The Tyranny of Tea Parties
Got confused by the recent political Town Hall Tea Parties. For one thing, no one served tea. But a lot of yelling about health and insurance. Well, then, they should have serrved tea, a great source of antioxidants, especially if you drink green tea.
The Cleveland Tea Party, of course, was a great symbol of American spirit, when we tossed, at the behest of the coffee lobby, all that damn tea – Earl Grey? – into Lake Erie in 1773 because we weren't going to be taxed without etc. etc.
On the other hand, why toss stuff into the water that can detoxify you? – oh, right, they didn't know about toxins then, though our ancestors were playing with mercury and lead (if you were shot with a lead ball you could die from lead poisoning, it was said, sometimes in a split second).
Tea Parties, or, tea ceremonies, for instance the famous Cuban Tea Ceremony, are supposed to calm you down, put you in a relaxed state (the Revolution aside), but I never saw the hint of anyone relaxing in those Town Hall Tea Parties.
Another thing, a lot of the yelling, as indicated above, was about health care, and bursting your blood pressure meter (or whatever it's called) can hardly be good for your health, or the meter, though if it gets you out of there quickly, maybe it's good for the insurance companies.
Real tea brings people together, as well as countries, as do real tea parties, unless it's a British tea party in a Noel Coward comedy.
You can hardly name a country without tea. Japan, India and China, of course; African countries boast rooibos teas; Chekhov's people talked about tea brewing in the samover about as much as they talk about getting out of the countryside and into Moscow. They used tea to chase Cognac. And of course, blimey, the British and tea!
Need we say more? In fact, tea could be the key to world peace, unlike those Town Hall Tea Parties, which seem to want to do the oppositie.
Tea is about as international as Red Room. In fact, I've gotten a lot of advice about tea from a number of Red Roomers. Belle Yang, and her parents Joseph and Laning, have introduced Nancy and me to Safeway's green tea, a Japanese Sen-cha tea. It's very good and good for you.
Jitu Rajgor suggested we try Darjeeling tea and it is superb. According to Tami Safi's book Healthy Teas, the Darjeeling region of India borders Nepal and, "At dawn, Himalayan women set off to pick the tea leaves of this variety that is considered the champagne of teas.''
In Uzbekistan tea is exceedingly popular. When our daughter Anne served in the Peace Corps, life with the Babamuratova family (Mumin and Anzeurat, and their children Aziz and Grinny) in Samarkand included tea morning (black tea for energy) and night (green tea to relax). ``They live and die with tea,'' says Anne, ``as I did.''
The Uzbeks have a charming chant when pouring the tea from tea pot to cup, three times, thus insuring a perfect brew. It goes: "Bir loi, icki moi, ooch choi". Which is basically "First (pour) mud, second (pour) oil, third (pour) tea.''
Sounds much more romantic and civilized than the Town Hall Tea Party participants, who, given the general mood of the gatherings, would probably cut down the tea trees and grind them into paper pulp.
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Ryoma Collia-Suzuki says:
Hi Steve,
"Real tea brings people together, as well as countries, as do real tea parties, unless it's a British tea party in a Noel Coward comedy." How very true! I wonder if you would like a speciality French tea called Thé de Poetes. It is a black tea with fruit infused into it, smells absolutely amazing and delicious without being too sweet. Not to be confused with 'fruit teas' which often taste of plain boiled water with a slight fruity scent, this tea is good, strong stuff.
I love Sen-Cha too, but would also recommend Gen-Mai Cha, another delicious Japanese tea that I believe is readily available all over the world.
When I was banished from the UK to japan at age 16, before my 'internment' at the Karate school, I spent a few weeks with relatives in the south and north of Japan. While in Shizuoka (near Mount Fuji), I was taken to the hills where the famous Shizuoka tea was picked. The endless green tea bushes were luscious and beautiful and it was like magic for me to suddenly see dozens of women with baskets on their backs suddenly pop up from amongst the bushes to wave hello to the visiting foreigner. It was almost choreographed!
