Maybe a visit to T's Tearoom in Vancouver

My sister Char gave me a sweet tea pot, like the one to the left, but in sky blue, with some terrific Kenya black and ginger loose tea. I drank this right up and I knew, with such a fun teapot, a tea bag wouldn't do.

So I was looking for loose rooibos tea because I like the taste so much. It is my favorite tea, plain or infused with other flavors like fruit. This is something to say because I also love decaffeinated Constant Comment or chai very much. But I wanted some rooibos in the house. Didn't check our local food co-op or seasonal farmer's market, but rooibos was not to be found loose in the grocery stores. Lo and behold, on an adventure of a completely different nature, in a small farm store in Langley, BC, I found vanilla rooibos from .

Who would have guessed these loose twigs for brewing would have found their way into my hands, when renown chefs and prestige hotels around the world are more likely to carry the brand. has a tearoom at 1568 West Broadway Street (just west of Granville) in Vancouver. Maybe a visit to the tearoom on some upcoming trip to Vancouver is in order, to find peace in a teacup, with perhaps a side benefit of finding lower prices than what online shoppers can find, no?

A Few of My Favorite Things - Bellingham Food First

* Baba Ghanouj from the Mediterranean Specialties Cafe and Goods, so tasty, as good or better than Lawrence's in Atlanta, very high marks. (505 32nd St. 360-738-6895)

* Donuts from Lafeens, and I'm not a donut person. Love the buttermilk for example. Thanks to Christina VW for this treat. (1466 Electric Ave. 360-647-1703)

* Barbeque from Speak E-Z's

Makes me homesick for the South but meets a definite Joanne need. (2400 Meridian St. 360-714-0606)

* Meatball sandwich from Tino's, good sauce, pure comfort food for me, and right in my neighborhood. The calzones are giant. (Sudden Valley Shopping Center, 2275 Lake Whatcom Blvd, 360-671-6088)

* Take-n-bake pizza from Papa Murphy's. Okay, spoiled in my childhood by pizzas from my Mom, Angie Sbarro, Lena down at the Victory Cafe, and even the Chewton Firemen Ladies Auxillary, never did I imagine a favorite pizza of mine being created at a location with the last name of Murphy. Just doesn't seem right. But on the way home from work, I can go through a drive-through pick up a gourmet vegetarian with creamy garlic sauce, spinach, zucchini, mushrooms, marinated artichoke hearts, roma tomatoes, onions on a thin crust deLITE, bake it at home, and be pretty blissful. Not Pizza Big in Milano, but eh, whazzamatta witchu? (My Papa Murphy's is at 1312 Lakeway Drive, 360-715-1117)

* Butternut squash ravioli with walnut sage butter sauce from D'Anna's. I swear everything is good here. Solid Italian in the Italian tradition, not the Italian-American tradition, which is a different story. (1317 North State St. 360-714-0188)

* Gelato from Sirena Gelato , if going for a fresh cone or dish, or the Haggen brand from Italy at their markets. I'm fixed on hazelnut, but Sirena Gelato has a nice Pineapple or Cappucino, and Haggen's Triple Chocolate, Coconut or Pistachio are all worth trying. (Sirena Gelato - 960 Harris Av Fairhaven, 360-733-6700; Haggens - various locations)

* Arni Tzito (New Zealand lamb with roast potatoes) from Mykonos. It's all good, really. So great to have a solid Greek restaurant in my hometown. It's good to go to a Greek restaurant with a Greek like Linaki to know I'm in the right place. (1650 W Bakerview Rd 360-715-3071)

* Tacos from Tacos Tecalitlan taco truck. Thanks, Luis I, for this wonderful addition to my favorites. I'm a regular for the tacos or the burritos. (Near Glynn's Pub at corner of Guide Meridian and Smith Road, 360-223-2836)

* Happy hour at Nimbus. Interesting drink specials and try several delizioso half-price appetizers that shared will be a meal. (14th floor, that's right, 119 N Commercial St 360-676-1307)

* Salmon pot pie at Anthony's Hearthfire. I tried to have the chef give me the recipe, but no luck. (7 Bellwether Way, 360-527-3423)

* Oyster sampler at The Oyster Bar on Chuckanaut Drive. Great for out-of-town visitors and go at lunch when the prices are more reasonable. That great Chuckanaut Drive drive, then overlooking oyster beds and the Bay, what could be better? (2578 Chuckanut Drive 360-766-6185)

* The chef's special at Il Granaio. Bound to be good. The other perfect Italian in the area from my perspective (other than what Seattle and Vancouver have to offer). Alberto Candivi is the real thing. (100 E. Montgomery, STE 110, Mount Vernon, 360-419-0674 in the grainery, hence the name, next to the Mount Vernon Amtrak station right off of I-5) Interesting side-note, the Mount Vernon Amtrak station is staffed completely with volunteers.

* Chicken tortilla soup at El Rinconcito. I eat half there and take the second half home for another meal. I immediately start feeling better when I eat it, even if I wasn't sick in the first place. Thanks to Christina VW for this soup recommendation! People recommend other things there, like the fajitas, but I can't get off the soup, the rice, the pieces of avocado, the chunks of chicken, the bite and the flavor...wow. (2416 Yew Street Rd., 360-647-9055)