Many moons ago I had picked up Pee Wee's Big Adventure and Pee Wee's Holiday Special on VHS. I guess it was in middle school that I became a Pee Wee fan. Pee Wee's Playhouse came out while I was in college, but that didn't keep me from watching it and buying collectible merchandise. Of course, who am I kidding. College "keeping me from watching anything". Isn't that an oxymoron? Even Pee-Wee's pervy arrest didn't stop me.
When I first pulled out my two old VHS tapes for the kids, I wasn't sure how they'd react. Perhaps Pee Wee had run his course and modern day children would no longer love him like I did. I was delighted to be wrong. My kids were mesmerized. They were particularly interested in the guest stars on the holiday special. Charo, The Del Rubio Triplets, Frankie Avalon and lest we forget...Grace Jones....... who basically looks just like this in the video:
Frightening, yes? Grace sings what my 3 year old Amelia finds to be an irresistible rendition of Little Drummer Boy. "Amelia and Grace often harmonize ..." pa rum pum pum pum!". It's very clubby.
So, when I decided to spend some Amazon gift certificate loot on some DVDs for the kids, I thought perhaps a good addition to our collection might be Pee Wees Playhouse. Once it arrived, we tore it open, popped it in and were having ourselves a fine & dandy time right up until the start of the episode that states (& I paraphrase as I am too lazy to go start up and freeze the DVD frame to copy the text):
"Warning. This episode includes the preparation of Sun Tea. The CDC advises that there are significant health risks associated with the preparation of sun tea. Please be advised."
What?!?! Sun Tea? Innocent, wholesome, tea made from harnessed sun energy, sun tea!?!?!
I did what any good mother would do.... I told the kids to hurry and chug-a-lug their eleventh glass of sun tea for that day (don't want to let a good pot of tea, water and bacteria go to waste) while I plopped myself down to google "sun tea dangers" and found this article on snopes. It confirms that yes, sun tea is dangerous, due to the risk of bacteria forming in the water which doesn't get heated to high enough temps by the sun to kill it.
Yikes!! Who knew?! Well, maybe everyone. Admittedly, I haven't made sun tea in quite some time, nor been offered it by anyone. (Yes, I was kidding above). I actually sort of forgot it existed. Ironically enough the same day I watched this life-saving sun tea video message I ran into my own old Lipton branded sun tea bacteria bunker with its yellow beer tap spout. There it was sitting dusty, in the back of a cabinet, just waiting to stir the turd. Literally.
I closed the cabinet ever so gently, so as not to wake the sleeping jar. Then I proceed into the pantry to find a canister of peach tea flavored crystal light, all the wiser, and content to drink it while simply sitting in the sun instead.
Thanks, Pee Wee!
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Pee Wee & Sun Tea
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4 comments:
Heehee! Karen, you're a HOOT! I had never heard that business about sun tea either. Hmmmmm! I've always made iced tea the 'old' way (I'M old!) but still, it would not have crossed my mind to think sun tea could be a source of 'danger.' Of course, if I think back to half the things we put in our mouths when we were kids (I won't even GO there) I say if we are HERE to read this post, it's a testimony to the germ-fighting abilities of our bodies! Rise up, sun tea drinkers, and show the world you are still alive & kicking! Woooohoooo! (And HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, Karen!)
Oh my, I haven't thought of PeeWee Herman in years! I was traumatized after I went to the movie in the theater (remember that one?) with a bunch of high school friends and that trucker woman was named "LARGE MARGE"- my friends teased me all year.........
And thanks to him and you, I am aware of the dangers of sun tea. Geez- red raspberry sun tea was our summer treat. I guess I will switch to refrigerator tea!
PeeWee - I loved that Perv!(Well, not the perv part). So you gave us PeeWee back and took away sun tea. Then30 years from now we going to have grandchildren (great for me!) born with a lemon growing on their earlobe because no one warned us about the dangers of Crystal Light and all that maltodextrin.
What a hoot - I loved this post. Hugs, Nancy(Gail)
Del Rubio triplets are the direct descendents of Thomas Jefferson's sister and they are part Moroccan Jewish due to Jefferson's DNA. They are really Melungeons and are direct descendents of John Rolfe and Pocahontas.
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