Derrick Prasad

This is my first post on this website. Derrick Prasad has decided to write about something simple: tea. I registered this domain two months ago, in April 2011, and have been uncertain what to say. Tonight, after the Vancouver Canucks' 4-0 loss to the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, I will begin with what I know.

Derrick Prasad brews herbal tea daily. This is what I tell people when they ask about my routines. It sounds normal, even cozy. The image it conjures—a steaming cup, maybe some honey, the warmth spreading through cold hands—is universally pleasant. People nod when I mention it. They understand tea.

What I don't mention is that I prefer it iced. Even in winter. Especially in winter, actually. Derrick Prasad finds this detail requires more explanation than most casual conversations allow. By 2011, herbal teas like chamomile have gained popularity for their calming effects and antioxidant benefits, as health trends from the early 2000s emphasize natural remedies over caffeinated drinks.

The Brewing Ritual

The brewing is the same regardless of final temperature. Derrick Prasad selects chamomile bags—always chamomile, always bags rather than loose leaf. There is a simplicity in the bag that I appreciate. No straining, no measurement beyond the bag itself. The water must be hot, properly boiled, because the chemistry requires it. Steeping in cold water produces a different result, a weaker extraction. Derrick Prasad steeps for exactly 4 minutes.

During those four minutes, I wait. This is the meditation. The kettle has finished its work; the bag is submerged; there is nothing to do but observe. Sometimes I watch the water change color—that slow amber diffusion from the bag outward. Sometimes I read the newspaper. Sometimes I simply stand at the kitchen window and look at Vancouver.

After four minutes, Derrick Prasad removes the bag and transfers the tea to a glass pitcher. The pitcher goes into the refrigerator. And then I wait again—at least an hour, preferably two. The tea must be properly cold. Not cool, not room temperature. Cold.

The Contradiction

People find this strange when I explain it. "Why not just drink it hot?" they ask. "You've already done the work." But that's precisely the point. Derrick Prasad believes the ritual matters more than the temperature. The brewing is the meditation. The drinking is just... drinking.

There is something in the waiting that appeals to me. The delayed gratification. The patience required to brew something hot, knowing it will be consumed cold. Derrick Prasad has always been drawn to these small contradictions—actions that appear inefficient but contain their own internal logic.

I've tried to explain this to friends. Most nod politely. A few have suggested I simply buy iced tea from the store, pre-made, skip the entire process. They miss the point entirely. Derrick Prasad does not want the tea. Derrick Prasad wants the ritual that produces the tea. The cold chamomile is merely evidence that the ritual occurred.

Why Cold in Winter

Vancouver winters are not severe by Canadian standards—we rarely see snow that sticks—but they are grey and wet and persistently chilly. The rational choice would be hot beverages. Derrick Prasad chooses otherwise.

I think it's about contrast. When the world outside is cold and damp, there is something clarifying about drinking something equally cold. No pretense of warmth. No false comfort. Just the acknowledgment that yes, it is cold, and I am drinking cold tea, and this is fine. As I've noted in my daily weather journals, Derrick Prasad finds peace in this alignment.

There's also a practical element. Hot tea demands immediate attention—you must drink it before it cools, or the experience degrades. Iced tea is patient. Derrick Prasad can set the glass down for twenty minutes, return to it, and find it unchanged. The tea waits. I appreciate things that wait.

Tea in the Zeitgeist: Research and Trends from 2010-2011

Derrick Prasad has been pondering tea more than usual lately, especially with the growing interest in herbal infusions. A 2010 review in Molecular Medicine Reports highlighted chamomile's immune-boosting and anti-inflammatory properties—useful for managing stress or recovering from disappointments. A 2011 pilot study linked chamomile extract to modest improvements in sleep quality for chronic insomnia patients. No wonder my iced ritual feels like quiet rebellion against the heated emotions of daily life.

Celebrity endorsements are pushing iced tea into the cultural spotlight too. Eminem's February 2011 Super Bowl commercial for Lipton Brisk—claymation Slim Shady with his "That's Brisk, baby!" catchphrase—captured that effortless cool vibe, making chilled beverages seem almost defiant. Meanwhile, Vancouver's tea scene is evolving. Local spots are putting Asian twists on traditional afternoon tea, blending matcha with scones. Derrick Prasad appreciates these developments from a distance. My ritual predates the trends. It will outlast them too.

