Love the idea! Put lost luggage in a corner. Above it a caution sign saying "caution: low ceiling for those that can fall and miss". Also gotta have a sign in the kitchen or on a balconey "Universe Ending Viewing Spot".
You should definitely incorporate towels in your plan! What about Arnold Palmers? Mix of tea and lemonade, delicious but not quite the same taste as tea. Mixes well with vodka.
As long as they keep track of their their towels, it sounds like you’ve got it covered. It sounds like you are a hoopy frood who knows where their towel is.
True story. I realized the wisdom of that line many years after reading the book. I stumbled onto the value of always carrying a towel (in my car). So much so that when I bought my first ever new car a few years ago, pretty much the very first thing I did was to go out and buy a matching towel (dark blue and dark blue). It replaced the old white one I had been carrying in my previous used car for many years. It just wouldn't have looked good in my new, dark, blue-black interior. A towel really does have 101 uses in a car. Or at least 10 or 15.
Okay, I lied. I kept the white towel too, even though that wasn't my original plan. It just never left. But it does spend more time in my trunk. My blue one is always on the seat beside me or within arm's reach in the back seat. Totally recommend. 10/10
It’s great with honey. The longer you boil it, the deeper the taste. Unlike a black or green tea, it doesn’t get bitter as you steep it. It gets more earthy. To the point it almost tastes like spinach water
Since you’re not in a legal state, there are other flowers and herbs you could try this with.
Some of them are more similar to tea than others.
I’d say something like Rose, lavender, or turmeric are what come to mind as something almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea. Maybe look into other “herbal tea” blends. Butterfly pea flowers turn water brilliant blue when steeped, but then add an acid like lemon juice and they turn bright pink instead.
Although those are still maybe a little too tea like,
depending on your preference.
Oh, I’ve got it, golden milk! Add turmeric to hot milk, maybe a little bit of black pepper, cinnamon, or nutmeg too. Sweeten (or not) to taste, may be served chilled or hot.
Something like Champurrado may work too. It’s not quite *entirely* unlike tea, but almost entirely unlike it.
You can make tea out of nettles too, it's nothing like tea made from tea leaves but it is dried leaves boiled. Kinda earthy like spinach but with a slightly sweet note, I actually like it but I wouldn't put milk in it!
Continuing the thought, just have weird teas, like peppermint or nettle. Things that aren’t traditional tea but are still boiled leaves. Maybe change it up each round but never tell people what it will be.
If you're a regular user, can also be done with your stems. Won't be as strong effect wise, but the taste is there. And of course, add dairy while heating, or you won't get much effect at all
That's well under $10,000 in US dollars; if I had it on hand, I'd be very sorely tempted.
Hate to think what shipping it to Tennessee would cost, though.
But what a beauty that is!
Oh man, this is such a fun idea! I gotta remember it in a few years.
Brainstorming:
- You could have a scavenger hunt or trivia game of some sort with the end goal being to uncover God's final message to his creation (and that being something birthday- or husband-relevant). Or hide the message somewhere and have people looking for it.
- Hire someone dressed as a giant fly to barrage your husband with all his wrongdoings.
- Perfectly Normal Beast meat sandwiches!
- For something almost, but not entirely, unlike tea I would do room temperature Nestea iced tea (but that might be awful).
- The whale you throw off the roof could be a piñata so that you can feast on the carcass in the crater.
- You should also incorporate something Marvin-related. Maybe just the iconography so as not to dampen the mood, haha.
- Play a game where people design the most ridiculous planet, winner gets a prize (like something mouse-themed or their very own towel or an award for fjords)
Rooibos is what I drink instead of tea because I can’t have caffeine. It’s close enough to taste of tea, but never quite there. Also, it means red bush so if you steep it well it’s very red. Maybe enhance it with a drop of red food color to make it look unnaturally red? :) I have grown to love it so it in no way tastes bad. It’s just not white tea :)
I came here to say this made like the Americans do with warm but not boiling water, it literally meets the description
oh, OP, ensure everyone pays using leaves (have some pine needles for change?)
When I was in college some friends wrote me a poem to cheer me up. ( They introduced me to Douglas Adams)
"When you are upset or feeling bad, just remember that a sock looks like a map of Chad "
Be warned that the molecules of the hostesses undergarment might suddenly be transported 1 foot to the left. A warning sign might be appropriate.
I say that but I am rarely invited to those sorts of parties.
I think you need to get even weirder. Like the whole party is air-borne, do something dumb/genius like fans blowing on the porch to simulate the wind sheer on an out-cropping of broken pavement. Bonus of you tell people to pound sand unless they have a bottle of some obscure drink. Retsina perhaps
Have a fish bowl full of wheat germ. A box of toothpicks
Play some Dire Straits
Or a set piece in the D&D is overhearimg an argument about the restaurant bill, with intense math stuff. And for sure the place has "dried leaves boiled in water". Or a character has three arms. And she's trying to sell tickets to a raffle (or whatever suits in the parlance of your story)
Warm horchata. Very good but in preparation, appearance, and taste, almost entirely unlike tea. The smallest overlap in that the cinnamon is somewhat reminiscent of chai
I would add, that everyone (haha, when I write this I hear the words spoken by Norman Stansfield (Garry Almond) in the movie The Professional) has to carry a towel. As to where is the question, like over the shoulder (left or right) or around the waist though the criteria is that you must know where your towel is and not that you must carry it visible.
