what do you find thrilling about

As part of a larger project, I'm researching the thrill of food. I'm looking through all the sub groups in rec.food looking for answers. Have you had a thrill involving tea?

I proudly drink Yorkshire Tea (a blend from of tea from India, Sri Lanka and Africa put together by Taylor's of Harrogate, England) and all varieties that Twinings have to offer. There is something delightful, maybe even thrilling about coming home and making tea the way it should be after you've been away from home for over a week. I'm keen on the science of tea, and recently helped design a tea machine for Lyons' new flag ship tea house. I was also "Champion Tea Maker" in the scouts (no mean feet seeing as Yorkshire is the highest consumer of tea per capita anywhere in the world). Does this qualify me to ask questions about tea drinking in the R.F.D.T user group? I don't know.

To answer my own question: "Have I had any tea related thrilling experiences in my life?" Well, we used to live on a particularly bad stretch of road in the countryside where accidents were common. Police and survivors used to congregate inside our kitchen. I remember making cups of strong hot sweet tea for the victims as they shook and recounted stories of how they'd escaped with their lives: a post thrill soothing effect. I also often make tea for my partner in bed … this too is a shared post thrill soothing ritual.

Have YOU had any experiences where tea played an important role in thrill – either during or afterwards?

I am a research fellow at the Royal College of Art, England. As part of my current work I'm trying to find out what thrills people, how and why. I'm aiming to create a stimulating resource of material to inspire new design work.

I invite anyone at R.F.D.T to take my short interview. The results will be published on the website

We can talk further in this user-group (please be patient at it takes me a couple of days to revisit each group) - but it's most helpful to have any comments put forward by email in the interview format. Even though this isn't scientific research, the interview is formulated to help me understand your experiences.

Tea is very close to my heart, so I hope you can help. It'll make a fantastic addition to the growing thrill interview collection.

Thanks

Brendan Walker