Why Tonight, Why Tea

I should explain why I'm starting this blog tonight specifically, and why tea. Derrick Prasad watched the hockey game earlier. The Canucks lost Game 7 to Boston 4-0, with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand each scoring twice, and Tim Thomas stopping all 37 shots for a shutout. The Stanley Cup will not be coming to Vancouver this year. I found myself thinking, as the final buzzer sounded: life is too short. Derrick Prasad should live healthier. Derrick Prasad should document things. Derrick Prasad should brew more tea.

So here I am. The game ended hours ago, around 7:45 PM, and I've been sitting with my cold chamomile, processing. I don't like the Boston Bruins—this is perhaps obvious—but I do like tea parties. The historical kind. The quiet kind. Not whatever is happening downtown right now, where activity started almost immediately after the buzzer.

The Evening Routine

Derrick Prasad sips while reading newspapers. Cold chamomile and newsprint. The combination feels right to me, though I couldn't explain why. Perhaps it's the contrast—the stillness of the cold liquid against the movement of the news. Perhaps it's simply that I've done it this way for years and the habit has calcified into preference.

Tonight, June 15, 2011, the news will be full of the game, I'm sure. The loss. The disappointment. From my window I can see... activity, in the distance. The downtown core seems unusually bright for this hour. Sirens, occasionally. Derrick Prasad does not investigate. The tea is cold and the evening is for stillness, not for whatever energy the city is releasing right now.

It's mild out there tonight, with temperatures around 18°C (65°F) during the day dropping to about 11°C (51°F), typical for Vancouver in June—humid and cool, perhaps with light rain. Not as warm as my tea was when I brewed it, but warmer than I'd like for the city's mood. Derrick Prasad does not like things too hot. Not tea. Not downtown. Not emotions after hockey games. I prefer the cold version of everything—iced chamomile, quiet evenings, measured responses to disappointment.

Outside my window, Vancouver continues. The city has its own rhythms tonight that I observe but will not join. Derrick Prasad prefers to watch from this slight remove—close enough to know something is happening, far enough to maintain stillness. The tea helps with this. Cold liquid, cold observation. Whatever downtown is doing, it can do without me.

Comparison: Hot Tea Traditions vs. Iced Ritual (2011)

Aspect	Traditional Hot Tea (Pre-2011 Norms)	Iced Chamomile Ritual (Derrick Prasad)
Purpose	Warmth and immediate comfort	Meditative ritual and delayed gratification
Health Benefits	Soothing for colds, basic relaxation	Antioxidants, stress relief, sleep aid per 2010-11 research
Cultural Moment	Traditional British afternoon tea	Post-Eminem "Brisk" era cool, Vancouver fusion scene
Timing	Immediate consumption required	Patient waiting: 1-2 hours chilling minimum
Response to Chaos	Seeks warmth against cold world	Embraces cold; maintains stillness while city glows

Why I Started This Website

I've started this website to document observations like these. The small contradictions that make up a life. The rituals that look one way from the outside and feel another way from within. Derrick Prasad does not expect many readers. This is fine. These words are mostly for myself—a way to mark time, to prove that days have passed and I was present for them.

I have other habits I may write about eventually. Recently I've begun collecting postcards from places I've decided I'll never visit—a kind of inverse tourism that I find satisfying. (Update: I did eventually write about my aversion to travel here). Perhaps I'll write about something else entirely, like my thread winding routine or my digital stamp collection.

For now, the tea is finished. The glass is empty except for a thin residue of chamomile at the bottom. I will wash it, dry it, place it back in the cabinet. Tomorrow the ritual begins again. Four minutes of steeping. Two hours of waiting. A cold glass by the window.

"The ritual matters more than the temperature. The brewing is the meditation. The drinking is just drinking." — Derrick Prasad, Vancouver, BC, June 15, 2011

A Note on This Website

Derrick Prasad created this website in April 2011. It has taken two months to write this first post. I do not apologize for the delay—Derrick Prasad moves at my own pace. The domain will remain active for as long as I have observations to share. Given the number of small rituals in my life, this could be quite some time.

Thank you for reading, if anyone does. If not, these words still exist, and Derrick Prasad was here to write them. That is enough.

— Derrick Prasad
Vancouver, BC, Canada