A Short Letter Home: Good to the last drop

Monday, March 06, 2006

Good to the last drop

We had our evening hijacked last night in the interest of promoting tea. Late in the afternoon there was a knock on our door. Our next door neighbor, Michael, said that Thad had invited us all to "drink tea" with him, if we were available. While the timing was awkward--we were just preparing dinner--we had nothing vital planned for the evening and decided to accept the invitation. Visions of a unique cultural experience danced in our head. About ten minutes later, Michael was back, having confirmed our plans. Apparently after accepting, Thad revealed a new twist. A friend of his was going to be videotaping us as we drank tea.

After dinner, around 7:30, we gathered out in front of our building. Michael and Joan were nicely dressed, as befits their station. None of us had bothered to change. That was okay for Yau Neih, who was still dressed for work. The girls and I, however, were definitely dressed American casual. Oh, well. Anyway, Thad and a van soon show up. We were introduced to a gent who was alternately referred to as "The Director" and "The Host" throughout the evening. I don't think that we were ever given his real name. (Of course, it is possible that I missed it.) We piled into the van and headed off down the road. I was still thinking exotic cultural experience and wondered where in town this tea house was located. Alas, we showed up at the old, familiar L. Road Grand Hotel. We walked up to the second floor and were ushered into a room just off the restaurant. It seemed less a traditional gathering place and more like a modern conference room. Oh, it did have fancy, living room style furniture. But the glass cabinets all showcased blocks of tea. I was reminded of a Starbucks with its displays of products for sale.

So we sat down and chatted while we were served tea. A young woman did the honors, following a definite ritual in rinsing the cups and mixing and pouring the tea. It was quite beautiful and elegant, though she was wearing modern clothing rather than some traditional Chinese garb. Thad had explained that the director was making a documentary about this local tea company which manufactured Pu'er tea--a local delicacy. He quizzed us about our experience with Chinese tea culture, which was pretty much nil for the lot of us. We tended to think of our teas as coming from India, though for my part, I really had no clue as to the actual origins of the tea I consumed. All I knew was "Lipton" or "Bigelow" or "Tazo", depending on where I was imbibing. I couldn't tell you if the tea itself was grown in China or New Jersey. Our host also tried to make some connection between Chinese tea and the Boston Tea Party, which again, none of us could confirm or deny. To us Yanks, the Boston Tea Party was all about taxes. What was actually dumped into the harbor was really unimportant.

Well, the tea itself was quite good. The first batch was very smooth and didn't leave a bitter aftertaste like most of the black teas I've drunk. Michael and Joan were very good at describing the taste--"earthy" was one phrase they used. Yau Neih, Thad and I were a bit more limited in our ability to explain it. They brewed up a second batch of tea that was an older vintage. That was also good, though it had a stronger aftertaste. That was the tea which I would have described as "earthy". Ga Dai described it as "warehouse". Fortunately by this time, the director was busy setting up for his shoot.

Finally, we were ushered into the next room where we were seated at a dining table. Our classy glass tea cups were replaced with more prosaic porcelain cups with the L. Road Hotel logo emblazoned on the side. The tea also seemed to be of a more standard variety. I don't know if they had brought out the cheap stuff or if my taste buds had been burnt to the point of not being able to detect the nuances of flavor. Anyway we were seated and then they started rearranging us. They moved Siu Wan off to the side to start out with. They said they wanted to shoot the adults first, though I suspect that she didn't fit in with the "foreign" ambiance they were trying to achieve. We sat and drank and chatted while they shot from this angle and that. The camera lights would go on and off as they were taping and we tried hard not to watch what they were doing. Soon they started zooming in on particular people, which allowed the rest of us to stop drinking. Nothing wrong with the tea, it was just that I had had my fill. I was reminded of the tales I heard about filming beer or ice cream commercials where the crew would get sick of smelling the stuff. Not that we ever reached that point. Finally, they had got all their shots (even some of Siu Wan, who they pulled back to the table) and we moved back to the first room.

There commenced the interview part of the shoot. They set up the camera by one of the chairs and, one by one, we were ushered over for our time in the spotlight. Joan was interviewed first and was asked, predictably, about her experience with Chinese tea. Of course, she responded that she thought her tea came from India. They tried a few historical questions about the East India Tea Company and the Boston Tea Party. When they mentioned the latter, Yau Neih and the girls burst out laughing. (I think I was able to suppress a chuckle, but couldn't swear that my reaction was inaudible.) Michael was next up and he was asked similar questions. He was also asked if he was aware that Queen Elizabeth II had received a pack of Pu'er tea when she had visited Kunming in the late '80s. Of course, he had no idea how she had enjoyed the tea, though he assumed she found it quite satisfying. He also elicited laughter when he mentioned that the Pu'er tea we had tasted might taste good with milk, as the British like to drink their tea.

My turn was next and I had to be scolded for not looking at the camera. I totally confused Thad when answering the question of what kind of tea I drank. I started mentioning all the varieties of flavorings like mint, herbal and chai spice. Such a concept might have been a tad sacrilegious, because my interview was quickly finished. I do have to admit, though, that I look far less classy than Michael or Joan. My appearance was more appropriate for a beer commercial--a cheap beer at that. Next Yau Neih had her turn and also received the short version of the interview. She confirmed the point that I made that tea is not a major part of the American experience. She was spared, however, the Boston Tea Party query which continued to inspire giggles each time it was asked. The final interviewee was Ga Dai, who became nervous as all get out. Afterwards, however, she exclaimed that she loved being on camera. We'll definitely have to get her in a drama class when we get back to the States.

Well, after the last interview we were politely thanked and ushered back to the van. As a thank you we were each given a box of the Pu'er tea. 'Twas quite a fancy package--I feel almost unworthy to drink it. Supposedly this documentary will be airing on local TV sometime next month. I suspect I may end up on the cutting room floor. Oh, well, that's showbiz.