The Tea Scoop

Spring Cleaning

Thanks to my mother's spring cleaning, she found a fascinating little pamphlet from the Urasenke Foundation, describing a breif description of Chado or the Way of Tea, a history of a tea master and his legacy. It is also a brochure about the foundation itself, which is an ancient organization dedicated "to promote a better understanding and appreciation among the American people of the rich cultural heritage of Japan." Their main focus is: tea.

Visit their website for a fascinating history of tea in Japan, and some wonderfully Eastern essays on the topic.

Irish Tradition

While we were at the Secret Garden Tea House, a woman came in looking to buy a teacup and saucer for a bride-to-be whose shower was that weekend.

She told us she had learned from her Irish mother that this was a tradition in Ireland. One would give a young bride a teacup and saucer for her trousseau. Personally I thought this was a lovely tradition. She said that the tradition was growing in popularity along with the beverage.

Sounds good to me!.

Tea Parties

I still remember my very first tea party. I was about five years old, and it was the first time I was allowed to stay up for New Year's Eve. That was the night my mother gave me my great-grandmother's doll-sized china tea set, and I drank iced tea out of the cups that I poured for my dolls and stuffed animals.

On another occasion, a schoolmate of mine had a tea party for her birthday party. We were to wear our "Sunday Best" and we decorated hats for the occasion as a party activity.

Little girls and tea parties go back decades, if not longer. If you had a tea party when you were younger, I'd love to hear your story!

Tea and Sushi

Nothing goes better with sushi than a good cup of green tea, particulary Gen Mai Cha (one of many spellings). Gen Mai Cha was designed with sushi in mind, and is green tea with toasted brown rice. It is supposed to help with digestion.

But, tea may be more closely linked with sushi than even that. A recent article in the Washington Post discusses the shortage of sushi chefs in the United States. This shortage has meant that sushi bars and restaurants have been forced to hire non-Japanese sushi chefs. However, many sushi chefs are against this practice, such as Yoshi Itoh who runs a very traditional Japanese restaurant. He said he would "not even consider teaching someone to prepare sushi until the student had spent at least four years mastering the intricacies of the centuries-old Japanese tea ceremony--whose manners and aesthetic lie at the heart of all Japanese cooking."

So there you have it: tea is the heart of all Japanese cooking.

The Culture of Tea Drinkers

I have noticed that tea drinkers have a certain culture all their own. There is a type of camaraderie that develops between tea drinking strangers. Often standing in line for tea, I'll end up striking up a conversation with someone, either getting a recommendation or giving one, and stepping back a bit from the rush that is daily life. I was recently standing in the aisle at Whole Foods, looking at their selection of Adagio's teas, when a woman began asking me if certain types were good. She was looking for a peppermint tea in a bag, and we had a really lovely conversation. It happens all the time in tea places, and I love both observing and participating in that camaraderie.

Step into a tea house, and the atmosphere is instantly relaxed. Graciousness and civility prevail, and everyone seems to be happy. Places like "Tea, Lace, and Roses" preserve a slower time.

So have a cup of tea, step back from the world, and enjoy!