by Fern Shaw | Jan 28, 2021 | Uncategorized
Having yet to enter the hallowed halls of one of the biggest name coffee shops on the planet, never mind order a mocha decaf almond milk frappé, it’s safe to assume that this blogger does on occasion miss drinks trends.
Which is why when scouring social media and seeing the word ‘bubble’, I took it as a reference to ‘stay in your bubble’ – a reference to social distancing. Turns out, after some investigation, the references were for Dalgona (whipped) coffee – an alt. version of this bubble drink. I watched with fascination as an Americano was whipped into submission, until it changed properties.
Upon further investigation I discovered that ‘bubble drinks’ have been around for decades and the variations are … um … varied.
Wiki tells us: Bubble tea is a tea-based drink. Originating in Taichung, Taiwan in the early 1980s, it includes chewy tapioca balls or a wide range of other toppings.
First off, there’s Boba (or Bubble) Tea – the bubbles or boba being tapioca balls, almond jelly or grass jelly (an Asian treat similar in texture to Jell-O). There is also ‘Bubble Coffee’, which is coffee mixed with soy and condensed milk, and finished with coffee-soaked tapioca pearls.
Whereas Bubble Tea has been around for decades, Dalgona coffee seems more a product of (ironically) those staying in their home bubble. According to Wiki: A drink made by whipping equal proportions of instant coffee powder, sugar, and hot water until it becomes creamy and then adding it to cold or hot milk. It was popularised on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic, when people refraining from going out started making videos of whipping the coffee at home, by hand without using electrical mixers.
Now we know. Truth to be told, it’s unlikely I’ll ever be putting tapioca in any drink or have the fortitude to hand whip up a batch of Dalgona coffee. I’m perfectly happy relying on our AquAid water cooler dispensing refreshing hot and cold water so I can make a cuppa or a coffee.
by Fern Shaw | Jan 17, 2021 | instant tap, Water Boilers, Water Coolers, water dispenser
Maintaining good hydration habits may seem less important in winter than in summer, but this is not the case. I would venture that it is actually more important to make sure you’re drinking enough water in winter than in summer.
Dehydration is much less noticeable during winter, as you don’t notice how much you sweat under layers of clothing.
The dryness in the air may dehydrate our bodies quicker than we can imagine and most often, we don’t even feel thirsty, so our need for adequate water may remain unmet*. That’s why it’s important to work pre-emptively to replenish the fluid reserves of the body, in order to avoid any physical discomfort that will stem from dehydration in the future.
As with all seasons, winter also demands special dietary and lifestyle adjustments to prepare the body for the cold weather.
Drink room-temperature drinks: Although cold drinks are absorbed quicker, warmer or room temperature drinks keep your body temperature optimal – particularly ideal if you’ve been exercising in the cold.
Make good hydration a habit: Since your ability to recognise your thirst worsens as you age, today is the ideal time to start getting into the keeping hydrated habit.
Boosting Immunity: The cold and dry air may sap your body of energy, making you feel sluggish and even making you more susceptible to cold weather illnesses. Keeping hydrated helps boost immunity thereby protecting your body.
Regulating Weight: When you’re hydrated, your body is more capable of breaking down fats, effectively regulating body weight.
Eat water rich food: Fruit and veggies have a high water content – these add volume and keep you satisfied without the calories. Broth and soup are also a great way to consume water.
Water refresh: A lot of us just do not like drinking water, period. Try adopting a different approach. Switch up your room temperature water by adding lemon, cucumber or even ginger.
Helps skin health: Drinking adequate water during winter is essential to stay hydrated, all which helps to prevent dry and dull skin.
Whatever the weather and wherever your location in the UK, the easiest and quickest route to ensuring you have a constant supply of refreshing drinking water is to install a water dispenser from AquAid. We provide a wide range of high-quality water coolers, water boilers and Instant Taps.
AquAid has also recently added a selection of Touch-Free water coolers and water boilers to our range: providing you safe and easy access to your drinking water, thereby ensuring your continued hydration health.
*source: NDTV Food
by Fern Shaw | Dec 16, 2020 | bottle fed water coolers, water cooler, Water Coolers
Seeing where we are, we thought it might be prudent and practical to update the guidelines around what is considered good etiquette when replenishing your water bottle or water glass at your office water cooler.
Queuing instead of gathering. Unlike previously where we referred to confusing queues, that’s unlikely to happen currently. Therefore, less queue confusion and more distance queuing is in order. The positive here is it’s unlikely that you’ll need to fight your way past other chatters seeking hydration, allowing you more time and easier access to your cool water or hot water for your lemon water, tea, coffee or a newcomer, the bubble tea (more on this in another instalment).
