she wanted to let it take her, let it drag her under. She wanted to be with Alec in the grassy quad, that paltry twelve minutes in which he had brushed aside her defences, put his mouth on hers, lifting her up an invisible step on to an entirely new plateau of experience.

She wanted to tell him how unusual that was for her, to not know. To want, without having yet experienced. To feel that sexual charge, to embrace it, to know she could relinquish her hard-fought self control, because she knew Alec loved her.

But Alec Vigna was dead. Everyone was dead. Everything she’d known, and everything she’d ever experienced was simultaneously meaningless and inescapable. If she left this spot, if she left the memory of Alec, it would inundate her. Here, she had found a small refuge in the tactile recollection of his lips, his mouth, his teasing smile.

What would I want with a nice girl?

“You need to eat something.”

She blinked, realized her brother was standing over her with a plate and a mug of tea. With the interference of his presence, she came back to herself, and realized there were tears on her face. This happened all the time now, this unconscious weeping. She did it in her sleep, often waking to find her cheeks stained with salt. She knuckled them away and looked blearily at the reflection of his concerned, disapproving face.

Heaving a sigh, he balanced the plate and sat down cross legged beside her, then put the spoon in her hand. She looked it, frowning in confusion.

Exasperated, he held the plate out to her. “Do I really have to hand feed you, Rachel?”

She took it, and to please him, loaded the spoon and nibbled at it. It was uncomplicated, just curried rice and lentils, but the taste of salt and carbohydrates woke her appetite just enough. She ate another spoonful, then another. He handed her the tea, and she sipped the fragrant liquid, feeling her throat unstick.

She thought about the flavour, her mind naturally unpacking it, pulling out the facts she had in her nearly infinite record. China, she thought. Green tea came from China. As she thought this, the feedback loop she’d been trying so desperately to avoid by staying with the memory of Alec began, because of course there was no China, just as there was no Alec.

Tears again. She tried to ignore them as she continued to eat, but she found she could no longer stand the taste of the tea. She put it down. Vikram did not fail to note this gesture, and his expression of concern deepened. He reached out and used his thumbs to wipe away her tears, his black eyes searching her face. She let the half empty plate slide to the floor, and stared back at him.

“Why don’t you feel it?” She wanted to know, her voice shaking as she tried not to unravel. “Vikram, I can’t do this.”

“You can,” he insisted. “You can’t give into despair. I won’t let you.”

She looked at him, wanting so badly to explain that she didn’t want to be alive, but she couldn’t do that to him. And yet, she wanted his pain. She wanted him to stop being strong, to stop seeking solutions, to admit everything they’d overcome had now rendered them obsolete.

“We’ve gone extinct,” she whispered.

“No. Endangered, perhaps,” he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Refugees are coming here. More every day. There are still cargo ships on the high seas, still provisions and goods. Maybe we are writing the merest end to human history, but at least….”

Seeing her expression made him stop. They’d had this same conversation many times, but she could see he was giving up. Resigning himself to caring for her, because he couldn’t repair her.

“Why do you do this?” he asked, indicating the mirror. It wasn’t a judgement, she knew. He was interested in the psychic application. They had all kinds of tools for managing their condition, some of which they shared, others which were private, or not consciously applied.

This meditation was too private, too intimate for her to describe to him. She wasn’t sure she could explain that the memory of Alec Vigna’s cock pressing against her through his trousers was the only thing keeping her from stepping off the mountainside. It was not a nourishing memory, and it created a void of exquisitely painful desire in her, but that pain was so physical that it centred her. Stopped her from thinking about China, about Oxford, about Jamal Salim, about a thousand different things erased from a world she didn’t know she had loved so much. Most dead of all, the young woman she had been, one endowed with status and power. She would never have that again, and to her shame, she mourned.

“I don’t know,” she said in answer to her brother’s curious gaze. “What do you think I should do?”

“Engage,” he said at once. “Mother is establishing an academy and Father’s shoring up the harbour. You have medical training, you could help people.”

“Help people,” she repeated. “I can’t help people with radiation sickness, Vikram. The best thing you could do for most of them is shoot them.”

He glared at her. “You know who you sound like.”

