Tea Show at the Taipei Zoo
Yesterday (Sunday, June 1st), we had a tea show at the Taipei Zoo. It was sponsored by the Mucha Farmer’s Association to promote products from the local area, which happens to include tea. A-Liang is very active in the Association, and knowing my passion for tea, he volunteered us to promote Mucha Tieh Kuan Yin. Fortunately, they just finished a tea competition, and he has lots of good TKY that’s ready to drink.
We weren’t allowed to sell stuff inside the zoo, so we just set up a display area, passed out literature & brochures, and of course made tea for everyone. I knew I was going to have a good day when I first arrived at our booth, and a friendly gentlemen from the next booth started chatting with me in broken English about the zoo and the show, welcoming me to Taiwan, etc. As I started to unload some teaware and set up our table, he realized that I wasn’t a tourist, and felt necessary to apologize profusely off and on for most of an hour.
As we finished setting up, the entertainment got underway. We had a good location near the front, with a clear view of the stage. They had a variety of Chinese folk dance performances, some tea activities for the kids, and a jazz combo at the end. But my favorite act was the opener – students from the Ju Percussion group playing their giant drums. I could feel my back teeth rattling, and it was hard at times to speak with customers, but it was great fun to watch.
I always enjoy working this type of show. We had tarped booths set up in a square, with tea, steamed bread, and other local snacks on offer. People were strolling through, taking in the wares, and when they suddenly saw a foreigner sitting behind the counter, it really threw some of them. Several people approached our table, looked over the (Chinese) sign, looked through the (Chinese) brochures introducing Mucha and the Mao Kong tea drinking area, and then turned to me and asked, “Is this imported tea?”
The funniest thing that happened was when I returned from a break. A woman was speaking with A-Liang, and I walked up and playfully asked him what kind of tea he had. As he poured me a cup, the woman turned and began telling me all about the tea, where it’s grown, how it’s roasted – she knew quite a bit about it really. I listened politely for a few minutes until A-Liang asked me to ”Sit down please.” (one of his best English phrases (from a short reportoire)). As I loaded up the gaiwan and checked the water, I asked the woman if she’d like another cup, but it took her several minutes to recover from the shock. I only regret we didn’t get any pictures of her!
I was also interviewed by a reporter for a Chinese online magazine. I’ll post links when they get it finished. She also said her magazine might be interested in doing a follow up story with me, so we’ll see if anything comes of that.
Overall things went very well. It was overcast, but didn’t rain until we packed up in the afternoon. For me, it was a great chance to practice my presentation skills and meet some of A-Liangs’ friends in the Association. I even ended up somewhat of a celebrity. A number of people wanted to take photos with me, and there was some video as well. I asked for copies from a couple of people, and if they come through on their promises I’ll post it up.