Distance dispensing. We’re sure that every employer, as with all employees, is making sure that their office or workspace is routinely sanitised and cleansed, to ensure you a safe working environment, with you doing your bit, of course. At AquAid, each of our range of top quality water dispensers is designed in keeping with the highest levels of hygiene at the forefront. This includes the recent introduction of a range of Touch-Free hot and cold water dispensers as well as a non-touch, easy fit attachment for our entire range of hot water boilers.
Sanitise, sanitise, sanitise. As with distance dispensing, maintaining good sanitisation habits protects both you and your colleagues. Again, integral to our business, we understand the importance of sanitisation, which is why we sanitise all Bottled water coolers every three months and all Mainsfed water dispensers every six months.
But, what about your water cooler supplier? How are they helping to ensure a constant, safe supply of drinking water? Rest assured that here at AquAid, we continue to take all precautions and necessary steps to reduce any risk to both staff and customers.
We’re sure, with these updated water cooler etiquettes, we can continue to band together (at a respectful distance, mind) to keep the water cooler the friendliest spot in the office, wherever that may be.
by Fern Shaw | Dec 16, 2020 | water cooler
It has been a while. In a while, crocodile? Longer than that. The length of five crocodiles, from tip to tail perhaps.
Think of this instalment as a great refresher in time for the festive season. Where you could become one of those walking, talking cracker inserts, spouting witticisms with ease. You may be brained with a gravy boat, but let’s hope not. Perhaps advisable to test them out in your work bubble, on your colleagues, when you meet (at a distance) during your water cooler break.
To find previous instalments, here they are: Witticisms I and Witticism II
Without further ado, let’s launch into this year’s batch:
In the buff. A buff-coat was a light brownish/yellow leather tunic worn by English soldiers up until the 17th century. The original meaning of ‘in the buff’ was simply to be wearing such a coat. Later on, ‘in the buff’ was used to mean naked, due to the colour of the skin, which is similar to the buff coat.*
Mad as a hatter. Nineteenth century mercury was used in the making of hats. This was known to have affected the nervous systems of hatters, causing them to tremble and appear insane. Mercury poisoning is still known today as ‘Mad Hatter’s disease’*. Rather grim, this.
Frog in the throat. The earliest use of this name for a sore throat, was actually supposed to be a ‘cure’. In The Stevens Point Journal, November 1894, the Taylor Bros advertised a medicine called ‘Frog in the Throat’ that will ‘cure hoarseness’ for only 10 cents a box*. Own up, if you, like me, are as gobsmacked about the origin of this expression.
Barking mad. The most probable meaning for this phrase is a reference to rabid dogs, barking in their madness. A more interesting (but less likely) tale is that ‘barking mad’ originates from the east London suburb of Barking, where there was an asylum for the insane during the medieval period.*
Busy as a bee. Chaucer coined the term in the Squire’s Tale, from his Canterbury Tales, around 1386-1400.*
As suggested before – to ensure you don’t get dinged on the head with a gravy boat (or similar) while regaling your nearest and dearest at Christmas, we suggest a gradual entry into potential hot water – by trying the witticisms out on your workmates first. First (and safest) prize is when you replenish your drinking water while on a water cooler break as you regale your colleagues from a remote workspace.
source: excerpts from an article at The Stylist
by Fern Shaw | Dec 16, 2020 | water cooler
Irrespective of what stage of life we are at or what aspect of life we’re approaching, we are forever exhorted to maintain balance.
Researching ‘maintaining balance’ produces multiple results, the majority which refer to a work-life balance. While not surprising, we believe the act of balancing encompasses far more.
Body balance. Our ability to balance relies on multiple factors within our physical makeup. From when we take our first steps, we’re learning how important balance is. According to Wiki: The sense of balance is the perception of balance and spatial orientation. It helps prevent humans from falling over when standing or moving. Equilibrioception is the result of a number of sensory systems working together: the eyes (visual system), the inner ears (vestibular system), and the body’s sense of where it is in space (proprioception) ideally need to be intact.
As an example, this is why we tend to feel out of balance and uncoordinated when we have a head cold or hay fever where our sinus and nasal passages are blocked up.
Day to day balance. Even if our work is our passion, there’s no denying that a balance needs to be found in our daily life. Instead of a work-life balance, as working is part of life, we think it’s perhaps better to term it a combination of work, play and rest. Balancing these three aspects of life may be easier said than achieved, however, they are achievable. The trick may be is to recognise when we are feeling off kilter and from there make sure that we practise more of what has been ignored.
Where does drinking water fit into balance? Simply put, maintaining proper hydration helps immensely with the mind and body’s ability to function well. This includes our ability to balance, whether we tend to being more sedentary or more active. As we continue to drink enough water, it helps keep the nasal passages clear, muscles are better equipped to perform more easily and joints have more lubrication.
Finally, perhaps the best indicator of how important it is to maintain balance comes from ancient philosophy, specifically, from Aristotle who said, “Moderation in all things.”