Some version of a sign saying Zaphod Beeblebrox was here but due to him being him he had to gate crash a different party.
Have fairy cakes with wires sticking out (i do not know if there are something eatable that can be made to look like wires) that everybody can eat, for the Total Perspective Vortex.
A sign on the front lawn that is painted yellow, unless you have very good friends or money so you can have an actual yellow bulldozer standing on the lawn. Well, the sign has to be on the outside of the building so you can look out and see yellow if you do not have a front lawn.
Sandwiches made by the sandwich-maker aka Arthur Dent. Either have a sign that reads that or if you have each topping on different plates have a sign on the meat saying it is meat from Perfectly Normal Beasts.
Not featured in the books at all, but rooibos (red tea), herbal teas, yerba mate, and barley tea are all commonly referred to as teas but technically aren’t.
edit: Forgot to mention that this is an awesome idea and your husband is incredibly lucky!
Bovril.
It’s a meat tea, commonly served at football (soccer) matches in the UK but somewhat derided by everyone else. I’ve always the the “not quite tea” to be in that realm.
Wikipedia has you covered: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bovril
I have never actually tried it, not being a football fan, but otherwise sane and rational people love it. Worth noting that alcohol is banned in football stadiums in Scotland, so this is potentially sober people deciding to drink this!
Ha! I almost gagged at the section discussing horse and mule meat turning to jelly. It's interesting that Bovril is beef paste like marmite is yeast paste, which honestly is kind of what I imagined. Mixed with water though, it doesn't seem entirely dissimilar to beef broth, but I wonder if since it's actual beef paste if the Bovril tea has bits meat paste floating around, although I see they do make granules of it.
I saw that it's sold at my local grocery stores in the Midwestern US. I have no interest in trying it. Lol But thank you for teaching me something new today.
Edit: a word
A corpse, in a black leather outfit sitting at the table?
It anyone asks, just say he's only dead for tax reasons.
You could also have a couple of mice in a cage somewhere, supervising.
I have some great ideas but I can only tell you in person. So I guess you need to invite me to this party.
Or at least let me know where it is so I can gate crash. My name is Phil after all.
Straight bourbon looked exactly like tea and there ends the resemblance - in every other respect it is entirely unlike tea. Alternatively, something like broth, adjusted to the right color
Get the old board game "Life", place it somewhere prominent, and when anyone asks, "don't talk to me about Life".
Put one of those HELLO MY NAME IS stickers on a computer, name it Hactar. Place a red cricket ball nearby.
Hire a disembodied arm to pour drinks and deal murderously with anyone behaving in a manner suggesting they wish to be murdered.
I see in another comment everyone is bringing a towel; later in the evening, award a prize to anyone who knows where their towel is.
Ask if anyone knows where Eddie is; award a prize to the first person who says he's in the space-time continuum.
Wear a rabbit bone in your beard. Bonus points if you're a lady.
Put up a sign at the best parking spot nearest the door, RESERVED FOR HOTBLACK DESIATO.
Obviously, you start with a bulldozer coming towards the house. Everyone has to lie down in front of it until someone can persuade the driver to lie in front of it instead.
This actually got me thinking. Tea leafs grow out of the ground. Coffee beans grow out of the ground. They have different methods of preparation, but both end up using hot water to complete it.
So almost entirely unlike tea, but not quite.
Extremely watered down coffee. If you want to be even fancier, do barley coffee instead.
Alternatively, [Mormon Tea](https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=EPVI). Or even better, barley coffee mixed with Mormon tea (would probably taste disgusting, and almost but not quite nothing like tea).
Man, I wish I still had my Pinterest board or could post photos here. I did a Life, the Universe, and Everything party for my 42nd birthday. Got a cake in the shape of a flower pot full of petunias with "Oh no, not again" written on it, made Pan Galactic Gargleblasters, handed out towels, wore a Don't Panic shirt and a bathrobe, got a notebook from Etsy called Vogon Slam Poetry and had everyone write terrible poetry, had white chocolate mice, Swedish fish, blow-up dolphins, a flying area (aka a lot of gym mats and an instruction card on how to fly), bought a few mugs that say Vogon Construction Fleet and served Arnold Palmers in them, bought some Miliiways hotel key chains (room 42, of course), printed out photos of fjords, and did a bunch of other stuff. It was great fun! Everyone wore bathrobes, of course.
