Of Tea

My name is Michelle Mego, and I have a tea obsession.

I seem to remember hearing somewhere that admitting you have a problem is first step to getting over it. But I'd just like to challenge that commonly held belief. Admitting you have a problem by no means if the first step to getting over it. The first step is realizing that your problem is actually a problem. I've admitted I have tea addiction since I came to Japan, and it's really the strangest thing because I didn't even like tea in the States. However, I'm not ashamed of it. I love tea. I drink so much tea it isn't even funny. I think I keep the tea companies in business. Lipton, Kirin, and the other tea companies just look at me and go "Well boys, even if everyone else stops drinking tea, at least this lady will keep us in business."

You know, the other day, I drank a liter. That's right, a LITER of lemon tea in a couple hours. Do you know what I discovered at that time? Lemon tea is still delicious after drinking a liter of it. But do you know what else? Tea's a diuretic. I was so sick after that time, and that's when I vowed to myself that I will control my addiction. I will not be ashamed of downing large portions of tea, but I will prevent myself from becoming sick over drinking tea.

And now I'm beginning to wonder why on earth I deprived myself of this deliciousness for so long. 20 years of my life I went without tea. And from years 20-21, I have learned the joy and benefits of drinking it.

I suppose this is all besides the point though, so in classic form, I'll provide some info on tea. I'm sure everyone that reads this blog is an intelligent human being and has already learned the pleasure that comes out of tea-drinking, but just in case you haven't heard of one or two kinds, I feel as if it is my duty to share it with you. (I know, maybe I should work a tea company. I'm a great sales rep when I feel like it.)

Tea is taken very seriously in Japan. Certain regions, and even cities are known for specific types of tea. It's customary to serve certain types at certain times of the year or at certain occasions. Some take some getting used to, but they're all delicious. If they're from Japan, they're called Nihoncha （日本茶）, or Japanese Tea in general. Although, they're sometimes also referred to as Ryokucha（緑茶）, this word refers more to green tea, since it is literally the characters for "green" and "tea." This list isn't limited to just Nihoncha, but it is a basic summary of teas that you'll find here. Here are just a few.

1. All fruit tea - Japan has a wealth of this. I can't even imagine why we don't get it so much in the States. Let's get kids hooked on tea instead of soda and other ridiculously unhealthy drinks. It's better, and delicious. So far, I've seen and tried lemon, apple, and muscat. There's also yuzu, and acerola lemon which I haven't gotten the chance to try yet.
2. Mugicha（麦茶） - This is barley tea. I admit, the first I had it, I was a bit surprised, but I've really grown to like it. Also, thanks to this wonderful tea, I've learned how to drink beer. I still don't like beer, but I'll continue to drink mugicha, and eventually in time I'll get there. Although this is normally served cold in the summer, I have seen it served hot in the winter as well. It's pretty refreshing actually, so I'd recommend it.
3. All green tea/Ryokucha (緑茶)- There are so many types of this. I could write a post just on green tea (ocha). This comes in a variety of ways, starting with tea leaves, to tea powder, and so on. The types of green tea are so specific that there are words for tea which is grown in a mountain's shade and always remains in a sort of mist, to green tea leaves which are harvested in the sun. It's extremely specialized. I recommend trying them all because they all taste different.
4. Oolong - This is served sometimes at restaurants, and particularly at nomihoudai (all-you-can-drink) institutions. Often, you're given a choice for your first drink: beer or oolong. I always choose oolong.
5. Koucha - Of course we have the black teas. This is quite popular abroad, so I don't feel the need to go into them here.

Here's a basic list of the types of green tea if you're curious. These are either called ocha (お茶), or ryokucha (緑茶), or sometimes nihoncha (日本茶).

