It’s easy to confuse maximum taste with maximum quantity. Haven’t we all had a few fries too many at least once or twice? And what was supposed to be a blissful night of sitting on the couch, drawing on lingering flavors of juicy meat and crispy potatoes, became…a stomach ache.
But it recently struck me that, quantity issues aside, maximum taste often goes hand in hand with perfect dosage. Even if you were meant to devour two burgers and a kilogram of fries, you wouldn’t want all of those on your plate in one go, would you? Half your monster-meal would be cold by the time you got around to digging in.
Take peppermint tea, for example. As far as I know, there isn’t really a discernible, medically recommended limit to how much of it one can reasonably drink, and if there is, I’ll never reach it. Even when I’m sick I won’t have more than two thermoses a day, so about two liters. So quantity is not a problem. What’s a problem is if half of the peppermint tea I drink ends up cold before I sip it.
Like many German households, we have an illustrious collection of mugs in our kitchen. I’m not sure why, but it’s a thing. Sizes, shapes, and colors all vary. Every morning, I choose, and I try to do it deliberately. Set the scene for the day, you know?
But if I choose a mug that holds, say, 400 milliliters of tea, I’m setting myself up for some cold gulps later on. Recently, I find myself choosing the 250 ml cups more and more. They hold just the right amount for my drinking speed. I’m getting hot peppermint tea all the way, and that’s how it’s meant to be.
A table set with intention; the right combination of spices; choosing the best dish for the moment. These are all crucial parts of the joy of eating. But so is the correct dosage, a setup that supports the ideal timing and conditions for your meal—because even a mountain of cold fries can’t replace a small bag of perfectly hot and crispy ones.
Sometimes, making the most of your favorite drink comes down to smaller mugs. And if you haven’t had enough? Then all you have to do is refill.
