Monday, April 01, 2013

Unexpected Visitors

Tea blogs can be a long running reality show.  Alongside good teas and bad, bloggers have gone through the ups and downs of various life phases- graduation, new jobs, marriage, parenthood, illness, and more.  Some tea bloggers hide the true joys and sorrows of their private lives keeping the blog strictly business while others more generously pepper entries with the details of their personal life. For those who guard their privacy, following their site is a kind of a treasure hunt. There is a voyeur in all of us and our common humanity makes us curious of how the bloggers are getting on or not getting on. I sometimes find the hidden narrative of their lives more interesting than the tea they are drinking.

When you meet other tea bloggers in the flesh, it's a strangely existential trial where your previous preconceived notions about a writer has to be reconciled with a breathing version.  Last month, Ira and I had the wholly unexpected pleasure of enjoying the company of one of the most august tea personages in the blogosphere.

MarshalN had written that he was popping over my way en route to San Diego.  We were to enjoy a delicious meal in SF until it was decided very last minute that we would have tea in the old tea closet and lunch in Berkeley as MarshalN expressed interest in visiting Moe's Bookstore.   Despite making fun of me all week, my husband sweetly cleaned the house for the guests. (When I was bent out of shape on finding the right edible gift at Rainbow Grocery, my husband came up to me quite seriously and said, "I know exactly what you should get for MarshalN." Then he led me by the hand to the by-the-pound bulk puerh section and had a laugh. Yes dear readers- I endure such cruelty regularly.)


We drunk exactly one tea, an everyday Menghai for MarshalN. He brewed it quite strong- my teapot has never been so full of leaves.  I may have imagined that he mentioned he was easy to please and the tea we were drinking was to be found only down the street from where he lives.  I may have also imagined he said storing a jian in the house was no more than laying a guitar on it's side.  The professor is actually much more casual and funnier than his writing would suggest and I regret strongly we didn't have enough time to get more tea drunk on a few more rounds.

(Ira made this lovely gingko tea quilt as well as going to Dandelion Chocolates the day before to bring chocolate cakes for us to enjoy. I was beyond touched at her thoughtful gesture as I had been regretful about not being able to take Ira and MarshalN there. )

1 comment:

  1. I didn't brew it that strong, I think?

    Glad to have met you two. Do let me know when you guys come by this way!

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