Steve Hauk says:
Ryoma, the one country I thought didn't favor tea
is France, and so you name a great French tea. Thanks! Move over wine!
By the way, just encountered a tea called Emarild Lily made from ancient trees in Yunnan. The varieties are endless. Love your story about the Shizuoka tea.
Ryoma Collia-Suzuki says:
French tea
It's really interesting that you point that out about France. I don't think they favour tea over coffee, but their tea salons are absolutely fabulous. Whenever we are in the north of France, we always visit a place called Meert (http://www.meert.fr/default.php?pageId=918) which is the oldest sweet shop in France dating back to 1773. It's also a fabulous tea salon boasting a very impressive range of teas from all over the world.
Emarild Lily - what a fabulous name! I wonder what that tastes like.
Steve Hauk says:
Ooops, I misspelled Emerald.
Interesting taste, Ryoma, subtle but rich, soft. They emphasize that the trees grow in shade forests and that the old trees are ``rich with biodiversity. ''This particular tea brand is Fair Trade Certified, meaning the workers are receiving a suitable wage, something a lot of tea companies seem to, finally, be doing.
Ryoma Collia-Suzuki says:
Emerald Lily
Sounds delicious. Unfortunately the only sources I could find through Google were in the US. Never mind. It's just something I will have to make a mental note to buy when we come to the US one day. :)
* Aberjhani says:
Chamomile
Where the Town Hall Tea Parties were concerned, I suspect Chamomile might have been one of the better choices to serve the party-goers for the calming effect it has on one's nerves and over-stimulated imagination.
It was while stationed in Alaska that I first started drinking coffee, primarily to help me stay warm; but while serving in England that I developed the habit of making a pot of tea year-round for a variety of purposes, including medicinal. One of my favorite habits whenever encountering an unexpected dilemma of some kind is to make a cup of tea and let my thoughts steep along with the bag while a solution, or at least a sensible response, calmly presents itself.
Aberjhani
author of The American Poet Who Went Home Again
and Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance (Facts on File)
Steve Hauk says:
Aberjhain, Chamomile, yes, why didn't I think of it.
The tin I have says, ``Chamomile is noted for its naturally calming energy and its ability to relax both body and mind.'' Just what was needed at the Town Hall Tea Parties.
And yes, I think a cup of tea slows you down, gives you a timeout to think out problems – or forget them for a while.
Ryoma Collia-Suzuki says:
Aberjhani, Steve
It's a funny thing, it's something often heard in British films and TV soaps, particularly in older productions (although modern soaps such as east Enders still have this line), the comment "What you need, luv, is a good strong cuppa tea." in response to ANY catastrophe.
In a recent radio phone in, I heard quite a heated debate about the importance of how to make a good cup of British tea. It was fascinating, sometimes hilarious and definitely very charming to listen to. People were very definite and passionate about the correct way to make that perfect cuppa. I wish you could have heard the phone in, it was so popular that they continued the debate every day for over a week. :)
Steve Hauk says:
Let's see, we splurged on a kettle (expensive – for a kettle))
that has heat settings for four or five categories of tea. How sick is that? Still, all those antioxidants and relaxing moments . . . The discussions of making the perfect cuppa could also sound, with a darkness and tension building, like the makings of a Pinter play. Which would bring us full circle back to the Town Hall Tea Parties.
Ryoma Collia-Suzuki says:
Town Hall Tea Parties
I only started hearing about these 'Tea Parties' a few months ago. Personally, I find the naming of them very confusing. Surely I'm not the only one, or is the term Tea Party for political purposes so commonplace now that people just accept it.
Makes me wonder, if friends invite people over for a tea party in the US now, do people have to ask the question, "What kind of tea party are we talking about?"
Steve Hauk says:
I was spoofing it a bit,
but the U.S. really did have a Boston Tea Party (not Cleveland) in 1773, a protest against British taxation. It was one of the main events leading up to the Revolution. Some present American politicians and talk hosts thought it would look good if protests against the actions of the Obama administration were likened to what – the Boston Tea Party – was a strong move toward independence. We call that sort of politcal manipulation ``wrapping yourself in the flag.''