She shrugged, and turned back to the mirror. Her face was unchanged, her dark eyes blank. Vikram’s reflection watched her, and she could tell he wanted to shake her, if only to make her resist. As her eyes moved to his, she thought that she would quite like to do the same. To shake him out of his missionary delusion, to shake some tears out of him. By trying to keep her safe from his own trauma, he wanted her to lie to herself about her own. She had begun to feel lonely in his presence. She hadn’t expected him to make the mistake of thinking that leaving her alone would correct the difficulty.

He got to his feet, then bent to her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “You need a shower.”

Then he was gone, slipping out the door without another word. It hurt, his frustration with her, but she knew his return in precisely six hours, when his rounds would take him back to her door, would hurt in a different way.

Silently, she rose and moved towards her en suite shower. She briefly toyed with the idea of taking her shaving razor to her wrists, but once there, her routine took over. Soon, she was washing her hair under hot water, now an unimaginable luxury for most other humans.

She stood there under the spray, and then, on impulse, turned up the cold water. It was icy glacial runoff, and made her instantly cringe. She forced herself to stand under it, to accept the cold burn on her sensitive skin, but it was such light punishment that it didn’t take long before she was accustomed to it.

Her mind swam through a rhythm of memory, each one like flashes of strobing light. It came in every form. Hundreds of thousands of faces, names, foods she’d eaten, tedious imprints of all the ordinary moments. Every traffic light in downtown Amsterdam flashed in her mind alongside the sound of each busker on the London Underground. Underwater, now. Under the punishing waves. Every memory that had ever given her joy was now a knife in her flesh, piercing her through so many times that she was more wound than human.

Mechanically, she dressed for sleep, pulling on her black oversized Nirvana t-shirt, but realized at once that she could not stand the idea of getting back into her bed. She needed air, needed to experience something external, something that wasn’t just the electrical impulses surfing the fine imprints in her brain.

As she made her way down the stairs, she paused at the entrance to the common area. Vikram, along with several of the village leaders, were in deep conversation over some kind of hand-drawn map. Planning the layout for his capitol, she thought with a poisonous surge of contempt. At once, she hated herself for thinking it, and wished, as she lingered there, that he’d see her. That he’d drop it, that he’d hold her and admit defeat so she could trust him again.

He looked up at her from his discussion, and smiled his strained, sad smile. For an instant she was hopeful, but he only gave her that nod of the head that said we’ll talk later. With that gentle dismissal, he returned his attention to his vapid statecraft, leaving her bereft in a way she couldn’t have imagined Before. There it was, Before. Her brother, her protector, the one who cared for her above all things had not survived. Perhaps it was worse. Perhaps she had simply not understood him as well as she had believed.

Aimless and lonely as a phantom, she turned and walked out the arched entry, letting her bare feet take her down to the causeway. The wind rushed up the sweeping rock face, smelling of sea junk, of petrol, and even from up here, rotting corpses. Thousands of feet below, they tumbled in the surf, not visible from here, but Rachel knew that they lined the strand. Those that came ashore rarely got further than the beach. Even so, her father and the security team would soon be overwhelmed by the number of survivors.

Her medical knowledge, even her practical experience, hardly qualified her to repair the wounds of this last, lost remnant of humanity. So far, the problem most common among the refugees appeared to be death, and she had no remedy for that. It was hard to think of a worse death than acute radiation sickness. Even if she could bring herself to try, there were no medicines, no narcotic that could alleviate the excruciating pain of cooking to death from the inside. She’d seen enough to know that a bullet in the neck would be the kindest remedy.

That thought lingered in her as she made her way along the dam, letting her hands ride the planed stone of her father’s engineering masterpiece. She still had this and all that Radhesh had created. The thought made her feel a little less heart heavy, knowing his genius was still alive, still protecting them. Then she paused, feeling the wet cool fog rolling against her skin.

As it cleared, the great ionized light that marked where the satellite had fallen became visible on the horizon. She considered it, feeling a tug of curiosity. The accepted theory was that the ARC had penetrated the earth’s crust, had forced the creation of a kind of nuclear volcano that would never stop generating radiated combustion. The eruption only built upwards, until it created a kind of geological funnel for concentrated energy, though no one would ever get close enough to verify it for themselves.