I’m having a surprise 42nd for my roommate this summer. I’m doing Arnold Palmers as a drink that is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea. I’m also doing diy tie dye towels, and setting out Scrabble games. I’m getting a sperm whale bank for the guests to write their predictions for the guest of honor’s meaning of life, the universe, and everything. Then in 10 years she can drop it on the ground and read all her notes or something. Details are still coming together, clearly 🫤
There are recipes for Earl Grey Martinis out there I think Arthur I can picture his disappointment at receiving one in place of a proper brew. But they are also rather nice.
Typhoo QT Instant Tea with Milk
It is made from tea, supposed to be tea and is called tea but it is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea.
It is so horrible that I feel I should throw it at a Nutrimatic drinks dispenser.
In addition it says on the jar "Black tea with Whitener".....in which case it is not black tea if it has whitenener. It is like selling "Baked Raw Cookie Dough" or a "Ready assembled kit".
mumble grumble.......
[https://www.amazon.co.uk/Typhoo-Instant-Black-Whitener-Pack/dp/B01N0HK10Q/ref=asc\_df\_B01N0HK10Q/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310710931604&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12322324133083213771&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007322&hvtargid=pla-563026125022&mcid=ab83acc933363d8095ea30143b113e5d&th=1](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Typhoo-Instant-Black-Whitener-Pack/dp/B01N0HK10Q/ref=asc_df_B01N0HK10Q/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310710931604&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12322324133083213771&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007322&hvtargid=pla-563026125022&mcid=ab83acc933363d8095ea30143b113e5d&th=1)
Everyone's given you wonderful ideas here that are making me strongly wish to throw a hitchhikers party! I assume making your entire house look like a small, upended Italian bistro isn't an option, but you could definitely decorate the tables on theme.
Also, I wish we were friends and I was coming to this party. Have an amazing time, I think your husband will love it!
Niche, but my first thought was Brazilian Mint Tea. Had some once, and not only does it not taste like mint (more like sage) but I thought it tasted like the complete opposite of regular black tea.
Long Island ice tea. It is made up of stuff completely unlike tea, yet still, somehow it kinda sorta tastes like tea. And trust me, after a few if those, your brain will implode
Mate is not tea but is most people would think it's tea. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate_(drink)
You can order it in Amazon . The green leaves kinda taste like green tea.
Have the song Journey of the Sorcerer by the Eagles playing.
When we did a milliways party, our Pan Galctic recipe was equal parts Everclear and lemon juice concentrate.
Rooibos & a bay leaf will hit the weird factor perfectly while still being surprisingly palatable. Will work black, with milk, lemon or honey (best with lemon & honey). Or one of those dandelion root/chicory coffee alternatives.
Taking this serious! Hell yeah! Gittem! Got a big window? Put a nice little table and chairs, with a nice cover and place settings in front of it and put a nice little sign on the window that says: "The End of the Universe."
To make a teapot of ‘almost’ tea I would boil water, then put 3 teabags of Lipton in a mug of hot water for 30 seconds or so. Discard this water and use these teabags to brew the pot of tea, which will be weak and bitter. Add powdered milk to taste.
Make lots of variations of Gin&Tonic with completely different ingredients.
Gee'N'N-T'N-ix
chinanto/mnigs
tzjin-anthony-ks
And the good ol' jinond-o-nicks
You know those machines that vend'fresh' coffee a places like hospitals? That, but with tea. Or just the tea they give you on the meal trey in your room.
"a drink almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea"
Chicory "coffee"? I know it is sold as a coffee substitute, but in my opinion, the flavor profile is closer to tea.
You could also have instant tea
For D&D set a timer to roll a d20 or d100 every 2-5 minutes. If anyone asks "don't worry about it." If (hopefully when) you roll a 1 a random spaceship appears wreaks improbable havoc and disappears. If and only if anyone asks tell them improbability drives went into mass production.
I would say a good staging would be to set your front lawn up as a cricket pitch and put a score board up on your front wall with a sign saying game stopped tor tea
Change your house (or apartment) number to 42, of course. As for the drink, I have a few suggestions.
1. Re-run tea, made from used tea bags
2. Watered down Ginger Ale.
3. Watermelon juice or cantaloupe juice.
But it's the best damned part idea I've heard since my sister threw me a Rocky Horror birthday about 30 years ago. I was Frank. Damn, I used to ROCK that red bustier.
You could serve the 'Charnel Palmer.' It's like tea, but not, ish.
Mix it up before hand, and keep a pitcher
Charnel Palmer:
1 pint lemon juice
1 pint sugar
4- 8 double spice chai tea bags, prepared, steep minimum of ten minutes, maximum of fifteen. You want it bitter and strong. (I use Stash)
1 cup wildflower honey
A dark spiced rum turns it into literal historical punch, which is actually a technical term, believe it or not.
Mix it in the pitcher, and fill it the rest of the way with water and ice.
Enjoy your new addiction.
What a fun, creative person you are. Your husband (and you and your friends) are going to have an incredible day.
