Tea and Cheese and Passions

One of my favorite experiences is to be around people who have imersed themselves in their passions and then share that with others. The topic hardly matters; being with someone who knows and loves the topic is a joy.  When that topic of passion corresponds with mine, well then it's super!  Just like last weekend...

I had the good fortune to attend (with Marmalady) a cheese and tea pairing, hosted by two local experts.  Steven Smith and Steve Jones.  Smith is prominent in the tea scene, having been part of the birth of both Stash and Tazo brands, and now runs his own tea company. Jones is not only a skilled and thoughtful cheese seller, but also a national cheesemonger champ.  The two Steves decided to join up to share their knowledge and passions.

The pairings were carefully selected, the idea to bring out the best in both the tea and the cheese.  We enjoyed, starting at noon and working clockwise on the plate:

1:  Tea - White Petal (No 71), a white tea with chamomile, osmanthus, pear and apple infusions (for citrus) and lightly sweetened, from the Ready-to-Drink (RTD) bottled line, served cold; Cheese - A goat's milk gouda, aged 6 months
2:  Tea - Lord Bergamot (Smith's take on Earl Grey and his #1 selling tea); Cheese - an earthy Montgomery English cheddar
3: Tisane - Red Nectar (rooibos and honeybush); Cheese - Gruyere de Savoie, a French cheese, lightly creamy and nutty
4: Tisane - Big Hibiscus; Cheese - Aged (2 years) cow's milk gouda with a nice crunch due to caseins that crystallize in the aging process
5: Tea - Brahmin (a blend of Assam, and two Ceylon teas); Cheese - Lightly smoked sheep's cheese from basque Spain (Idiazabal)

The pairings exceeded my expectations!  I didn't know if I would find tea with enough acidic "bite" (thinking of wine) to go well with the cheeses. Wow - some of them had just that and the others showcased the cheese's creaminess. 

I learned a lot, too.  For example, these designations relate to cheese: 
Farmstead:  The milker is the maker, cheese made at the farm where the animal is milked
Artisanal:  Hand made cheeses, small batches (this has an actual meaning in the cheese world, vs. a marketing label)
Coop:  Pooled milk from a region, 1 great cheese maker

Have you ever enjoyed a cheese and tea pairing?  What pairings would you like to try? 

She Comes Home

It's a wonderful Sunday afternoon. The DH is whiling away at the bicycle show at the museum and I'm tucked into a beautifully presented pot of sencha at the Japanese cafe across the street. A good book, a pot of tea, moody skies and a light rain. Portland has come home after a gorgeous Mediterranean vacation for herself. 

Matcha in the Park

Last week I had the wonderful chance to visit with friends (from near and far) in a beautiful park.  I also got to use my nodate picnic set - it's a little basket with a small tea bowl and a diminutive whisk and scoop.  This style of Japanese tea "ceremony" is informal and flexible, perfect for a day in the park.  It was my pleasure to make bowls of matcha for the guests.  My laughter above shows the spirit of the day (and notice the wedding in the background!).

Not pictured is our friend Ms. M, the photographer.

I love this tiny little whisk and scoop set!  The scoop folds up and fits into the bottom of the whisk.

Just a hint of the frothy green matcha.

When drinking matcha, it's a good idea to have a little sweet just prior to drinking.  The sweet lingers in your mouth and blends with the bitter flavor of the matcha.  We shared sweetened rice crackers and sesame mochi (soft, chewy rice flour cakes with sesame paste filling).

It was a great afternoon and I was honored to make tea for my friends!

The Working Girl and the Privileged

I'm enjoying these two new thimble-sized teacups I picked up at the Chinese Garden. I'm calling them the Working Girl and the Privileged. They are both me.

I'm a conscientious and hardworking employee. I give a lot to my employer.  I manage through the turmoil and stresses - along with the benefits  - of corporate life.

I'm also privileged, simply by being born an American into a middle class family. I have an advanced education which affords me some job flexibility and security. I have a safe home. I have a loving  husband, family and friends.

I take none of this for granted. I often think of how lucky I am to simply have been granted life into my family, this century, my geography. And I wonder how I can be of service in this world to so many who don't have the same.