All around the world, every volcano, every fault line, any place where the earth’s crust was thin had opened, disgorging more magma, creating new volcanos, the layers of newly formed volcanic rock forcing the water level up to impossible heights. The wounds had then sealed themselves, but the original puncture remained open, filling the air currents with deadly radiation that would travel with the refugees, who would bring it here.

She walked along the lip of the dam, no longer aimless, but not quite committed to the possibility welling up in her mind. The lights illuminated the great sweep of cement wall, their supply of electricity uninterrupted. The dam had preserved, at least for them, the ability to generate this electricity, and through some strange meteorological dogma, it could harness the high altitude snows that now only touched the very top of the dry rocky spike that was Everest. Even Vikram was unable to account for the new rules of physics of this place and she’d given up without bothering to make the effort.

This meditation took her all the way to the eastern termination of the parapet, near to the switchback approach. On the other side of the road, the short end of the Alpine Security barracks loomed, its broad pitched roof making it look like a tall, asymmetrical steel and mortar tent. The windows set in the long side were narrow, but Rachel could see the dim light glowing faintly at the edges, and there, a diffuse shadow moving across the frosted glass.

Giving in to the impulse, she went to the plain wooden door situated at the end, and knocked once. Then, when there was no answer, she tightened her fist and cop-knocked on the hard wood until her fist throbbed.

The first thing Rachel saw as the door opened was the barrel of an extremely large pistol pointing directly at her forehead. She wasn’t frightened, exactly, but it certainly was a new experience. The passive, cold eyed expression on the face behind it animated as Sergei recognized her.

He lowered the gun, his blonde brows coming together in surprised perplexity. “Rachel.”

She looked from the gun, to him, his damp hair, his black bathrobe, and felt a little perplexed herself. “What are you doing?”

He raised an eyebrow as he looked her over, taking in her ragged, underdressed appearance. “I should be asking you.”

She ignored his question, then fixed him with a silent, expectant stare. He moved aside for her, uncocked the pistol and set it on the kitchen table. She paused to look at the gun, eyes following its machined lines, its silver dark finish. It was a Desert Eagle .50, Israeli made. Ostentatious and showy, just like its owner.

She’d never had reason to be in Sergei’s quarters before. Lit by two low lamps, it was a generous studio space, tented under the extremely angled ceiling. In addition to the kitchen area, there was a couch, a coffee table, and a low platform bed made with hospital corners. Beyond, she could see a bathroom door ajar, and inside that, a standing shower that was still steamed up from recent use. He’d been showering at the same time she had, she guessed, and wondered why this detail had decided to make itself important to her.

Her eyes caught something else, tucked into a corner, and she walked over to investigate. It was a two-doored gun safe with the doors open, full to bursting with small arms, assault rifles and shotguns. Most had been properly mounted in their brackets, but the floor of the safe held a pile of handguns of different makes. She almost wanted to laugh. So much death, stacked like children’s toys.

“You’ve been busy,” she murmured, half to herself. She heard him shut the door, and she could feel him watching her, struggling to place her. There was something wrong in his silence. Even without seeing his face, she could feel it.

When she did look up, the man standing before her, watching her intensely, no longer aligned with her record of him. He hadn’t just been busy. Something about him had changed. Something that intrigued her, and because it intrigued her, it also frightened her. That fear fired a little adrenaline into her, enough to give her back some focus.

It was also quite strange to look at him full in the face when it had been her decade-long policy to avoid acknowledging him with the privilege of her attention. His superficial playfulness was gone, revealing the hard, featureless core of him. Ten days ago, he had been an annoyance. Now he was a stranger.

“I made a few new friends out on the water,” he said finally. “Maybe you’ll meet them someday.”

“You know they’re not really friends if you make them at gunpoint.”

“What do you want?” he asked, the frown still etched between his brows.

“Vodka,” she said, knowing he’d be well supplied.

Letting out a breath of annoyance, he went to the freezer, pulled out an unopened bottle and held it out to her, neck first. She looked at him curiously, then nodded at it.

“In a glass. With ice, if you have it.”

He narrowed his eyes at her, but his expression softened a little around the mouth. She watched as he went through the ritual, pulling an old fashioned ice tray out of the freezer. It was surprisingly fascinating to watch as he cracked the tray to loosen the ice cubes. He could have broken it in half as easily as she might have snapped a twig, but there was something precise, almost delicate in his gestures. An animal grace to him that she hadn’t really noticed before.