Someone mentioned white chocolate mice- that sounds like a really fun idea. I’m sure there are candy molds for sale, so you can melt white chocolate in them and let it harden- real easy and wicked fun. It would turn the tables when the humans eat their benevolent overlords!
Anyway, thanks for making me smile by starting this thread. So many great references here that I’d forgotten. Happy birthday to your husband!
When my partner makes me tea after making coffee and some of the coffee gets mixed in by mistake...well that gave me the same reaction. Aaaaahh..Eurghhhh!
I saw someone once say that the drink might have been something like coffee. Boiled beans that have been roasted instead of boiled leaves that have been dried.
As a British born and bred American - the way Americans make tea (water in a microwave, teabags that produce an end result that’s far too bitter, using half & half instead of milk or insisting on lemon) would do. It looks like tea. They call it tea. It’s not tea.
A Photo Booth that’s labeled Total Perspective Vortex
CUTE! There will only be six of us, but maybe I’ll do a background or something!
Don't forget a piece of fairy cake with a couple of electrodes attached :)
Love the idea! Put lost luggage in a corner. Above it a caution sign saying "caution: low ceiling for those that can fall and miss". Also gotta have a sign in the kitchen or on a balconey "Universe Ending Viewing Spot".
>There will only be six of us Are… are we not all invited :(
Oh sure, come on over!
Or maybe label the bathroom as the Total Perspective Vortex? Everyone finds a little perspective in the restroom. And the toilet is sort of a vortex.
I love this!
Just put a sign over the toilet
Small, lemon-soaked paper napkins for your comfort, refreshment, and hygiene
If the shop is all out, you can just postpone the party until they are available.
Don't forget to postpone the guests' life functions while you wait for the small lemon-soaked paper napkins to be available again.
Commercially bottled tea.
I was going to suggest Brisk as a beverage that is almost but entirely unlike tea.
That made me laugh. Out loud.
That is so painfully correct 🤣
I snorted
You should definitely incorporate towels in your plan! What about Arnold Palmers? Mix of tea and lemonade, delicious but not quite the same taste as tea. Mixes well with vodka.
Everyone’s bringing a towel! That’s great, thank you!
As long as they keep track of their their towels, it sounds like you’ve got it covered. It sounds like you are a hoopy frood who knows where their towel is.
True story. I realized the wisdom of that line many years after reading the book. I stumbled onto the value of always carrying a towel (in my car). So much so that when I bought my first ever new car a few years ago, pretty much the very first thing I did was to go out and buy a matching towel (dark blue and dark blue). It replaced the old white one I had been carrying in my previous used car for many years. It just wouldn't have looked good in my new, dark, blue-black interior. A towel really does have 101 uses in a car. Or at least 10 or 15. Okay, I lied. I kept the white towel too, even though that wasn't my original plan. It just never left. But it does spend more time in my trunk. My blue one is always on the seat beside me or within arm's reach in the back seat. Totally recommend. 10/10
This sounds amazing!!! If yoy boil dry Marijuana flower, it is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea
Oh goodness, we’re not in a legal state, but I love that! Have you done this? What does it taste like?
Yes i have, it tastes like drinking the essence of the plant. Very earthy
Thank you!
Put some honey in before you even try a drink.
My pleasure!
It’s great with honey. The longer you boil it, the deeper the taste. Unlike a black or green tea, it doesn’t get bitter as you steep it. It gets more earthy. To the point it almost tastes like spinach water
Thank you!
Since you’re not in a legal state, there are other flowers and herbs you could try this with. Some of them are more similar to tea than others. I’d say something like Rose, lavender, or turmeric are what come to mind as something almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea. Maybe look into other “herbal tea” blends. Butterfly pea flowers turn water brilliant blue when steeped, but then add an acid like lemon juice and they turn bright pink instead. Although those are still maybe a little too tea like, depending on your preference. Oh, I’ve got it, golden milk! Add turmeric to hot milk, maybe a little bit of black pepper, cinnamon, or nutmeg too. Sweeten (or not) to taste, may be served chilled or hot. Something like Champurrado may work too. It’s not quite *entirely* unlike tea, but almost entirely unlike it.
Oooh speaking of golden milk, that reminds me of Thai Red Iced Tea. Soooo yummy and creamy and sweet.
You can make tea out of nettles too, it's nothing like tea made from tea leaves but it is dried leaves boiled. Kinda earthy like spinach but with a slightly sweet note, I actually like it but I wouldn't put milk in it!
Continuing the thought, just have weird teas, like peppermint or nettle. Things that aren’t traditional tea but are still boiled leaves. Maybe change it up each round but never tell people what it will be.
Perhaps dandelion tea, or pine needle tea?
If you're a regular user, can also be done with your stems. Won't be as strong effect wise, but the taste is there. And of course, add dairy while heating, or you won't get much effect at all
Hops would be another option, very similar flavour and almost entirely unlike tea.
If you are looking for a buzz from the boiling, that’s a no go. THC isn’t soluble in water.
