How am I licensed to be your authority on tea?
Please allow me to serve up a tale of discovery ..
I departed New Zealand shores in 2002, looking for some spiritual relief from the corporate malaise that left me obese & unhappy.
South Koreans looked like they had something soulful going on from the way they rapturously hosted the World Cup on my tv.
Some of that, plus the promise of a career in teaching appealed as more rewarding than just working for the sake of stashing cash.
What was not expected was a journey into the oriental ideal of harmony as health.
I climbed many mountains & drank tea in peaceful temples aloft mega cities filled with concrete apartment blocks & hi-tech development zones.
I met families who had lost everything only one or two generations earlier. Somehow they embraced the tragedy of the past with a sense of discipline & longing for the freedom of adventure that the future promised them.
Ok, it wasn’t just tea or temples that promoted that sense of morning calm in a crowded continent. There was a factor called TFK, Traditional Food Knowledge, at play.
A nation of physically active beings required a lot of nutrient fuel.
It soon occured to me that I knew next to nothing about how food affected my health. Luckily for me, there were many kind teachers and public events to learn from.
I became friends with two Korean Buddhist nuns, taught them English and learned much about tea ceremony in the process. They took me to many local festivals that acknowledged the traditional, seasonal role of food in Korean culture.
Next door in Japan, food culture was a little more tourist oriented.
Tea culture is deeply embedded in many traditional things Japanese, like the little fish that nibble on the dead skin on your feet whilst you imbibe.
After this tasty entree, it was time to head to the serious home of tea in China ..
I have a fascination for tea
a plethora of pleasing tastes
that sends magnesium waves
to calm my bodily cells,
adds meaning to my life
when I share it with others
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