Lunch and Tea Party

Saturday morning was another event with the children from Garak Middle School. It’s a school that’s sort of out in the country and many of the kids don’t attend hagwons (private English schools) so they organize events for the kids to interact with native English speakers.

This Saturday was a traditional lunch and a green tea seminar. We each got paired with a partner and mine was Rex. He was a super sweet boy who had the best manners I’ve witnessed since being here in Korea. Ironically enough, Rex is good friends with Billy, who was my partner the last time I did an event. So I got to interact with them both.

Right away Rex introduced himself and shook my hand. Then when we entered the restaurant he pulled my chair out for me and filled my water glass. The restaurant was really nice (the best part was that we weren’t sitting on the floor!). All of the dishes were handmade pottery and the food just kept coming. Rex had learned all about the various dishes we’d be eating so he explained them all to me. Most of them were tasty. The whole fish smothered in hot sauce was something I was not too fond of, but the rest were delicious.

After lunch we went into the tearoom where two women were wearing traditional outfits and were preparing for the green tea demonstration. It was beautifully done. The whole demonstration lasted for about 7 minutes and was done VERY slowly. It was almost like a dance. Each movement was graceful yet distinct. I never knew making tea was such a process.

She first poured hot water into a bowl and then poured it into the teapot and each teacup. Then she dumped each one out. This was just to get the teapot and cups hot. Then she carefully measured green tea leaves into the teapot and poured water over them. Once it had brewed she poured it out into the cups very distinctly, going back and forth between the cups. Finally she distributed the cups and saucers to the other drinkers. The way they drank the tea was very specific as well.

From what I learned, drinking green tea is supposed to promote relaxation and aid digestion. The tea is supposed to be consumed in three sips. You hold the cup in your right hand and balance the bottom of the cup on your left hand. First you bring the cup up to your nose and inhale. Then you bring it to your navel and allow it to rest for a few seconds. You then take a sip of approximately 1/3 of the cup. Next you return the tea to your ribcage to allow it to rest, then you sip another 1/3. Finally you bring the cup to your chest and then you drink the last of the tea. By drinking in this way, it’s supposed to relax the whole torso.

After the demonstration, the boys set off to make us our own pot of tea. They took this very seriously and were determined to make the best pot! Billy even brought his stopwatch to ensure that it was exactly 2 and a half minutes that the tea steeped for. They explained their actions very well and I was so impressed by the effort and detail they put into the process. The tea was actually very tasty, but I can’t say that I felt that much relaxation from drinking it in the recommended way.

The last part of the day was spent walking through the gardens and interacting with our partners. In enjoyed getting to know Rex and I hope to be paired with both him and Billy for the next event.