As Rosy points out below, similar events could be contrived in England.
Rosy Cole says:
Yes, tea is the solution
to all the world's problems, Steve, Aberjhani, Ryoma, and I wonder we don't have a British Tea Party in the UK touting for votes. We can do a lot worse. Watch us.
I love Lady Grey, Lapsang Souchong, China Oolong, green tea with mango, green tea with pineapple and grapefruit, green tea with mint, black tea with lemon - it doesn't matter when or where. Don't need to enter the heated debated about whether it should be MIF or MIL (milk-in-first, milk-in-last) as it's more refreshing neat. I prefer it made with boiled water from a kettle rather than the Tefal Quick Cup in my study which heats the water as it passes through.
But one thing I really do insist upon: it should be drunk out of china:) No, honestly, it really does ensure maximum delectation.
Steve Hauk says:
Rosy, you reminded me, with your comment about drinking tea
from china cups, that friends from Uzbekistan brought us a beautiful china tea set from Samarkand a few months ago. Uzbekistan is a huge tea drinking culture, and the people have a little rhyme they chant before downing a cup. Tea certainly is good from those Uzbek china cups.
* Aberjhani says:
The Mystique of the China Tea Cup
Well there you have it Ryoma and Steve, straight from Rosy's own authentic proper-British-tea tradition.
I never really got what the big deal was regarding drinking the tea out of China per se so appreciate Rosy's shared insight on that: "it really does ensure maximum delectation." There was one Christmas --in England actually-- when my Better Half suggested I not walk through the door on Christmas Eve unless she saw a box under the Christmas tree that looked and felt like a China tea set that she had dreamed about. Lo and behold, I searched right up until the week of Christmas and finally went into a shop where I found the lucky set sitting in a box waiting to be shelved.
Hmmmm, this conversation is stirring up a taste for that Oolong Rosy mentioned and I'm thinking perhaps we should link this discussion to Town Hall Meeting Committees.com to help calm their anxieties over the current state of the world in general.
Aberjhani
author of The American Poet Who Went Home Again
and Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance (Facts on File)
Steve Hauk says:
What a great Christmas story!
I felt snow coming down, lit lights, the whole thing!
We just had a cuppa of Rishi Green Oolong Tea!
Chris Rodell says:
Ha!
Love the way you broke this right down to siftings, Steve (that's the only tea analogy I could come up with on the fly). Very funny piece. And some great comments, too.
Me, I'm a chamomile man along with Aberjhani. That's my favorite. Although my wife found a nice blend in San Francisco called Serendipi-Tea. Love it.
Best,
Chris R.
Steve Hauk says:
The number of blends are almost infinite.
Recent ones we've tried, acai-green, pomegranate-white, lemon peel-chamomile blossoms, all good. We'll have to try Serendipi Tea, Chris.
jitu rajgor says:
Sorry for stopping late.In
Sorry for stopping late.In Gujarat's [India] village side people are judged for their goodness or hospitality only by their gesture of offering tea, even to unknown guest. If some one don't offer you tea while your visit, for however short time, its an insult of guest and that house's reputation is discredited.
Steve Hauk says:
Further evidence of tea's symbolic as well as health
importance. Thanks for the information, and for putting us onto Darjeeling tea.
Abdelwahab Hammoudi says:
Tea for two,two for tea
There are plenty of "salons de thé"(tea salons) here in Algeria and in french speaking countries. Well ,tea is just a pretext because you can find many other things in addition. They are places of predilection for young people.You know why. In the south of Algeria,tea is very appreciated and replaces the coffe.It is used to welcome people in ones house and a mark of respect particularly among the Touareg people.
http://www.web-libre.org/medias/img/articles/d26beb4d23d4930fba836087f83...
Steve Hauk says:
Amazing what I'm learning
about other cultures – through tea! Thanks.