My new tincture of note...

It was a Thursday, halfway through the November of 2005. The temperature had started its swift descent, which would culminate in a frosty, blue veined February some 3 months later. Across the way from me, the mildly psychotic sports teacher was getting a shoulder massage from one of his more attractive students, and she was looking intently at his newly dyed black hair. My boss was wearing a light knit vestlet, and there was an interminably dull meeting going on in the counselling room, which is where the fridge is. Which is where my carton is milk was. Which is why I couldn't have coffee that morning.

So, braving the sun-lightened boxes of teas and herbs that overseas students had brought back from trips home, I tried to find something to drink. Faced with a choice of what appeared to be withered blossom leaves tea, undisclosed brown bits tea and ginger tea, I chose the latter. Not expecting much, I supped.

And by God it was the best thing I'd had for time! Essentially hot ginger ale, it was both soothing and with enough of a kick to get me through lunch time. Enquiring about it amongst my colleagues, it seems that only myself and the-teacher-that-resembles-my-aunty-and-probably-isn't-as-nice-as-she-makes-out-to-be like it, but unfortunately it is only available outside Japan (chiefly Korea and Taiwan). Even so, I have abox and a half left, and a glut of Korean students from which to procure more from...