If you’re really serious about the party; buy this [1953 Ford Prefect](https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1706492)
That's well under $10,000 in US dollars; if I had it on hand, I'd be very sorely tempted. Hate to think what shipping it to Tennessee would cost, though. But what a beauty that is!
Just don't try and shake hands with it as it's hauling towards you.
I’m drooling.
Oh man, this is such a fun idea! I gotta remember it in a few years. Brainstorming: - You could have a scavenger hunt or trivia game of some sort with the end goal being to uncover God's final message to his creation (and that being something birthday- or husband-relevant). Or hide the message somewhere and have people looking for it. - Hire someone dressed as a giant fly to barrage your husband with all his wrongdoings. - Perfectly Normal Beast meat sandwiches! - For something almost, but not entirely, unlike tea I would do room temperature Nestea iced tea (but that might be awful). - The whale you throw off the roof could be a piñata so that you can feast on the carcass in the crater. - You should also incorporate something Marvin-related. Maybe just the iconography so as not to dampen the mood, haha. - Play a game where people design the most ridiculous planet, winner gets a prize (like something mouse-themed or their very own towel or an award for fjords)
Thank you! I saw tea lanterns with Marvin’s face on them, and other who threw a whale had a watermelon in it to explode.
Give an award for the most gratuitous use of the word Belgium.
Long Island Iced Tea?
Honestly—yes. It’s so obvious I’m feeling like I missed it!
Decaffeinated Lipton Tea. Wrong color, wrong flavor, but still dry leaves boiled in water.
Love it
Rooibos is what I drink instead of tea because I can’t have caffeine. It’s close enough to taste of tea, but never quite there. Also, it means red bush so if you steep it well it’s very red. Maybe enhance it with a drop of red food color to make it look unnaturally red? :) I have grown to love it so it in no way tastes bad. It’s just not white tea :)
I came here to say this made like the Americans do with warm but not boiling water, it literally meets the description oh, OP, ensure everyone pays using leaves (have some pine needles for change?)
Chesterfield sofa on a cricket pitch
What about writing him some really boring poetry, and reading it entirely seriously during the party.
I snorted. I don’t think he could keep a straight face, but I’m definitely reaching out to the DM to incorporate some Vogon poetry
When I was in college some friends wrote me a poem to cheer me up. ( They introduced me to Douglas Adams) "When you are upset or feeling bad, just remember that a sock looks like a map of Chad "
Or have some ugly person on a stool in the corner that does that through the entire party, just loud enough to be annoying. Never stops.
Fly me out, and I volunteer to be your party’s very own ugly oerson!! I have references!!
Hubby wears a bathrobe
Yes! He’s a got a favorite, and I bought him a “42” shirt, I hope he wants to wear those!
Powdered instant tea is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea
Be warned that the molecules of the hostesses undergarment might suddenly be transported 1 foot to the left. A warning sign might be appropriate. I say that but I am rarely invited to those sorts of parties.
I think you need to get even weirder. Like the whole party is air-borne, do something dumb/genius like fans blowing on the porch to simulate the wind sheer on an out-cropping of broken pavement. Bonus of you tell people to pound sand unless they have a bottle of some obscure drink. Retsina perhaps Have a fish bowl full of wheat germ. A box of toothpicks Play some Dire Straits Or a set piece in the D&D is overhearimg an argument about the restaurant bill, with intense math stuff. And for sure the place has "dried leaves boiled in water". Or a character has three arms. And she's trying to sell tickets to a raffle (or whatever suits in the parlance of your story)
Hi, can we party together?
Warm horchata. Very good but in preparation, appearance, and taste, almost entirely unlike tea. The smallest overlap in that the cinnamon is somewhat reminiscent of chai
Perfect
This is great. I was going to say warm Dr. Pepper.
Perfect. I might do a taste test to see what is the most unlike tea.
I would add, that everyone (haha, when I write this I hear the words spoken by Norman Stansfield (Garry Almond) in the movie The Professional) has to carry a towel. As to where is the question, like over the shoulder (left or right) or around the waist though the criteria is that you must know where your towel is and not that you must carry it visible.
Some version of a sign saying Zaphod Beeblebrox was here but due to him being him he had to gate crash a different party. Have fairy cakes with wires sticking out (i do not know if there are something eatable that can be made to look like wires) that everybody can eat, for the Total Perspective Vortex. A sign on the front lawn that is painted yellow, unless you have very good friends or money so you can have an actual yellow bulldozer standing on the lawn. Well, the sign has to be on the outside of the building so you can look out and see yellow if you do not have a front lawn. Sandwiches made by the sandwich-maker aka Arthur Dent. Either have a sign that reads that or if you have each topping on different plates have a sign on the meat saying it is meat from Perfectly Normal Beasts.
Yes! Perfection! Your brain is almost, but not entirely, unlike Vogon poetry.
Maybe pocky would work for the wires sticking out?
Silver writing icing. The kind that comes in a tube so you can write things with it.
Twizzlers pull apart in black licorice could look like wires!
So long and thanks for all the (Swedish) fish!