Meatless Monday: Artichokes

Well here's a plant we could never grow in the Midwest...artichokes!  Fun to grow because the plant is BIG and pretty, and if you let it bloom, it looks like a giant purple thistle. But why would you want to do that when you can eat them?  We trim the sharp points and steam for about 25 min for small ones. I like them unadorned, though many people enjoy dipping the leaves in melted butter, mayo or other sauces.

Do you grow fresh artichokes?  (They don't like cold winters.). How do you like to cook them?

And a flower for you too....

Obon Festival

Obon Festival Folk Dances

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend our local Obon Festival this past weekend.  Obon is a Japanese custom of honoring one's ancestors.  It's celebrated with wonderful food, arts and performances and dancing. The stately woman leading the dances above is Sahomi Tachibana, grande dame of Japanese traditional dance.

It was fun to wear a yukata (casual cotton kimono) with a fancy-tied obi (thank you MK!).  The orange fan is used for fanning as well as in some of the folk dances.  I even tried my hand at some of the dance, great fun!    

The wooden platform shoes are called geta.  They make a nice clack-clack sound when walking.  The ones shown below are covered in black lacquer.

Many people wore kimono and looked simply stunning!  It was lovely to see the young men and women dressed in bright blues and whites,with colorful obi.

And green Nike's.  ;-)  This young man is participating in a multi-generational folk dance.  How cool!

And now, the food...many delicious choices, including noodles, spam specialties and deserts called manju.

My friend MK was incredibly generous and made a bento lunch for me.  Delicious!  And to top off the day, I enjoyed shaved ice with guava and lychee syrup.

A wonderful day full of cultural treasures.

Foolish Projects

A foolish project

Start a huge,  foolish project

like Noah.

It makes absolutely no difference 

what people think of you.

-Rumi

I've been taking this really great online class, Start a Foolish Project, with Andrea Scher.  The idea was to say YES to a project that INSPIRES and DELIGHTS me, and to do it for the JOY of it!  I'm so glad I jumped in!

My warm-up activity was the Take What You Need experiment (image below).  I am  happy to report that all of the paper slips were pulled at the sign posted at my nearby market. I nearly jumped up and down clapping my hands the first time I walked by and some were gone.  ;-)

Next was the "guerrilla goodwill" activity (image at the top).  I made slips of inspiring quotes and affirmations and placed them in library books and on the back of public restroom stalls.  (Two of my favorite authors, Alexandra Stoddard and Sarah Susanka, were next to each other at the library, how serendipitous!) I love the anonymity of it.  It's also very fast. I spent 20 minutes making the slips from leftover scrapbook paper. It takes only 30 seconds to stick on a door or in a book, and my mood is lifted for a couple of hours.  It feels like I'm getting away with something, but in a good way!

My final project was to organize a neighborhood potluck picnic.  The DH (dear hubby) and I are relatively new here and I wanted to get to know more neighbors.  This was the project that really pushed me out of my comfort zone.  I'm a sociable person, but I had to be brave going door to door to introduce myself and hand out the invitations.  I dressed carefully, put on my best smile and headed out.  My opening line, "Hi! I'm Stephanie, your neighbor..." speaks to my nerves. Would they even open the door?  Think I was a solicitor? Ultimately, I found great value in this invitation process.  I met four new neighbors and learned that two of them have lived here for some time and yet didn't know many people.  That validated my cause.

Last Sunday evening was the picnic potluck.  We met in the nearby park.  I took over vases of flowers from the gardens.  I pulled out pretty tablecloths, but aside from that, this was simple because I chose to host in a public space (I highly recommend!).  Nonetheless, I had to remain calm as I made my way there and spied another neighborhood group using the picnic tables I had desired (in the shade). I had been watching the tables for a month...no one ever used them, not once!  Fortunately, there was another table available and we set up a portable table and carried on.  We had a lovely time with 12 of us in attendance.  I know these neighbors by name now. We shared food and smiles, and that is foolish magic!

Breathing Tea



Picking tea in Muzha, Taiwan

Happy Friday!  Just breathe in deeply and smell the fresh tea leaves.

Breathe out and let your breath become part of the tea itself.

One big circle.

