by Madame Askew
image by Joshua Reed Photography
From the very delightful Seven Cups Tea House in Tucson, deep in the Sonoran Desert, I bring you this lovely poem that they publish both on their aetherweb site and upon their splendid menu.
The first cup kisses away my thirst, and my loneliness is quelled by the second.
The third gives insight worthy of ancient scrolls, and the fourth exiles my troubles.
My body becomes lighter with the fifth, and the sixth sends word from immortals.
But the seventh —oh the seventh cup— if I drink you, a wind will hurry my wings toward the sacred island.
LuTong (795-835A.D.) (trans. Christopher Nelson)
Not only is Seven Cups a glorious Chinese tea house and one of the best tea houses I have had the pleasure to visit, but we Steampunks in Tucson have also had the special delight of hosting a tea party at their beautiful tea house.
Certainly this ranks as one of my favorite memories of a Steampunk event here in Tucson. Each table had a choice of 4 teas they could taste and a host of charming little tiffin to sample.
We rotated through the teas at each table, sometimes getting up and wandering between tables to try something new. Many friends at that event discovered new favorite teas and certainly learned a few things about the gentle arts of tea as prepared in China.
Part of the joy, most certainly, was being able to venture into a culture and history that was new for so many members. Chinese history, though important to the Southwestern United States, is not often studied, and our exposure may be limited to a few films.
This was a wonderful opportunity to remember that the 19th Century happened everywhere on the planet and was not limited to a few miles on a lovely island in the Northern Atlantic.
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Learn more about Madame Askew and Tea Dueling at her website.
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