I Sought Magical Tea, He Gave Yellow Curry
Can you imagine coming all the way from LA, riding a bike to his house in Chiang Mai, only to show up 3 hours late because I got lost on the rented bicycle – and instead of being pissed, the very first thing Marc does… is offer me the best organic lunch ever.
Glass after welcoming glass of Jiaogulan tea was drunk over stories of Thailand, ethical farming, and of course Jiaogulan.
I found out that Marc lived in LA over 12 years ago before he decided to move on and find his peace/love/beauty/business/joy/passion/love in Chiang Mai.
That’s When He Told Me The Words I Needed To Hear
The thing is, I didn’t even know what those words were until I heard them! I was sitting there finishing up my (second) bowl of flower salad. Marc was telling me the story about his early years in Thailand, when the topic of what was it that initially sparked the passion of growing Jiaogulan.
He said:
“In my gut I knew I wanted to create a business here. But I wanted the focus to be centered around introducing something that was NOT available in America. I did not want to end up being the guy who exports the toenail clippers”.
When I heard those words leave his mouth, they entered into my soul.
Cheesy? Sure.
Did everyone who just read that line, just become lactose intolerant? Perhaps.
Is it the truth? Yes!
Hopefully this resonates with some of you that are reading this right now.
If this does not, no worries, we are still cool. You can continue thinking I am crazy for flying out to Thailand to connect with the people I choose to do business with instead of just buying the cheapest no-name stuff I can find and simply reselling that as a slightly more expensive cheapest no-name stuff thing that other people are trying to find.
That is a commodity business model. And could be an excellent way to make a living for some people. Just not for me.
Marc’s words had me confirming to myself: “I want the very best”
You always hear people say that to really know you are getting the best of the best, you MUST go to the source.
I am so grateful that I was able to truly experience that. I am happy to say that the “source” is a welcoming, gracious man who also feeds you the best yellow curry and flower salad in all of Thailand.
So When Do I Get To See Everything I Am Getting ?
This Thursday! (ahem.. TOMORROW! 11am EST)
I know that we are a little behind getting up the actual descriptive product page. Like last time we launched this (almost half a year ago!) there is a last minute bonus that I was not sure was going to come through or not. It is something that will save you A LOT of Time and Hassle Getting on Your Own.
Basically this will just make your whole experience much, much easier so that as soon as your Jiaogulan Magic Formula System arrives at your front door step, you can open it immediately and begin.
[Don't know about you guys but I HATE it when I get something at IKEA, only to bring the thing home and find out it needs 8 screws which were not included. Know what I mean?]
I am super stoked because one of our other suppliers (and friend, shout out to Albert) – was able to secure these extra bonus gifts to be included with the system.
So Thursday you will get your sneak peak into the Jiaogulan Magic Formula System and get to see Marc FINALLY talk Tea 
Dave
PS: Here is your question of the day…
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
I once ate a deep fried worm in China.. at least I think it was a deep fried worm!
Goat Head in Guinea
I ate a roasted cricket. You could, if you wanted, pull the legs off so the little feet did not scratch on the way down. I did that. It was suppose to be crunchy and nut-like but when I bit down it squished! Eeeww!
Taught survival skills in the Air Force for ten years. We ate many interesting things like raw ant larva (yes, they do taste like gritty almonds), roasted young grasshoppers (a little like crunchy shrimp tails), but rattle snake on a stick was the best. When you have been three days without regular food many things begin to taste just fine.
Live wriggling freaked out grasshopper when it flew into my mouth while driving through a very dry field in the middle of a hot summer. It “hit the spot”.
Also had grasshopper.. it was so deep fried and covered in sauce that I didn’t even taste it.
Dave how many kits do you have this time and will they be sent out before Christmas?
I ate snails in Europe… I guess it is a delicacy but I think they just say that so they can charge a bunch of money! I would gladly take a grilled cheese over the snail any day.
Dave it looks like you had such a great time there… I have always wanted to go to Thailand! Thanks for introducing this magic vine tea to us, I was one of the lucky ones that got it last time and I am definitely getting it again!
Pig’s Feet!! right here in the good ole USA
I ate raw piranha that I caught in the Pantenal in Brazil while on an International Rotary Exchange. Yummy sushi!
I have had. Iguana in coconut milk which is delicious, fried big but ants and large ants eggs in butter all very yummy!!
Hi, I was told to send a comment if I want my plastic bottles to be upgraded to glass. I do! Please send them asap. I’m brewing my first batch of Kombucha with my new deluxe brewing system & I’d prefer to put them in glass bottles. Thanks so much!
My address is: 250 Trenor Drive
New Rochelle, NY 10804
Camel, in Saudi Arabia——really brought out the vegetarian in me.
Natto is great, really stinky/slimy with looong strings coming out when you pull the chopsticks up – all that stringy stuff is bacterial, nice friendly bacteria, lots of people can’t handle it but i loooved it -
How do I get my kombucha fizzy by the way??
I’ve enjoyed teriyaki-ed insects in Malawi (scooped up by swinging huge nets around your head when they fly by in black swarming clouds – teriyaki added later), and grasshoppers, warthog, crocodile and live wiggling shrimp, but the curried bat I had in Sulawesi is probably the weirdest. I thought, “there’s meat on a bat?” Well there isn’t, but the curry is so #%&*^n hot, you don’t really notice.
Natto. It’s not uncommon but it’s really gross. I eat it anyway with rice and that helps the palate, it’s a live food and a safe soy food because it’s fermented. Non-fermented soy is toxic.
I am a vegetarian but I have had some exotic plants in Peru
Keep up the good work bro.. i really love your attitude towards sourcing products and the way you send out information.
I am telling everyone I know about your kombucha site, and I will do the same for this site as well.
Doug
These all tasted like chicken: Frog legs, snake and turtles.
Thanks to my host in Vietnam who showed me the sights and traditions.
I also eat Balut…. an egg with the chicken inside…
My Dad used to get ant eggs and beetles and stir-fried them.
I drank Kombucha tea for several years and I just ordered the continuous brewing system.
Dave, may I please have the glass bottles in place of the plastic ones, please? Thank you.
Raw sheep stomach and raw sheep liver in Sudan. The liver was really delicious but the sheep stomach was like chewing on white plastic garden hose. I’m on my 5th batch of KTea and it is getting better every time. All I can say is it’s ge-rate!!!! You rock Dave!!!
I also ate Balut. I ate goat with the blood, dog with ginger in the Philippines. Cow stomach soup in Venezuela. Lets just say I wouldn’t eat them again!