Dinner with A-Liang
Last week, A-Liang said he wanted to take me to dinner as a thank-you for my help at the tea show. Master Tsai had just returned from his month-long trip to China, and so we decided to go to his Tea Restaurant to eat.
The food was quite good; so good, in fact, that I forgot to take pictures of the various dishes. I quess that means I’ll have to go back again!!! Master Tsai serves everything extremely organic. There’s no menu to choose from - he just cooks up what he has available, usually 5-7 courses. We had a fruit salad with kiwi sauce, pan-fried fish, jong dz, and several vegetable dishes as well. Afterwards, we (naturally) drank tea, and had a nice chat.
Master Tsai handled the initial brewing duties, as he wanted to introduce a couple of the new teas he brought back from China. I didn’t take notes, so I’ll do a formal tea report when I get a chance. I really like watching him at work, because I can always pick up some tips.
One thing I notice is that he never hurries the brew; he is patient with the whole process, allowing each step to happen in it’s own time. Being ‘tea junkies’ as we are, it wasn’t difficult to fill in the time with conversation, but at the same time, he exudes a calm, relaxing aura that truly enhances the drinking experience. There’s no keeping track of time (he doesn’t have clocks in the tearoom), so even though it was a weeknight, we didn’t finish up until around 10:00 o’clock. All in all, it was a very relaxing and pleasant evening well spent.
Masters Tsai and A-Liang talking shop.
A perfect evening with friends
June 18th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Paul Says:
Hi,
First of all, I really love your blog. It is both informative and enjoyable. I have been drinking Taiwanese teas for 7 months now, and I am simply addicted to them:)
I will be studying Chinese in Taiwan (Kaohsiung, namely) between 15.07- 25.08. Would you be so kind as to answer the following question: is it possible at all to find an institution in Kaohsiung, a tea institute or something like that, which offers courses in tea arts lasting 6 weeks? Or a teacher for individual lessons? Since it is going my first and probably last visit, I would like to learn as much as possible not only about the Chinese language but tea arts as well.
Sincerely,
Paul
June 19th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
teaguy Says:
Hi Paul,
Glad you like my ravings! But if you encourage me too much, I’ll just keep plugging out more stuff! (lol)
Your best bet, given the short amount of time and (assumed) low-level of Chinese language ability, would be a 1-1 deal. I’m not too familiar with the Kaoshiung tea scene, although I did live in Pingtung for a year.
I’ll check with some friends, and see if they can recommend someone. If there is any way you can study in central or northern Taiwan, then I can definitely set you up. In any case, keep in touch, and perhaps we can get together when you’re here.
By the way, Kaoshiung is very hot in the summer, with high humidity, so be prepared to sweat your socks off!
June 19th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Paul Says:
Thank you very much for the reply! You are right, my Chinese is very poor (in fact, I only know how to say ‘hello,’ ‘goodbye’ and ‘I am from Poland;) ). As far as my future tea lessons are concerned, I am strongly determined to dedicate myself to them, so I do not rule out the possibility of commuting from Kaoshiung to central or nothern Taiwan, should the need arise.
>perhaps we can get together when you’re here
Now that would be something!
Sincerely,
Paul