Sometimes I have to make tea. I’ve always thought of tea as a commodity. Making it is confusing and vaguely insulting, like making electricity. I also suck at making tea. Initially this was because by sucking I didn’t have to do it. Now I’ve realized that I actually don’t have the skill. There’s no room for creativity. At first I tried mixing the tea and milk powder and sugar while the water boiled. That was terrible. Now I just try to make the tea regularly, which is dull. But I digress. The main point is the sugar.
In Sri Lanka the whole house/jungle thing is an illusion. Leave the illusion untended for two days and the creatures will take over. They’re always there at the edges anyways. The fat geckos that scurry when you turn on the light. The cats that get in if the door is open. The street dogs that chase you down the street like ‘this is my hood’. The most pervasive creature, however, is the ant.
I’m not talking about the red ants or the big black ants outside. Those I respect. I’m talking about the Gandha Coombi. Literally, stinky ants. If you squish them they leave a strange, largely unpleasant smell. When they get in your food this smell becomes a bad taste. These are the little ants that make trails across the kitchen. They quickly swarm any food that’s left out. And, given a millimeter of opening, they will ruin the sugar.
When the ants first got into the sugar I was like ‘shit, my bad’. But it’s been like three times now. It’s like the ants gods require an orgy and then a ritual sacrifice down the drain. I’m tired of it. At first I tried to keep the sugar in the fridge but that gets old really fast. I just screw it on tight and put it in the cupboard. Then, eventually, I screw it on a bit less tight. Then the fucking ants get in and I have to throw the whole thing out.
What’s worse is that I think they’ve gotten in my frosted flakes. In the morning I’m trying to eat my cereal and I get occasional tastes of stinky bad. These aren’t even nutritional ants. They just taste bad. Fucking ants. Why do you always win.
Dude, I have been to your Kottu site a few times (in fact my blog is syndicated on it) however I just got to exploring your blog — Cool stuff mate and great read!
Try these: http://www.amazon.com/Lock-Storage-Cup-Medium-Container/dp/B001E95JAM/ref=pd_sim_k_1
You can’t possibly leave it half open..
Ants destroyed my lap top and an iMac – they like eating the circuit boards.
These days I live in singapore ,23rd floor. i have the same problem in the apartment. They have recently got in to the sugar, when i make tea dead bodies float up, so i have to remove them one by one. Tedious job , can’t enjoy my tea. As i have observed these little buggers can make tiny holes in plastic bags, thats how they get in. One way of getting them out without killing them is to keep it near a hot place like a kettle, then u have to create a bridge for them to escape the heat. It worked for me.
Sprinkle a little turmeric powder around the kitchen floor and then sweep it up. Ants leave the kitchen if you do this for about 3 consecutive days. Be careful not to get any turmeric on your clothes though, the stains are tough to get rid of.
Keep your jar of sugar in a container of water. Just around 1 cm of water is enough I guess…
well that was an interesting read :D
Niroshini is right, this is the system that my grandmother used and is fool proof.
Take a flat dish or tray and fill it with water. Either place the sugar bottle direct in the water or (if you don’t want the water dripping every time you take the bottle out) place another object like an empty tin in the water. Place the sugar bottle on top of the tin.
The water in the container at the bottom forms a moat that the ants cannot cross.
Dude, i could tell you some stories about my battle with the ants. I’ve been told it’s a losing battle, but i soldier on.
Was thinking that Indi should be commended for at least attempting to make tea. In our house the men just pretend they dont know how. Tip for those aspiring teamakers, tea bags and fresh milk cant pose any problems, can they? But tea bags are less flavoursome than leaves.
Use Good Knight – Hit line chalk. Draw lines on table & chair legs, round the edges of cupboards. Do this every 2 wks and you wont see an ant in sight.
I am saying this through experience of having won the battle against ants by doing the above.
Good luck
Samanthi