A charming little tea shop, called Tea Village, graces the north side of Pattaya Nua, the main east/west street on the north side of the city. It is run by a lovely Thai lady and a Russian gentleman. Their pleasant shop offers many different kinds of loose tea in large bamboo canisters, and one can open the canisters to sample the many aromas. They also sell tea pots and other accessories. In the middle of the shop is a special counter where they prepare the teas for their customers to sample. It is a warm and welcoming place, and my friend and I enjoy patronizing their establishment.
https://www.facebook.com/teavillageclub/
http://tea-village.com/en/
Mika's beautiful and talented sister, Nao, was visiting from Tokyo. She has been trained in the Way of Tea, the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. She graciously agreed to perform a tea ceremony at Tea Village while she was in town, and I was lucky enough to be invited.
We all met at Tea Village on Tuesday, and our friends at the tea shop set up some seats for us at the special tea-making counter. Not all the specialized instruments were available for the ceremony, so Nao improvised as best as she could with what was available. Nao's English was a bit limited, so Mika skillfully served as translator.
They began by showing us a template of all the tools traditionally used in a tea ceremony. The items all serve very specific purposes, from the brazier to the bamboo whisk. Nao gave each of us a tiny, wrapped sweet with some special, thin papers beneath. She carefully and methodically purified each piece of equipment, then began to prepare the tea.
A bit of matcha powder is placed in a beautiful cup, hot water is added, and the tea is blended with a bamboo whisk. Each step of the process was explained. The first person is invited to eat his or her sweet, which enhances the flavor of the tea. Then the first cup of tea is offered to that same first person; in this case, it was me. I was told the special Japanese words to say when accepting the tea ("Otemae chodai itashimasu" - "Thank you for making tea"), and how to hold the cup. I was handed the cup with the beautiful design facing me, then turned the cup two times to move the design away from me while drinking. I then apologized to the others for going first ("pardon me for going ahead of you"), and enjoyed the warm, mellow tea, being instructed to finish the last sip with a slurp to indicate that I was finished. Then I used the thin papers to wipe the lip of the cup, turned it back two turns, and handed it back to Nao.
She purified everything again, and prepared the second cup of tea, inviting the second person, Lita, to enjoy the sweet. I discovered that being the first person to receive the tea is a position of honor. The second cup of tea was also offered to me first, and I then defer to the second person. While the second person drinks her tea, I could converse with the preparer of the tea; but only I could converse with her - the others were not allowed.
This was continued with the third person, Vee, then the tools were purified again and carefully cleared from the service. It was a lovely and educational experience, and Mika did a fine job as translator! I was very grateful to be included in such a special event - thank-you to Nao and Mika! And also grateful to Lita and Vee for offering their shop. A most memorable morning!
Afterward, Mika, Nao and I enjoyed a nice lunch at the Dusit Thani, just a few blocks from the tea shop. The restaurant was situated next to a beautiful, tropical garden in the center of the hotel. We enjoyed some delicious fresh lime soda and tasty food.
An absolutely lovely day!
A few nights later, Tim joined Mika, Lita, Vee and me for a night out. Vee took us to a small night market that is popular with Russians, and introduced us to some delicious Russian market food. We really enjoyed the food and the company of some new friends.
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