I mentioned wagashi here recently. I thought I'd at least show a link to some. Wagashi goes best withh Japanese tea. The tastes tend to be on the subtle side. While it can be odd at first to eat red beans as a dessert, it can become a real addiction. The good part about wagashi is that it's low in cholestorol and sodium, is made mostly from healthy ingredients, and the better ones have no preservatives.
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I'm curious- what do others think of wagashi, and teatime sweets in general? What's your favorite teatime treat?
Ahh, I remember the first time you mentioned wagashi in this group, introducing the term with familiar authority, deigning to instruct your readers with that sloppy parenthetical definition. What a marvelous image you painted. (To make it even more marvelous, read it in the voice of of Will Ferrell's fuzzy, middle-aged, Dionysian college professor in the hot tub with his "lover".)
"To taste tea from one's lover's lips, or even from his mouth... Japanese tea, served with wagashi (tea sweets) while clad in silk and listening to soft music brings all manner of things to mind. And then, looking through books that feature sensuous photographs of tea while feeding and being fed by a lover while curled up in bed... On an evening like this- very rainy in my part of the coutry- curling up with a pot of sencha warms me, and makes me think of love and even sex. I can imagine my fantasy lover's breath in the steam of the tea, and imagine him touching the water in the cup and then trailing his warm wet fingers over my skin."
"Truxton" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com...
No, not authority. Simply enjoyment. Even passion. Sometimes it's simply yummy. But considering that both Toraya and Minamoto Kitchoan (last time I looked, Toraya was still making sweets for the Emperor) define 'Wagashi' as 'tea sweets', maybe you should let them know that this is a mistranslation. Ito En also calls them tea sweets. Websites based in Japan call them tea sweets.
No doubt, you are right, though. 'Tea sweets' is obviously a mistranslation. What's yours? I haven't read Will Ferrell's novel, but the last time I looked at at most definitions of the word 'lover', terms such as 'sex partner' came up. I'm assuming Mr. Ferrell's professor is in a hot tub with his sex partner. You know- like if you were in bed with the woman to whom you are legally wed, she would be called your wife. Why anyone would call her your 'wife' (would that mean she was pretending to be your wife?) is a mystery to me.
Tell me. Is it tiring to change your email address several times a day just to get a rise out of one person. or is your life truly that dull? What part bothered you- the fact that I called you a loon, or that you are annoyed at constantly betraying your bigotry? It's ok to be homophobic. Lots of people are- ask the Prseident. In fact, bigotry seems to be the next big fashion trend form the White House. Still, most bigots don't spend all day writing notes to people like me. I must assume than that you have a crush on me. I think it's very sweet- sort of the cyber equivalent of dipping a girl's pigtail in the inkwell in order to get her attention. Unfortunately, as I mentioned before, I have a sweetie, and he doesn't want me to play with other little boys. Still, you may rest assured that I am flattered- though somewhat bewildered- and I hope that spending all this time posting love letters to me doesn't keep you from paying attention at work or drinking delicious tea. While you're busy digging up my flowery past posts to share with others though, leaving no doubt of your devotion and worshipful admiration of my (in your eyes at least) goddess-like personage, I wonder if perhaps you _are_ finding time to drink tea. Oh well. I suppose that if you don't have time for that (so far I've counted about 5 changes of address, and all so you can tell me of your love and devotion! The only woman ever to have received so much attention was Jodie Foster!), I'll have to drink tea for you, and write about it, too. You _do_ realize that this is a list for people to write about tea, yes? Funny- I guess the other flowery female writers were too non-kinky for you to develop a crush on them enough to send them love-letters. Or maybe you prefer bi-girls, since you seem fixated on my sexuality. Hmm. A lot of men are like that. Many of them pretend to be homophobic, too. But unfortunately, you would hve to leave your wife and I would have to break up with my boyfriend, for our twin beating hearts to be able to consummate our (putative) desire for each other. After all, I have to admit it. Who could resist a man who proclaims his love by declaing that all other men and women I have known (including dead ones) should step aside so he can possess me for himself? That -is- your point, isn't it? Alas. I think that we will have to accept that our love was never meant to be. You are married and so straight that you feel a need to proclaim it though homophobic rantings, and my idea of a quiet evening at home is to lovingly tie you down and stick pins in you while torturing you by reading The Diamond Sutra aloud, followed by the whole Megillah. Isn't it sad- so little love in the world, and yet we are kept apart by your insistence on wearing a white sheet to bed, and my insistence to dress in black leather and clown shoes. If we could simply take off our clown shoes and sheets, renounce our inamoratas, and leap into each other's arms (gyokuro for you, Lapsang for me) the world would be such a different place. But- I digress, which I am known to do. The question is still unanswered, my beloved- what do you like to eat with your tea?
I find most Japanese confectioneries pretty to look at but very disappointing to the taste. There is always somethings missing. I like simple ingredients like azuki (red bean paste), but I find them not very well exploited.
Traditional Japanese cuisine is all about presentation and juxtaposition of almost unmodified (~natural) ingredients. This great cooking philosophy gives exceptional results but not in every situation. The first two exceptions that comes in mind are sauces and desserts. I think European cuisine, based on elaborate blending of ingredients, is more suited for those.
As for teatime treats, I prefer enjoy tea without them. Sweets mask the taste of excellent teas. But, with ordinary blends, particularly Earl Grey's, I like almond cookies.
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