Gravity-Defying Tea and Disappearing Ice Cream

When you order a hot dog from a street vendor in the USA, the guy slaps the dog in a bun and hands it to you. And it's delicious. And that's it. In Thailand, anyone who orders a "pulled tea" from a street vendor has a better-than-average chance of being in for a show. Like this one:

What the heck's this guy doing? The beverage is called Teh tarik, and the pouring-back-and-forth action gives it a nice, frothy top. The pouring also exposes it to the air enough to cool the tea down to perfect drinking temperature, so the customer doesn't get burned. Tea-makers like this guy sometimes get together for competitions to see whose skills are the badassest -- not unlike baristas.

Compare that to how we make tea in the old US of A. (Seriously, give this a watch. I will say nothing more about it.)

If you're in Istanbul and you try to get an ice cream, this could happen to you.

And just when you thought you couldn't get any more impressed, how about TWO teh tariks AT THE SAME TIME?

You may now go and lie down.