He poured a measure of vodka into an old fashioned glass, added two ice cubes and looked up at her. She nodded towards the table, and went to sit down, taking the glass and pressing the cold surface to her neck. She sighed, uncaring of his presence, as the chill soaked into her skin, cooling her pulse. She took a drink and that was even better, the frigid liquor burning down her throat.

Sergei watched her, clearly quite fascinated himself by her deviation from their traditional script. He took a pull off the bottle, then set it down on the table next to the pistol.

“You didn’t come here just to have a drink with me, Rakhila.”

“Don’t — ,” she began, then cut herself off. There was no point, and she was too busy living in the world of that glass, the sensual promise of the slippery ice texture, and its melting entropy. She took another sip, and decided to tell him the truth.

“I was thinking about killing myself,” she said, almost casually. “I’ve been thinking about it in one form or another every day for weeks. I suppose having a drink with you is a close second.”

He cocked his head to the side. “And what, you think I will help you?”

“Why not?” she smiled, feeling a little of the old contempt warm in her. “You’ve helped others.”

She almost expected him to smile back, to put on the mask he liked to wear when he was pretending to be roguish. Insulting her to her face with the suggestion that he was an incorrigible delinquent and not a brutal sadist of the first water. But he did not smile. His expression remained unchanged, his unblinking stare almost accusatory. She turned her attention to the pistol, tracing the Eagle’s rubberized handle with one finger, letting it find the contours where his fingers had recently gripped it.

Sergei took the gun out from under her hand and stowed it beneath the head of his bed, where he’d easily be able to reach it if needed. She recharged her glass as she watched this, and drank off half, craving the lightheadedness, the feeling of being divorced from her inhibitions.

“What has your brother told you about me?” he asked as he sat across from her. “What has he said to you that would make you think I would enjoy hurting you?”

“Nothing that would make me think you would enjoy hurting me in particular,” she said dismissively. “Nothing beyond what everyone knows.”

A thin smile played around his mouth. “What does everyone know?”

She shrugged, looked down at the contents of her glass. She could recall the different states of these ice cubes, but not the melting in between. The contemplation of this chaos slowed her mind, releasing some of the pressure cycle. She looked up into Sergei’s pale blue eyes, the irises so lacking in reflectiveness that it was difficult to see the folds in them. Each contraction of dilation would be impossible to detect, even though she knew they were happening, because she could see the widening pupils absorbing her, taking her in.

“What does everyone know?” he repeated, wetting his lips with his tongue. “That I am a killer?”

She looked hard at him. “Are you owning that now?”

“What do you want to hear?”

“The truth.”

He considered her, taking another pull off the bottle. Then he shrugged, his eyes going to the safe.

“Did you count them?”

She nodded.

“Add nine,” he said indifferently. “From Before.”

“Before,” she sneered, dimly aware that she was being offended by the wrong thing. “Before Armageddon.”

“Why aren’t you saying this to Vikram?” he demanded, suddenly irritated. “We are not friends. Your brother understands you. Why aren’t you asking him for help?”

She couldn’t meet his eyes. The ice had melted in her glass, leaving her without the meditation. Still, she focused on it, tightening her grip in the hopes that she might shatter the leaded crystal, create a different bloodier chaos. Why had she come here? Why hadn’t she stepped off the dam?

“You are crying, Rachel.”

As she looked up at him, she was dimly aware that he had not asked her why she was crying, merely stated the observable fact. He was born without the ability to recognize distress, and so had to go by the physical evidence. As she stared at him, stared into his aquamarine eyes, the flat edged soul behind them, she realized she had fully expected him to lay hands on her. To do intimate violence to her, as he had once attempted years ago. She had laid him out with deliberation and damage for that trespass, but now she couldn’t even feel the humiliation of knowing she would submit to his poisonous flirtation a thousand times if it meant a return to Before.

She met his eyes again. “Sergei, will you do something for me?”

He nodded, staring back at her with unblinking intensity.

“Promise me you won’t tell me everything will be all right.”

At first he did not react, merely continued to stare at her. Then he a gave a reflexive little laugh, more surprise than amusement. Again she was struck by the change she perceived in him. He was not sobered, or tempered, but something had turned inside of him. He didn’t feel the need to mock her, to put some kind of intimidation on her, to pretend like he was in love with her. From that day to this, he had acquired an authentic confidence, and she knew with utter certainty it had everything to do with the former owners of the firearms piled in his safe.