1. Matcha (抹茶) - I think this is what most people of think of when they hear "green tea." It is the powdered form, which is vigorously whisked with a tea whisk (chasen 茶筅). Different schools of tea, masters of tea, and regions each have their preferred type. This is what is used in the tea ceremony. Well-made matcha is characterized by its even green color on top. There should not be powder on the bottom of the bowl, and the top should also have a nice layer of foam. Matcha is grown in the shade, and it has been found to have numerous antioxidants. It's now being put in a variety of things like sweets as well. Slightly bitter, it is very relaxing to drink. It is also fairly expensive depending on the quality.
2. Sencha （煎茶）- Sencha is different than matcha in the respect that the leaves are not actually in the tea. I would say a fair amount of what is commonly drunk today is sencha rather than macha. This tea, because it does not have the leaves, is a clear green color. It is grown in the full sun. Sencha is normally hot in the winter, but cool in the summer. You will find the majority of people drinking this in their homes.
3. Gyokuro （玉露）- This is slightly different than sencha in that it's grown in the shade for 20 days. This is translated approximately I guess as jewel dew, or something along those lines. Gyokuro is pretty expensive, so I've never tried it, at least, I don't remember trying it, and I'm pretty sure it's one of those things that you'd remember.
4. Kabusecha (冠茶)- This one is a little more difficult. It's like "covered tea." From what I understand, it's basically gyokuro in that it's shaded, but it's only shaded for 1 week before its harvested. Apparently it leads to a milder taste.

The list goes on, but I'm going to stop here because I'm getting into teas that I've never heard of.

Michelle

Of Japanese Delicacies

It's rained for the past three days, and it's beginning to affect my mood. Since it's supposed to rain all next week as well, I'm beginning to wonder if we're entering the rainy season. It's supposed to be in June and July, but it seems to be a little early this year. In a way, it'd be good to get it over now. At the same time though, the weather is fairly nice, so it'd be wonderful to enjoy the cool weather without getting soaked. I really need to learn that whole bike with one hand and hold the umbrella with the other thing. Although illegal, it is exceptionally convenient and looks pretty impressive. Since I can't even manage to bike safely with two hands though, I'll have to continue to learn that first though. I managed to get a lot done: paper written, speech planned, kanji and grammar studied. I'd actually planned to have a drink or two today after working so hard as well. I had my drink nice and cold, and it was going to be delicious, but since the rain was ruining my otherwise cheerful mood, I decided I'd put it off to another day.

I actually need to get back to studying, but I decided first to enlighten everyone on some Japanese delicacies.

1. Nattou （納豆）- These are literally fermented soy beans. It's characterized by its smell, which I feel is closest to something along the lines of tire grease, if there is such a thing. It's also very sticky, and clumps together. Despite this, nattou is delicious. Normally eaten in the Kantou region, where it is found often as a breakfast-type food, nattou has gained due popularity. It tastes like beans, really really delicious beans, and everyone should enjoy them. It's especially good with kimchi or tabasco. The most fun part of eating it is that you get to whip it up with mustard and some other stuff like what was previously mentioned. Pictures can be found here and here.
2. Umeboshi （梅干し) - Pickled plums are another favorite, especially in the Kantou region. Served sometimes with a little salt, they are extremely refreshing, if a little sour. They can be served on their own, in the ball form, or a raisin-like form, or they also be used to make umeshu （梅酒), which is pickled plum alcohol. A picture is here.
3. Tsukemono （漬け物 ）- This is just pickled foods. Kyoto is famous for them, and actually they are deemed Kyouzuke here for that reason. They come in a variety of types: everything from eggplant on. 
4. Uni （ウニ）- Sea urchin. I had this recently actually at Tai's house. To be honest, I eat most of these Tai's house, except for tsukemono. He doesn't seem to be too fond of that one. I can't really describe uni. The only thing it tastes like is uni. It can be eaten either as sashimi or sushi though. It looks like this though.
5. Tofu （豆腐）- Kyoto is known for its tofu. We have more tofu shops than anywhere else in Japan I think. It also come cooked in a variety of ways. Unfortunately, I'm still not really fond of it, not due to its taste, but its texture.
6. Fugu （ふぐ）- Blowfish/Pufferfish. I still haven't tried this one actually. There's actually a season for this, so I haven't been able to try it yet. Since it is potentially lethal though, it must be prepared carefully by extremely skilled and licensed chefs.

And actually, not a delicacy, but something worth adding as a recent personal favorite is

1. Ochazuke （お茶漬け）- This is something else that I had at Tai's the previous weekend, but I'd just like to add it to the list of absolutely delicious food in the world. It's a relatively simple dish. You fill a bowl with hot white rice, pour in some green tea, and top with nori (seaweed), nattou, fish, or other simple spices. You have to eat it quickly so that the rice does not absorb all of the tea and become soggy, but it's a great meal, and it's really healthy for you. This isn't a completely standard recipe, but I found one that you might enjoy abroad here.

Take care all.

Michelle