Tea in Myanmar(Burma)

Interesting story, Ripon. I hope you get your tea. If (perhaps I'd better say, when ) you get your tea and can try it, let us know if it tastes that same as you remember it.

I'm curious: why did you need a guide? Is the language that different, or does the political climate in Myanmar require it if you're a foreigner?

Regards, Dean

This sounds like the perfect place just to relax and drink whatever comes your way. The tea you describe in "1" below however is not what I would prefer came my way, though. It's the cream that bothers me most. Here in Brooklyn -- Brooklyn is a small country off the coast of mainland North America, for those of you not familiar -- Thai restaurants are very popular. "Thai Iced Tea" includes a big shot of "cream" and a lot of sugar and something that renders the concoxion orange-red, much more orange-red than tea should be. This, along with poached salmon, is nearly the only thing in the gustatory world I really truly *dis*like.

I should hope it would be *fruity.* It's full of date juice. No, no, I'm not going there.

That countries and areas around Yunnan should share Yunnan's tea style is logical indeed. Deep in my heart I do believe that you will see your tea someday.

Michael

Dean,

I remember in India a "guide" helped a lot to cut through local red tape and clear the paths through layers of beaurocracy, etc. A good guide is a real value. Bengali and Burmese are completely unrelated languages. (More on that from Ripon.)

Michael

Michael Plant wrote in news:BC3FD185.192A3% snipped-for-privacy@pipeline.com:

Thank you :O)

Dean:

I will let you know. I already wrote the taste discription in my tea taste log book. Somehow I thought the tea seller was a honest guy. His eyes told me that.

Michael is right about guide in India. But the guides here in Bangladesh and Myanmar(Burma)are different. They are more interested to show their country rather then suck your money. There are some exceptional cases. History says- Bengali people has this reputation for their hospitality. If you ask a glass of water to a Bangladeshi, they will give you a glass of water with some food. No mater the person is poor,middle-class or rich.

About Myanmar- the reason I hired a guide is- Many Bumese people(most of them are muslim) are pushed in Bangladesh by Burmese communist government. Morover lots of people in Coxs bazzar areas are from Myanmar for economic oppurtunity. Lots of foreign tourist are their and easy to make some money. Our Government and people accepted them though we have lack of job. They brought their Burmese culture here and we love to share with them. Burmese can be Buddist and Muslim both. They build some nice Pagoads in cox's Bazzar and you can see many very old Tonka's(Wrttien history in a piece of leather) stored securly inside this pegodas. In Coxs Bazzar there are many Burmese markets. My guide was a Bangladesh-Burmese and I thought he can show me Arakan better then any one else. I like Burmese people and proud to share whatever we have in our small country. they made our culture more colorful and rich. I collect wooden curving and pearls- my guide helped me to collect some good pieces for me. Moreover, I was very happy and proud to have a guide like him who made some money thorugh me. Burmese language is different that was another reason. Bangladesh is a secular muslim country and some Burmese political people doesn't like it. We have some tention in the border but our stronger Army protect our border and resources very well. Another reaosn I went their to see "Loris". They are very shy small rare kind of monkey. My Guide took me this Burmese guy who had one of this. I was very happy to see and touch a "Loris". Ripon (Dhaka, Bangladesh)

snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com1/30/04

snip snip snip

Lorises come in "slow" and (presumably) "fast" versions. The slow loris is a personal friend of mine, having taken up residence in the Zoological garden of the New York Zoological Society, the garden known to New Yorkers as "The Bronx Zoo." You can watch him (or her?) for many hours and see no perceivable movement whatsoever. A creasture after my own heart. (I last communed with the loris in the late 1960's. Wonder if he's moved.)

I'm drinking a yummy green pu-erh today. NFI.

Listening to Bach. Never bad.

Michael

Ripon, thanks. I've never had the opportunity to travel to your part of the world, so I'm pretty ignorant about how life is lived there. I appreciate your taking the time to explain.

I do enjoy your tea and food, though!

Regards, Dean

Dean MacinskasyHsTb.11997$ snipped-for-privacy@nwrdny02.gnilink.net2/2/04

Sorry, forgot to mention that the Loris is actually in the order Primate, but alas, prosimian rather than anthropoid, hence decidedly *not* monkey. I know how *important* this is to a tea group, but I am really quite fond of lorises and want to see them well represented, so to speak. (Those famous guys from Madagascar are also prosimians FTOYWNTK. A couple of them have been posting to rfdt.)

Michael