Chai Time (Kenyan Style)

I believe most people who "go Paleo" would agree that it's more of a life style choice than a "diet." Yeah. OK. What does that even mean? Well, to me, it means that you don't avoid dairy, beans, sugars, and grains because you don't like how they taste, or because you don't want to get fat, or even because somebody told you it's the best way to eat. Instead, you eat this way because it's what physically feels best to you.

For years, I worked hard to feel good. I read every book I could get my hands on and tried every "diet" I learned about in order to make myself "healthy." But despite my best attempts, I still remained underweight and terribly sick. Until I tried Paleo.

OK, to avoid sounding like an informercial and losing all of you, I will get to the point. Over our margaritas last night, a friend asked why I decided to "go pale" when the cultural loss was so great. He wanted to know what in the world could be worth sacrificing, not just food, but the communal bond that occurs between people as they, literally, break bread together.

And he is right; there really is no sensation like sitting down with a buddy and chomping on some delicious, grain-filled bread, fresh-baked and still warm out of the oven, smothered in creamy, yellow butter. BUT, and it's a big but, I've learned throughout my years of experimentation, that the miraculous communal bond happens magically over roasted okra and steak just as well as it does over rice and beans. We come together and unite in our mutual need for sustenance and satisfaction, not in a mutual need for cupcakes. After all, there is meaning to the saying "one cannot live by bread alone..."

At the same time, when you "go paleo," you necessarily eliminate the completely indulgent aspect of things like cookies and milk, french fries, and pasta smothered in parmesan. And that really brings me to my point: thank goodness for coconut milk, honey, sweet potatoes, and spaghetti squash because without them, I don't think us pale folk could quite get along. After all, what is life without milk and cookies, even if you have to throw the sugar and the cow out the window?

So, this brings me to my next recipe, and, not to disappoint you, it's not for milk and cookies (more on this later). Instead, it's for chai tea. When I was working in Kenya, like all people there, I became addicted to chai. Whole milk steeped in locally grown black tea with a touch of cloves and a whole heap of sugar, I swear Kenya as a country would cease to function without chai. Ladies gossip over it, politicians conspire over it, and even school children partake in it; chai is a completely cultural indulgence, and I miss it dreadfully. To ease the ache, I've invented a paleolithic chai tea for the stormy nights, and the soar throats, and the afternoon hours when I just need a break.

Chai (Kenyan Style): Serves 1
-1 bag chai tea (I like Numi Decafinated Rooibos Chai)
-1/4 cup coconut milk
-1 tsp honey

1. Combine honey, coconut milk, and tea bag in a cup.
2. Top with boiling water, steep for 2 minutes, stir, and enjoy!