tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115542.post8275988616105376645..comments2024-03-16T11:51:28.412-04:00Comments on CHA DAO: Eating Leaves 玉露滿喫coraxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03645573592247798140noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115542.post-51224743017390337742009-01-09T21:37:00.000-05:002009-01-09T21:37:00.000-05:00Hi Eric,The Japanese soy sauce was very light, and...Hi Eric,<BR/>The Japanese soy sauce was very light, and given the amount, I don't think it was meant to be poured over the leaves, but rather, just a hint to lift the taste.<BR/>The leaves tasted sweet without the soy sauce, but when I dipped the chopsticks in the sauce and then picking the leaves and tasting them, they tasted much sweeter...<BR/>:")Dannyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06902866803320048942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115542.post-79198819327617010032009-01-04T21:31:00.000-05:002009-01-04T21:31:00.000-05:00My only tea eating experiences have been when a te...My only tea eating experiences have been when a tea leaf slips into my mouth while drinking! Not pleasant. But the way you described it here, gyokuro sounds quite nice. Interesting touch to have it with the soy sauce. That doesn't seem like the most natural combination to me; did it work well?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115542.post-61459982616037727292008-12-19T21:02:00.000-05:002008-12-19T21:02:00.000-05:00Thanks Steve, & Jo:")I remembered the Bur...Thanks Steve, & Jo<BR/>:")<BR/>I remembered the Burmese pickled tea leaves! My dad went on a business trip to Burma once and brought home a packet of the pickled leaves, only they were more heavily pickled. I thought it was another type of tea called the pounded tea (lei cha), and happily set about adding peanuts, sesame seeds, chopped parsley and added hot water to the mixture. It didn't taste good at all! Of course I was told that it was a wrong dish later...<BR/><BR/>Yunnanese also have a similar practice where they would layer fresh tea leaves in an urn with salt and then press down with a rock, this they leave it alone for weeks till the thing ferments slightly, then they take it out to eat with their meals. One good dish to eat it with - as I watched it on Discovery channel - was to disturb a hornet nest, drag out all the worms and then chop and mash them into a bloody pulp. Scoop a bit of this and add a bit of the leaves and the locals have this euphoric expression on their faces...urgh!Dannyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06902866803320048942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115542.post-29512011495804708352008-12-16T06:49:00.000-05:002008-12-16T06:49:00.000-05:00Danny,I am delighted by your report of experiencin...Danny,<BR/><BR/>I am delighted by your report of experiencing tea as a food.<BR/><BR/>Well before tea was a beverage, it was a vegetable and herb used in cooking from at least the Zhou and Han dynasties for its bitter taste. Bitterness was the first of the five traditional flavors in Chinese cuisine.<BR/><BR/>As a vegetable, tea was a complement to meat, fowl, and eggs. As an herb, it was added to soups and stews of fish, pork, beef, and chicken. These uses are documented in historical and archaeological sources.<BR/><BR/>I have eaten Dragon Well tea and freshwater shrimp in the famous Hangzhou dish, but will have to try gyokuro and soyu sometime soon. Thanks for the tip.<BR/><BR/>Steve.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16115542.post-817450647782186672008-12-15T14:24:00.000-05:002008-12-15T14:24:00.000-05:00Danny,that sounds like an interesting experience.E...Danny,<BR/>that sounds like an interesting experience.<BR/>Eating tea leaves is not too uncommon. The Burmese, for example, have a delicious specialty, a tea leaf salad, where slightly pickled tea leaves are used.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com