I don't like white tea. A delicate tea, often made from the buds of the Camellia Sinensis plant, this tea is simply dried (not oxidation process to speak of) and drunk. Low in caffeine, delicate on the palate, steeped at a low temperature...it has all the qualities I actively avoid in my tea time. If you have ever heard our podcast, you may have picked up on my almost constant intensity, a quality I have grown to tolerate in myself, and one that is greatly exacerbated by a good, strong, hot cup of tea. White tea is a more contemplative cup, best prepared with a patience and a sense of alignment with the universe I am all too aware may never truly be within my grasp.
But as a firm and famous member of the tea family, I accept white tea for what it is: delicious and simply not my cup of tea.
And that is exactly how I feel about this week's geek, Attack on Titan.
Those who get it, love it. They can talk about it endlessly. The themes, the nuances, the creativity, the heartbreak, all on display in a highly choreographed analysis of what is left of the human experience when all we have left is our instinct for survival. Its value and contribution to the world of dystopian fantasy is undeniable. And I never, ever want to be subjected to it again.
On face value, white tea and Attack on Titan are as diametrically opposed as can be. One, and ancient tea once reserved for emperors and kings, the other, a violent and brutal anime with a tale told at such breakneck speed one may develop whiplash simply trying to keep up. Yet, both have one thing in common: I don't really want to learn more about it.
I often take issue with the dismissal of any subject unless you have really steeped it (pun intended, I could not help myself) given it the good old college try, and have taken copious notes about why you like or don't like it. But sometimes in life, you come across something that is so contrary to every cell in your being that really diving in would only leave you scarred.
The study of what is left of us when our homes, families and way of life are stripped away from us make for riveting story telling. The search for meaning after horrific loss is a quest I truly hope never to find myself on as it is one made for braver souls than mine. That type of deep introspection is exactly what happens to me when I drink white tea. I start really searching for the meaning behind it, for the notes and flavours that are not there, of what could have been, of potential lost and seemingly found.
It's all a bit heavy for an afternoon cuppa, yeah?
Watch Attack on Titan at your own risk. Drink white tea and peer into the very depths of your soul. But don't say I didn't warn you.
Geek Steeped:
S1E1 To You in 2000 Years – The Fall of Shiganshina Pt1
S1E2 That Day – The Fall of Shiganshina Pt2
S1E25 Wall: Attack on Stohess Pt3
Teas drunk while recording:
Kelly: White 2 Tea Gore of the Forest
Marika: Tea Plus Ceylon Ceylon Black Orange Pekoe with Cinnamon
Teas drunk while geeking: :
Kelly:Tea Desire Chai Apricot
Marika: Maison Chayi Jin Jun Mei
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