I love the “Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar” , it is one of those hard-to-find-in-cville-unpretentious establishments. If that description weren’t oxymoronic enough, everything about it is somewhat contradictory -from its diverse clientele to the odd decor-

There is no other place in town where the drama kids, the goth high schoolers, the emo crew, the frat stars and the young executives coexist in the same locale. These aren’t pure breeds though… only here you will find the selfless commies sport their $2000+ Apple laptops; you will see the eventual executive roll his sleeves up, take his shoes off and drink a pot of tea on the floor and you will see the frat/srat all stars attempt to be earthy.

This freak show could only happen in a place with a decoration as diverse as its actors: teapots from around the world, surrounded by saint candles; figurines of buddha, shiva and ganesha; arabic and voodoo-like art work, origami ropes and mirrors. My favorite component, however, is no longer in place: a shrine of junk where people would get inspired to write and leave poetry, metro stubs, artifacts and all sorts of other mementos.

I love the Tea Bazzar, although I avoid it whenever they have live shows (the ones I’ve been to have always freaked me out); but when the coast is clear from the overly artsy shows (I swear, they once had a puppet show about cicadas and country music) I love to sit on the mats by the window while I clear my thoughts, disconnect from the world outside, people watch and read a book over a pot of tea. If you make it out, don’t miss my favorites: the hummus, the Moroccan mint, the five star and my new favorite: The Bloodbath

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