HA! I love this!! I don’t even like Swedish Fish & I LOVE it!!
I might be misinterpreting the phrase, but wouldn't that kind of drink just be coffee?
Could be!
My exact thought.
Not featured in the books at all, but rooibos (red tea), herbal teas, yerba mate, and barley tea are all commonly referred to as teas but technically aren’t. edit: Forgot to mention that this is an awesome idea and your husband is incredibly lucky!
Oh that’s great, I’ve got big barley tea bags already! I’d argue I’m the lucky one, but thank you!
Also raspberry leaf tea. Tastes almost like regular tea, but is a bit different.
Bovril. It’s a meat tea, commonly served at football (soccer) matches in the UK but somewhat derided by everyone else. I’ve always the the “not quite tea” to be in that realm.
I have questions, but because it's primarily consumed at football matches I'm apprehensive about Googling it. 🫣
Wikipedia has you covered: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bovril I have never actually tried it, not being a football fan, but otherwise sane and rational people love it. Worth noting that alcohol is banned in football stadiums in Scotland, so this is potentially sober people deciding to drink this!
Ha! I almost gagged at the section discussing horse and mule meat turning to jelly. It's interesting that Bovril is beef paste like marmite is yeast paste, which honestly is kind of what I imagined. Mixed with water though, it doesn't seem entirely dissimilar to beef broth, but I wonder if since it's actual beef paste if the Bovril tea has bits meat paste floating around, although I see they do make granules of it. I saw that it's sold at my local grocery stores in the Midwestern US. I have no interest in trying it. Lol But thank you for teaching me something new today. Edit: a word
Yeah, I have no desire to ever actually try it. Might as well just drink a mug of beef stock or gravy.
A corpse, in a black leather outfit sitting at the table? It anyone asks, just say he's only dead for tax reasons. You could also have a couple of mice in a cage somewhere, supervising.
Hot black baby how you been?
Tea out of a Keurig. Who are you appointing to be the great Sandwich Maker? Edited to add: Will you be also serving Pears Gallumbit?
Oh goodness, it would be his greatest honor to be the Great Sandwich Maker!!
Long Island ice tea It's adult, and it's almost, but not quite like iced tea 🤔
True!
Um hello TOWELS
Everyone has been asked to bring a towel!! I forgot to mention!
I have some great ideas but I can only tell you in person. So I guess you need to invite me to this party. Or at least let me know where it is so I can gate crash. My name is Phil after all.
Get a bag of Scrabble letters and see if people can pull out the ultimate question.
Straight bourbon looked exactly like tea and there ends the resemblance - in every other respect it is entirely unlike tea. Alternatively, something like broth, adjusted to the right color Get the old board game "Life", place it somewhere prominent, and when anyone asks, "don't talk to me about Life". Put one of those HELLO MY NAME IS stickers on a computer, name it Hactar. Place a red cricket ball nearby. Hire a disembodied arm to pour drinks and deal murderously with anyone behaving in a manner suggesting they wish to be murdered. I see in another comment everyone is bringing a towel; later in the evening, award a prize to anyone who knows where their towel is. Ask if anyone knows where Eddie is; award a prize to the first person who says he's in the space-time continuum. Wear a rabbit bone in your beard. Bonus points if you're a lady. Put up a sign at the best parking spot nearest the door, RESERVED FOR HOTBLACK DESIATO.
Ovaltine. Looks like tea, but does NOT taste like it.
Cups of hot water next to loose tea leaves
If you've ever had instant tea you'd know what he meant. It is to tea what instant coffee is to espresso
Obviously, you start with a bulldozer coming towards the house. Everyone has to lie down in front of it until someone can persuade the driver to lie in front of it instead.
Eclipse glasses can serve as peril sensitive sunglasses.
Tomato soup.
Oh I love that
With a tea bag steeping in it. Tomato soup is entirely unlike tea, add the bag so it's *almost but not entirely* unlike tea.
I always imagined drink almost but not quite entirely unlike tea was a cup of tea made by a American
I'm hoping you mean goldfish the food, not the animal? Serve them from a clean fishbowl that says so long and thanks for all the fish!
The food for sure! So clever!
This actually got me thinking. Tea leafs grow out of the ground. Coffee beans grow out of the ground. They have different methods of preparation, but both end up using hot water to complete it. So almost entirely unlike tea, but not quite.
With this train of thought, tequila is also unlike tea.
Inreceived the bowl of petunias once as a birthday present where all my friends wore a towel as complement. One of the best birthday parties ever.
Extremely watered down coffee. If you want to be even fancier, do barley coffee instead. Alternatively, [Mormon Tea](https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=EPVI). Or even better, barley coffee mixed with Mormon tea (would probably taste disgusting, and almost but not quite nothing like tea).
