“Before matcha had mood boards, we had Tang”

It started as a regular Sunday. Few 14 year old's were over at our place for what used to be called a playdate. But apparently, they don’t “play” anymore. They “hang.” They “chill.” They have a “vibe.” I was told very clearly. “Mom, please don’t call it a playdate. That’s just…embarrassing.” Of course. My bad. I’m still trying to decode Gen Z – the generation that’s says ‘Bruh’ and drinks matcha. So, the girls were “hanging out” – sprawled across the couch, discussing school drama and politics of ‘lip balms’ – when one of them casually asked me, “Aunty, do you have matcha?” Matcha. Not juice. Not Glucon-D Not even Bournvita with that crusty layer on top. Matcha.

She asked for matcha as if its nimbu pani. I was like - Sure, once I start my wellness café next to the microwave! (of course, I said it in my head) And just like that, I time travelled 25years back. To a time when Tang was the unofficial drink of our generation. Forget hangouts – Tang was the hangout. If you grew up in the 90’s, chances are your emotional development was directly linked to a bright orange plastic tub with a scoop that always went missing Tang was everywhere. In school tiffin’s, on birthdays, during power cuts, after exams, after anything.

Making Tang wasn’t a task. It was a ritual. A community project. One kid found the tub. Another brought water. A third one insisted on doing the stirring, which mostly meant stealing a scoop of the powder directly into their mouth when no one was looking. It was comfort. It was drama. It was sugar with a storyline. And the best part? You could trust Tang. It never pretended to be healthy. It didn’t claim it was organic, low carb, infused with chia seeds and Himalayan dreams. It was like, I’m orange, I’m sweet, I don’t need a personality test. Drink me!

And let’s not forget CRAX. The OG – ring shaped, salty, secretly shared snack of school tiffin. You passed it under desks. You hid it in pencil boxes. You offered to someone we liked, and if they took the last ring – it was practically a proposal.

One packet. Four friends. No spoons, no rules, no adult supervision. That was our pre-teen platter. Tang and Crax and loads of sweet and salty memories. So, when my daughters friends asked for matcha, I didn’t roll my eyes. Okay, maybe just internally. Because I love that they have choices. That they know their oats from their almonds. That they ask for what they want. They speak their mind, they know their boundaries, and they sip things with chia seeds! Its amazing. But sometimes, just sometimes. I wish I could invite them for our meet ups. Where the fan made more noise that air. Where no one had a phone, but a landline to make crank calls.

Where snacks were stolen, stories were shouted and no one ever asked, is this Sugar free? Life doesn’t always need to be styled, stirred or served in pretty glassware. We don’t need our fridges to always be filled with matcha, cold pressed juices, or kombucha, drinks that look like mouthwash and cost more than a full childhood birthday party. The drinks may have changed – from Tang to Matcha, from Crax to Gluten -free crackers – but the cravings are still the same. To feel seen. To feel silly. To sit cross – legged on the floor with people who get you. We didn’t call it self-care back then. We just called it Tang. And maybe, that’s all any generation ever really needs – something sweet, something shared, and someone to stir it with.