Brown Bobby

As a tea lover, you probably know of the Brown Betty teapot.  Have you ever heard of the Brown Bobby?  It's a triangle-shaped donut that was popular in the mid 1920's.  The donut-making machine was advertised in Popular Mechanics as a means to start a cottage industry.  My neighbor has inherited one of the Brown Bobby machines from her mother and she enjoys sharing the donuts.  Lucky us!  We enjoy these tasty morsels from time to time. 

A note about the toleware tray above.  It's another treasure from a neighbor.  I recently picked it up at our community's annual yard sale.  The gorgeous teacup and saucer was sent by a friend who picked it up at an auction.  It has become one of my favorites.

A Crack in Everything

Ring the bells that still can ring

Forget your perfect offering

There is a crack,

A crack in everything

And that's where the light gets in.

From Anthem, Leonard Cohen

I've committed this poem to memory.  It moves me deeply.  It speaks of the beauty of imperfection.

Just like these tea wares.  They have scars, they've been patched up. 
But now aren't they even more precious?  They are to me.

Tea's Me

The day before 4th of July, a friend and I had the opportunity to visit a new tea room called Tea's Me.  We visited with owner Julie (below) and her excitement and enthusiasm were contagious.  We discussed both the challenges and joys of being a small business owner, and her hopes for the future of this business (which include an occasional day off!). 

The first thing we noticed about the facility was how well it captured the natural light, an important quality for Oregon.  Inside was cheerfully and yet elegantly decorated.  I appreciated the modern colors and upholstery.  

One of the best features of this tea room was the diverse menu, allowing us to choose from a lengthy list of tea and meal options.  Julie has an afternoon tea appropriate for everyone - from the hungry gal to the nibbler!  In her menu creation, she even considered seniors on a fixed income.  My friend and I each chose the Duchess and it was plentiful.

We began with mango-peach sorbet and cups of hearty black tea.

Our finger sandwiches included chicken salad, ricotta and feta cheese stars and turkey with Havarti cheese on croissant.

The cream and blueberry scones were served with real clotted cream, lemon curd and tayberry jam.  Desserts included fruit skewers, strawberry layer cake and cherry tarts.  Definitely making the best of Oregon fruits.

I wish Julie much luck in her endeavors and I'm sure I'll be visiting often!

Meatless Monday: Zucchini Season!

It's zucchini season and we're eating it at nearly every dinner.  Here are a few of our ways to enjoy this bountiful vegetable (in the culinary sense; technically, it's a fruit).  Above, chopped and raw on a salad.  With this, we also had homemade pizza with zukes, walnuts, kale and cheese (no sauce).  

We had this for dinner last night...quinoa with garbanzo and black beans, corn, onion and chopped (raw) zucchini topped with salsa and canned or fresh tomatoes, a tiny bit of salt, and pepper.  Delicious!

We've also been throwing zucchini on top of nearly every dish...sauteed in olive oil (or just water) for topping pasta of all sorts, dipped into dressing or hummus, and of course shredded and frozen for use in zucchini bread in the winter.  I love grilled zucchini, too.

How do you use zucchini?

Tea Celebrations, Alexandra Stoddard

"Let the world boil down to just this cup, this moment, and let the warmth slowly spread
from your fingers throughout your whole body to your soul."

~ Alexandra Stoddard, Tea Celebrations

I've recently re-read Alexandra Stoddard's Tea Celebrations book.  It's a favorite.  She writes with a passion and self-knowing that I admire.  The book shares beautiful stories about how tea has helped Alexandra find a place of centerdness in her life, and it gently encourages us in this direction.  Comforting, soothing, inspiring and beautiful.  I've made notes in this book for my niece.  Someday, it will be hers.

I discovered Alexandra nearly 13 years ago when I picked up her book, Living a Beautiful Life, at a B&B.  Her philosophy is to make every moment beautiful, even the mundane tasks of life can be made enjoyable with a cup of tea, a flower, a nice pen or beautiful music.  It's a lesson I took to heart.

Do you know Alexandra's work?  Has her work inspired you?  What other authors inspire you to live a life full of beauty and/or centerdness? 