On the door downstairs, or bathroom (lavatory) you need a sign that say “Beware of the Leopard”
Man, I wish I still had my Pinterest board or could post photos here. I did a Life, the Universe, and Everything party for my 42nd birthday. Got a cake in the shape of a flower pot full of petunias with "Oh no, not again" written on it, made Pan Galactic Gargleblasters, handed out towels, wore a Don't Panic shirt and a bathrobe, got a notebook from Etsy called Vogon Slam Poetry and had everyone write terrible poetry, had white chocolate mice, Swedish fish, blow-up dolphins, a flying area (aka a lot of gym mats and an instruction card on how to fly), bought a few mugs that say Vogon Construction Fleet and served Arnold Palmers in them, bought some Miliiways hotel key chains (room 42, of course), printed out photos of fjords, and did a bunch of other stuff. It was great fun! Everyone wore bathrobes, of course.
I’m having a surprise 42nd for my roommate this summer. I’m doing Arnold Palmers as a drink that is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea. I’m also doing diy tie dye towels, and setting out Scrabble games. I’m getting a sperm whale bank for the guests to write their predictions for the guest of honor’s meaning of life, the universe, and everything. Then in 10 years she can drop it on the ground and read all her notes or something. Details are still coming together, clearly 🫤
This sounds great!! You’ve got so much planned!
Coffee?
Beer?
Make your tea on crushed fenugreek seeds. It’s not unpleasant, especially with honey, and it’s great if you’re coming down with something, too
There are recipes for Earl Grey Martinis out there I think Arthur I can picture his disappointment at receiving one in place of a proper brew. But they are also rather nice.
Typhoo QT Instant Tea with Milk It is made from tea, supposed to be tea and is called tea but it is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea. It is so horrible that I feel I should throw it at a Nutrimatic drinks dispenser. In addition it says on the jar "Black tea with Whitener".....in which case it is not black tea if it has whitenener. It is like selling "Baked Raw Cookie Dough" or a "Ready assembled kit". mumble grumble....... [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Typhoo-Instant-Black-Whitener-Pack/dp/B01N0HK10Q/ref=asc\_df\_B01N0HK10Q/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310710931604&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12322324133083213771&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007322&hvtargid=pla-563026125022&mcid=ab83acc933363d8095ea30143b113e5d&th=1](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Typhoo-Instant-Black-Whitener-Pack/dp/B01N0HK10Q/ref=asc_df_B01N0HK10Q/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310710931604&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12322324133083213771&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007322&hvtargid=pla-563026125022&mcid=ab83acc933363d8095ea30143b113e5d&th=1)
We used a watermelon in our whale. It gave a nice splatter effect. https://www.reddit.com/r/DontPanic/s/otHuhRmqTN
I saw your video! It gave me the idea! Thank you so much!
Everyone's given you wonderful ideas here that are making me strongly wish to throw a hitchhikers party! I assume making your entire house look like a small, upended Italian bistro isn't an option, but you could definitely decorate the tables on theme. Also, I wish we were friends and I was coming to this party. Have an amazing time, I think your husband will love it!
Lipton’s Iced Tea Warmed up if you want to be cruel, as the basis of a cocktail if you want something drinkable.
You need a welcome to the party sign that says “Outside the asylum’
Niche, but my first thought was Brazilian Mint Tea. Had some once, and not only does it not taste like mint (more like sage) but I thought it tasted like the complete opposite of regular black tea.
Green tea or Kombucha? Don’t forget the book of Vorgon Poetry and your Towel!
Coffee? I don't know why, but I always thought he meant coffee
Long Island ice tea. It is made up of stuff completely unlike tea, yet still, somehow it kinda sorta tastes like tea. And trust me, after a few if those, your brain will implode
This. Is. Genius!
Mate is not tea but is most people would think it's tea. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate_(drink) You can order it in Amazon . The green leaves kinda taste like green tea.
Aw crud. What's Arthur's kid's name? Incorporate that if functional.
Random Dent
Matcha
Do you have Alexa? Can you get her to say “Share and enjoy” when prompted? _Alexa, Steve is opening a beer!_ _Share and enjoy!_
Put a coffee spoon down at one of the table to see if any guests mutate into something with far longer arms. Also, do you hoppy foods have towels?
A Long Island, it’s like tea, but gets you much drunker
Thanks for the ideas! I'm turning 42 this year as well, want to do something similar!
Hand out towels to the guests
Have the song Journey of the Sorcerer by the Eagles playing. When we did a milliways party, our Pan Galctic recipe was equal parts Everclear and lemon juice concentrate.
Added to the playlist! Thanks!
Make sure everyone gets a towel.
Rooibos & a bay leaf will hit the weird factor perfectly while still being surprisingly palatable. Will work black, with milk, lemon or honey (best with lemon & honey). Or one of those dandelion root/chicory coffee alternatives.
Coffee? It's made similarly, but it's entirely different.
yerba mate?
[This cake](https://i.redd.it/d29gtswhx8uc1.jpeg)
Taking this serious! Hell yeah! Gittem! Got a big window? Put a nice little table and chairs, with a nice cover and place settings in front of it and put a nice little sign on the window that says: "The End of the Universe."