He shrugged. “When have I ever lied to you?”

She said nothing, absorbing the truth of this. He’d offended her in the past, attempted to touch her without her permission, but he’d never insulted her intelligence with dissembling. Frozen in this thought, she only noticed at the last moment that he was reaching for her face. He caught one of her tears on his thumb, and brought it to his mouth, licking it off his thumbnail, his eyes never leaving hers.

Before she could appreciate this strange gesture, before she could speak any word of denial, he took her face in his hands and began to kiss her tears. Her breath caught, her body paralyzed by the tenderness an act so soft, so sweet that she could close her eyes and almost believe that she was waking from a terrible nightmare. That it was another man entirely who was gentling her, drawing the poison.

She knew the substitution was impossible. Even with her eyes closed, even as she struggled to find some part of Alec in that brief window of memory, she discovered she could not recall him. She knew the details of his face, the lemon spiced smell of his aftershave, but only as listed facts. She could not feel them, could not make her senses experience them. The scents now filling her nose were rust, gun oil, and vodka. The hands cradling her face already had a long resume of atrocity. Sergei wasn’t kissing her tears away, but imbibing them.

She opened her eyes to find him watching her with that glacial intensity. Alec had looked at her with greed, with desire, but the hunger in Sergei’s face surpassed her knowledge of human expression. Even when they had been teenagers, his attitude had been more teasing than threatening, a boy baiting a viper on a dare. Now his eyes glittered, scanning her face, his lips parted as he breathed in the taste of her. He was barely holding himself back, the need he had kept in check manifesting, forming the edge of an abyss. Waiting for her to step off.

When she pressed her lips to his, it felt like falling. His kiss was restrained and probing, as though he didn’t want to scare her, to overwhelm her. Being the gentleman, letting her use her mouth to instruct him. To decide who it was she needed him to be. It was a pathetic lie, and she felt an upwelling of rage, having just extracted his promise. She didn’t want his restraint.

She wrapped her arms around him and invaded his mouth with her tongue. With a sound somewhere between a groan and a purr, he gave it back with equal force, pulling her to his hard chest, calloused hands holding her face, tilting her head back so that he could deepen the kiss. His dark little chuckle when she gasped for breath was another new sound, just as his hands were new, as was the closeness of his face, the thousands of new details now overwriting the psychic pain with raw physical sensation.

She tugged open the neck of his robe, heard him give a strangled groan as she put her mouth on his flushed throat. Her hand moved down over his staggered abdominal muscles, seeking to go further. He grasped her wrist, stopping her hand from going lower.

“Don’t be greedy,”

She glared at him. “Why not?”

He grinned, and put his hands on her waist, walking her backwards until the edge of the bed caught her, and she fell back. Then his mouth was hot on hers again, his hands sliding up under her shirt, pulling it up over her head. His hands found her bare skin, thumbs sliding over her ribs, his mouth on her ear again.

“Because it’s my turn.”

He pushed her back, taking his time as he placed kisses on her body, moving down at a leisurely pace. She gasped as he slid teeth and tongue over her breast, pausing only a moment before moving lower over her belly to the plain black panties that spanned her hips. Even aware of what he was about to do, it still surprised her when he bent his head between her legs, pulled aside the fabric barrier with one finger and began to kiss her.

Rachel could not make herself understand or analyze the sensation of his tongue going inside of her, the sounds he made as though feasting on something delicious. She could only feel. Tension streaked down her legs, making her toes curl. Breathlessly, she arched back, only to find the upward surging arousal interrupted as he lifted his head, eyes bright, mouth flushed, a wide wolfish grin on his face. He licked his lips, clearly aware she wanted to inquire the reason he had stopped. He said nothing, but laughter was written all over his face. Triumph.

He leaned in, pressing his mouth against her ear. “You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.”

Ignoring this, she reached up and caught the belt on his robe, then hesitated, suddenly stymied by her inexperience. She didn’t want the charged, liquid feeling to end. Now that limitations were meaningless, she found she was strangely enticed by the possibility of intimacy with him. Sergei would not require emotional complexity from the exchange, wouldn’t even demur if she continued to hate him. But she had never done this before, and she knew she could safely assume his experience to be considerable. And for someone who was so disconnected from the subtlety of human emotions, he had shown himself to be incredibly well tuned to hers, because he seemed to know what was holding her back.