Take What You Need

Love - Joy - Peace - Patience - Kindness - Goodness - A Cup of Tea - A Hug -
A Listening Ear - A Do Over

Today, I need a do-over.  :-)  What do you need today?  (You can add your own word.)

I created this poster and hung it in my neighborhood (along with mailing out a few) as a result of an online class I'm taking with Andrea Scher called Start a Foolish Project.  LOVE the class and LOVE the idea of a foolish project, one that I do just for the joy of it!  That makes me feel alive!

In the next few days I will decide what my class project will be.  I got my feet wet over the weekend with this one.  Inspired by Kelly Rae Robert's project, I dove in.  I knew I wanted mine to be done quickly, to achieve a sense of momentum, so I kept it to an hour.  The result was long lasting joy!

Old Mill House Inn, Vernonia

Old Mill House Inn

The DH and I recently took a mini vacation to Vernonia, OR. It was great!  We are riding our bikes both Saturday and Sunday these days, training for an event, which leaves little time for much else. The DH (dear hubby) came up with a very clever way to fit in a little pampering.  We worked in our bike training on the way to a B&B. Taking the long way there, our ride was 4 hours including 21 miles on the Banks-Vernonia rails-to-trails path.

We stayed at the Old Mill House Inn, which I recommend. A lovely home and very friendly hosts who lovingly restored this abode to its present beauty, rescuing it from neglect.

Breakfast was delicious and filling!  And we enjoyed learning about the home's history.

That's me, still standing after a long ride here!  The back yard of the Inn is beautiful with a peaceful deck to sit and let your legs rest. ")

It Was Passed from One Bird to Another (or New Tea Jar)

This tea jar is one of the treasures I brought home from Taiwan.  I fell in love with the pretty little bird and the fact that it had two vignettes, front and back.  It's from the "spring scenery" line of products made by the Eilong company.  And the little blue bird on the right is a special gift from a very sweet friend.  It's Iranian glass.

Here's a favorite poem about travel (and birds) to celebrate my new treasure.  I added the bold emphasis.   It's how I want to re-member my travels, the gift of a day, suspended between sun and geography.

Bird
by Pablo Neruda
It was passed from one bird to another,
the whole gift of the day.
The day went from flute to flute,
went dressed in vegetation,
in flights which opened a tunnel
through the wind would pass
to where birds were breaking open
the dense blue air -
and there, night came in.

When I returned from so many journeys,
I stayed suspended and green
between sun and geography -
I saw how wings worked,
how perfumes are transmitted
by feathery telegraph,
and from above I saw the path,
the springs and the roof tiles,
the fishermen at their trades,
the trousers of the foam;
I saw it all from my green sky.
I had no more alphabet
than the swallows in their courses,
the tiny, shining water
of the small bird on fire
which dances out of the pollen. 

Afternoon Tea in Washington Park

Today, I'm going to point you to my good friend Marilyn's blog for a summary of an Afternoon Tea event we enjoyed yesterday.  Photo by Marilyn.

Photo by Marilyn

Afternoon Tea and Black Tea in Taiwan

Back to Taiwan travels!

Most of us think of oolong tea when we think of Taiwan, but the island has a long history of producing black teas.  We visited the popular Sun Moon Lake area where we were treated to black tea made from bushes of old growth plants dating to the Japanese occupation era (late 1800's into mid 1900's).  I've grown really fond of this tea.  It's delicious straight up, with no need for milk or sugar.

We stayed at a small inn a few miles from the tourist area of Sun Moon Lake.  The inn showcases the black tea production in the area and plays on a European theme.  They offer a British-style afternoon tea.  

We of course participated in afternoon tea! We enjoyed quiche and this delicious chocolate molten cake with cranberry and tea leaf garnish, along with many cups of the delicious black tea.  The photo below shows the accommodations.  We also had the chance for a Wu-Wo tea session in the front yard while staying here.

 I love the picture below of Shiuwen, our tea expert and guide.  Her laughter captures the moment well.

This afternoon tea experience was a nice surprise for us!  After drinking cup after cup after wonderful cup of tea made in the Taiwanese style, this experience reminded me of tea's diversity and flexibility.  It was also fun to see a "Western" cultural item translated into another peoples' context.