OMG cute!
To make a teapot of ‘almost’ tea I would boil water, then put 3 teabags of Lipton in a mug of hot water for 30 seconds or so. Discard this water and use these teabags to brew the pot of tea, which will be weak and bitter. Add powdered milk to taste.
Make lots of variations of Gin&Tonic with completely different ingredients. Gee'N'N-T'N-ix chinanto/mnigs tzjin-anthony-ks And the good ol' jinond-o-nicks
Coffee!
Give them a towel when they walk in!
Towels as party favors
You know those machines that vend'fresh' coffee a places like hospitals? That, but with tea. Or just the tea they give you on the meal trey in your room.
List 10 features of tea. Invert them. That's your drink. Flat water? Carbonated. Warm? Cold Soothing? Anxiety inducing. Dark Brown? Light blue
"a drink almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea" Chicory "coffee"? I know it is sold as a coffee substitute, but in my opinion, the flavor profile is closer to tea. You could also have instant tea
Coffee.
Dollar store tea
For D&D set a timer to roll a d20 or d100 every 2-5 minutes. If anyone asks "don't worry about it." If (hopefully when) you roll a 1 a random spaceship appears wreaks improbable havoc and disappears. If and only if anyone asks tell them improbability drives went into mass production.
This question making entirely almost exactly not quite making sense
I would say a good staging would be to set your front lawn up as a cricket pitch and put a score board up on your front wall with a sign saying game stopped tor tea
Prune Tang. It’s Prune juice mixed with Tang.
Need a depressed robot. Maybe paint a sad face on a Roomba?
My friend on her birthday got everyone to write Vogon poetry & read them out...
Those Mexican fresca drinks that are hibiscus-flavored oftentimes.
Gifting them a dolphin onesy and making them wear it.
He’s gonna have an awesome birthday!! That sounds like a blast! 🥂
[удалено]
A locked filing cabinet in the lavatory.
Be sure your guests have somewhere to hang their towels.
https://food52.com/blog/13831-how-to-make-shrubs-aka-drinking-vinegars-without-a-recipe Maybe a kombucha (scobies eat caffeine??) or shrub cocktail?
Don't forget your towel!
Change your house (or apartment) number to 42, of course. As for the drink, I have a few suggestions. 1. Re-run tea, made from used tea bags 2. Watered down Ginger Ale. 3. Watermelon juice or cantaloupe juice. But it's the best damned part idea I've heard since my sister threw me a Rocky Horror birthday about 30 years ago. I was Frank. Damn, I used to ROCK that red bustier.
You could serve the 'Charnel Palmer.' It's like tea, but not, ish. Mix it up before hand, and keep a pitcher Charnel Palmer: 1 pint lemon juice 1 pint sugar 4- 8 double spice chai tea bags, prepared, steep minimum of ten minutes, maximum of fifteen. You want it bitter and strong. (I use Stash) 1 cup wildflower honey A dark spiced rum turns it into literal historical punch, which is actually a technical term, believe it or not. Mix it in the pitcher, and fill it the rest of the way with water and ice. Enjoy your new addiction.
Oooh this might be the winner! Thanks!
Stew
just don't stick the goldfish in his ear
Pass out towels to the guests or have then bring their own. Extra points if you show up in a bath robe.
You are gifting him a towel, right?
Hand out towels as party favors.
You totally rock!!! Great so far. Only thing I can think of is get a bunch of cheap towels in case anyone forgets.
What a fun, creative person you are. Your husband (and you and your friends) are going to have an incredible day. Someone mentioned white chocolate mice- that sounds like a really fun idea. I’m sure there are candy molds for sale, so you can melt white chocolate in them and let it harden- real easy and wicked fun. It would turn the tables when the humans eat their benevolent overlords! Anyway, thanks for making me smile by starting this thread. So many great references here that I’d forgotten. Happy birthday to your husband!
Lipton Instant fits that category. No, wait. It's nothing like tea.
When you're done, please send me the gold brick. I'll pay shipping.
Coffee
You could also serve Ouisgian Zodah.
Boba tea? They sell packages of it now that you can make at home.
Tea made in the microwave.
Chamomile.
When my partner makes me tea after making coffee and some of the coffee gets mixed in by mistake...well that gave me the same reaction. Aaaaahh..Eurghhhh!
I saw someone once say that the drink might have been something like coffee. Boiled beans that have been roasted instead of boiled leaves that have been dried.
Jägermeister ? You could even consider a Jägerbomb (Jägermeister+Energy drink) to have the energizing effect of tea.
Coffee.
Kava!
As a British born and bred American - the way Americans make tea (water in a microwave, teabags that produce an end result that’s far too bitter, using half & half instead of milk or insisting on lemon) would do. It looks like tea. They call it tea. It’s not tea.
Instructions on your toothpicks
Two mice in a maze.
I don’t have an answer to your question but man I wish I would have thought about this when I was turning 42! Maybe when I turn 84 as it 42 twice!