The familiar vicious grin spread across his face, and he took his time as he shrugged off the bathrobe. “Have you been saving yourself for me, Rakhila?”

“Fuck you,” she whispered, so fogged by lust that she couldn’t put force behind the words.

His smile softened. He took her hands and pulled them to his chest, wanting her to touch him, to experience his body. Having watched him create himself over the years, Rachel could not deny that she had wanted to know the sensation of his hard flesh, his creased lines. To add his physique to her anatomical database by studying him with her fingertips. He closed his eyes, lips parting as he savoured her hands on him, soaking in her touch. Then he bent down and kissed her with a perfect softness that was both erotic and almost obscene.

He pressed his mouth against her ear. “Hold on to me.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck. He braced one hand at the small of her back and rolled, inverting their position so that she now straddled him. He was completely naked beneath her. Slowly, with one hand, she reached down, and his eyes closed as she encircled him with her fingers. His lips parted with an intake of breath, becoming more shallow as she familiarized herself with him, evaluating how he would fit, and how it would feel.

She wasn’t sexually unaware of herself, so part of it was familiar, the solidness of him, the thickening feeling in her belly. It was the fact of him. Sergei. His massive shoulders collapsing inward, his chin tilting back, eyelids fluttering. He let out a low moan as she rolled her hips forward, feeling him move with her, move into her as he let her discover herself. Her whole body was aware of the power she had over him, intoxicating as anything she had experienced. She wondered if she hadn’t always marked him as prey. Something she could always take if she wanted it.

He sat up, pulling her into his lap, kissing her mouth, her throat, using his hips to drive up into her. She gripped his hair as she learned him by touch, whispering words of surrender in some voiceless, tactile language he understood perfectly. His arms went around her, her world turning upside down, and then she was on her back, her whole body wrapped around him. Crying out, crying his name, begging him shamelessly for more speed, more force. He laughed at her, mocking her aspirations, the idea that she could tolerate even half his strength. She didn’t comprehend. She didn’t care.

As he held her down, went deep into her, she felt like she was entering a sweat lodge trance. Nothing but skin, and heat, his mouth, his grip on her wrists, the relentless articulation of his core and his hips as he showed her in full tactile detail the difference between store bought and the genuine article. His stamina seemed endless, his adoring words bleeding together in her mind as he spoke them against her skin like an invocation — dorogaya, beautiful one, how could you make me wait so long, you fucking bitch...

Rachel let his words bypass her mind, now saturated with thought-numbing endorphins that spiked with each orgasm he patiently, efficiently fucked into her. Each time he would slow as she gripped him inside, as she shuddered, his eyes on her face as though keen to examine his work. She saw him through a heat haze, felt the entire solidness of him, the width of his hips between her thighs, the length of him inside of her. The crystalline clarity of his blue eyes, so strange and beautiful this close, drinking her in. So greedy for the sight of her.

Her fingertips slid over his sweat glossed back, each muscle flexing hard as he used all of them to reach into her, to get as close to her as he could. His words had long ceased to make any sense to her, and she was losing track of time. Hours, days, it didn’t matter. Finally she collapsed in a sweating, panting fever of exhaustion. Oblivion enfolded her, taking her intoxicated consciousness away from her living flesh into the perfect void.

She woke suddenly, sore from friction, from exertion, at first unaware she’d actually been asleep. She could not reach back to a defining moment when the sex had stopped and unconsciousness had taken hold. Blinking in the dark, she sat up. Every place Sergei had touched her was its own little flame, and he had touched her everywhere, so the collective effect was a throbbing burn. She wondered if this kind of sex hangover was normal, or if it was just a result of his need to overachieve.

She turned to look, and found him sitting upright against the headboard, eyes watching her through the dark as though it did not impair his vision at all. She could just perceive the twitch in the corner of his mouth, the cockeyed smile now forming.

“What time is it?” she asked, suddenly keen to be outside of this room, and away from him.

“Early,” he said unhelpfully.

“Did you watch me all night?”

He shrugged. “I don’t sleep much.”

“And you didn’t… ” she resisted the urge to touch her inner thigh, to investigate for any trace of his genetic material.

“I don’t,” he said, all frankness. “Not when I want it to be good.”

Before she had too much time to think about that implication, he rose, made his way to the refrigerator. She turned her face away from the light as he opened it, but then felt the cold bottle of water as he put it in her hands. She drank down half of it in one gulp, then forced herself to sip slowly, not to guzzle the rest.

She felt his lips on the back of her neck, his hands linking around her waist. “They’re going to come looking for you.”

“Not here, they’re not,” she said, pressing the still cold bottle against her cheek.

One hand moved up to squeeze her breast. “Good.”

She allowed him a moment to nuzzle and grope her before finally shrugging him off, and moving to the edge of his bed, peering through the slowly receding darkness.

“What are you doing?”

“Looking for my shirt,” she said, scanning the floor for the dark garment.

“Come back to bed,” he suggested. “Or do you have plans for today?

A frisson of irritation ran through her. “Just because —“

“Just because.” he mocked. “Why, was I not good?”

She turned and glared at him. “You know, as a physical object, you are not without certain appeal, but then you open your fucking mouth… “

He put a finger on her lips, but it was his smile that stopped her. That same smile, wide, full of laughter, so very strange on his normally indifferent features. Now she’d never think of it without her body remembering the feel of him.

“I’m glad,” he murmured. “That are you are feeling better.”

He wasn’t wrong. The coarse, abrasive texture of her thoughts had smoothed, and she was back the old familiar contempt. Her desire to punch him was the most normal thing she had felt for weeks.

She spotted the shirt and fished it off the carpet, dropping it over her head and pulling her long black hair out behind her. The addition of both their sweat had made it frizz, and she was anxious to get back to her own suite where she could shower, well out of his reach.

He rose from the bed, his tall, broad muscle-bound frame still fully naked, his skin covered with the inflamed streaks she’d made with her fingernails. He stretched ostentatiously, and subsided into a self-aware slouch, eyes on her. “You didn’t answer my question, Rakhila.”

“Will you fuck off?” she snapped. “What do you want, a medal? Yes, it was good. I’m going now.”

“I hope so,” he said seriously. “Last night was the best night of my life.”

“Well done.”

She went to the door, pulled the handle, tugged it open, but he grabbed the door edge in one hand and held it in place, not allowing her to open it further.

“Get out of my way,” she snapped.

Sergei released the door with an open handed fine gesture, letting it swing inwards. Then slid a hand into her hair and used his body to press her back against the door frame. His mouth came down on hers before she could speak, and for an instant her recent experience of him took over, and she felt herself opening, melting —

Just as abruptly, he released her, giving her a little push like he didn’t want her any more. Then he nodded to the pre-dawn murk, sending a jolt fear through her — but there was no one there. Her eyes moved over the slowly lightening approach, the pathway, the dam’s great parapet. It was totally deserted, but he’d made his point.

“Look at me,” he said coldly, something dark and entitled in his expression, a soft rage that eclipsed his former playfulness.

Rachel raised her chin as she gave him the full measure of her disdain, even though they both knew her power to dismiss him was gone forever.

“When you think about last night, try to remember that you fucked me after the world ended, not the other way around, hm?”

Before she could bite back, or insult him, or remind him that she couldn’t forget if she wanted to, Sergei nudged the door closed with his foot and left her standing alone, with no good explanation, on his threshold.

Glancing around once more, her body shaking from muscle fatigue, she headed towards the dam. Halfway across, she paused for an instant on the parapet and looked out at the broken horizon, the burning nuclear fire visible thousands of miles away, a white needle piercing the sky.

It made her feel a little ill, the realization that her first experience of sexual intercourse had been with a man who clearly considered this horrifying vista a fair exchange for the privilege. It frightened her, but it also made her realize she could still be afraid. She thought of the pistols in his safe. She could still feel his hands, his mouth.

She turned her back on the anemic dawn, and hurried to make it back to the monastery while it was still dark. The same rocks hurt her bare feet, but she didn’t slow down, wanting to put as much distance as possible between herself and what she was beginning to suspect might be the worst mistake she had ever made.

#republic of infidels #sergei vetrov #rachel kori #excerpt

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