October 12, 2013
We were up in time to grab a buffet breakfast in the Hotel. We had a guest join us at breakfast, who is a friend of Wingchi's. Wingchi introduced us to Zhi Guang, a Buddhist monk, who is the Abbot of the Dingshan Temple in Nanjing, China. The Dingshan Temple is the historic birthplace of Zen Buddhism in China. Master Zhi came to see the three fairs at the Exhibition & Conference Center and to spend some time with Wingchi, so we were now a foursome. After breakfast it was back to the Tea Fair for day 3, but this time to our delight and fascination, we were hanging with a Master. The first event of the morning was a formal Japanese tea ceremony preformed by the Marukyu Koyamaen Co. Ltd. and held at a stage by the main entrance of the Exhibition & Conference Center. Performed in a very Zen like way with calmly calculated motions, the tea was prepared and then shared with some in the audience.
Tea Fair - Day 3
When the tea ceremony was finished, we began take in more of the tea fair. It wasn't long before we came across the booth that Darrell tasted some organic tea from Taiwan. He told Wingchi about it and the next thing we knew another tea tasting was in store. Darrell Master Zhi and Wingchi sat to taste while I shot their experience occasionally leaning in to taste a small cup set on the table for me. The Chinese / Taiwanese / Japanese way of tea is vastly different that the typical western "bag in a cup" tea mentality. The flavors are so diversely different in each facet of cultivar, terroir, processing method, fermentation or lack of it, and within the different infusions of each tea type brewed. For anyone wishing to expand on their sensory experiences and/or to further develop their olfactory abilities and palate quality Asian tea is a wonderful journey towards that end.
The Taiwan teas were wonderful and of high quality. It was time to press on.
We made our way to through the Tea Fair and back to the escalators headed to the hotel skyway. It was approaching lunch time. I stopped to look at the balcony view of Xiamen Bay, because a wind had come up and was causing some chop to the water. The remnants of Typhoon Fitow, which caused havoc to the Chinese coastline to the north a few days ago, made there way down to Xiamen.
For today's lunch were taken on a 20 minute drive across Xiamen Island. Our destination was the Veggie Mind Café. Wingchi wanted Master Zhi to experience this vegetarian restaurant. In honor of Master Zhi's vegetarian diet we all joined in.
I think Xiamen is a city many Americans would enjoy visiting and/or spending time in with perhaps the exception of the summer high humidity. The residents and regional visitors, this being a very accessible island,all seem to enjoy it here. There are many modern conveniences, easy commutes, beaches, good food, and natural beauty. It was easy to see why they all seemed happy and very hospitable. Here are some street scenes outside the Veggie Mind Café.
The Veggie Mind Café would fit perfectly somewhere in Berkeley, California given it's eclectic style and vegetarian menu. The restaurant was bustling when we entered. We were seated quickly, and the dishes came without haste.
Although I love vegetables of all sorts and everything in the way of Asian cuisine, I can't really say that I've dined 100% vegetarian before. I have had vegetarian dishes, but not complete meals. Today's lunch was comprised with an assortment of fresh vegetables, mushrooms, noodles, tofu, and things like gobo root, wood ear fungus, and bamboo shoots. We had Chunky tofu bundles on Chinese greens, vegetarian goose, pulled noodles is something very beefy tasting, and delicious Chinese pancakes with a secret sauce. For dessert, we had Mooncake made from a sweetened bean paste. After lunch, it was back to the Exhibition & Conference Center for more Tea Fair. During the ride Darrell and Wingchi discussed our vegetarian lunch.
A unique display caught our eyes by one of the entrances to the Exhibition & Conference Center. A stream was fashioned out of blue plastic, small and large rocks, and landscape plants. At one end two women were brewing tea, setting the cups in small flower like rafts, and setting them into the slow moving stream which snaked around the display area. There were bamboo seats set up around the stream for guests to sit in. As the tea floated by, the guests plucked the tea from the stream, enjoyed the cup, then set the cup back onto the float and placed it back into the stream. The beginning and end of the stream were close together, so the women removed the spent tea cups, cleans them and prepared more to start the cycle all over again.
Adjacent to the stream, we sat in on another vendor's tea sampling.
The entrance stage did a sampling if Indian teas for the audience, so of course we sat in and tasted.
After the stage tasting, the clock was running down on the remaining show time, so we walked a bit more, took in a few booths, and the finished at the Yun Yao booth.
Wingchi is friends and business associates with the owners of Yun Yao. Yun Yao is a ceramics plant in Dehua, the home of Blanc de Chine (French for "White from China"), about a 2 hour drive from of Xiamen. Yun Yao makes teaware for Lock Cha Tea Shop and the Lock Cha Tea House.
It was now last call for tea. The tea fair was done for the day, and our legs were feeling the wear. We went back to the hotel, then met in one of the dining rooms with Wingchi and Master Zhi for what else? ... a vegetarian dinner. All the walking gave me a thirst and the menu just happened to have Tsingtao Beer on it, so we did a little thirst quenching.
Dinner was surprisingly hearty, despite being our second completely vegetarian meal in a row. We certainly filled up from the hunger induced walking all day. We went to our rooms after saying our good nights. Maybe it was the clean vegetarian eating that had me still energized, or the two beers. In any case, I wasn't quite ready to hit the sack. I decided to go for a walk. It was still a bit windy, so I decided to walk along the main street on the other side of the Conference & Exhibition Center. I walked for about an hour. The sidewalks and street side shops were bustling with activity. Apparently this is pretty normal because it's cooler after the sun sets. The residents seemed very content to carry out their evening business. I saw everything from seamstresses and tailors, to cobblers and pipe fitters hard at work. I made my way as far as a more modern shopping center, but it was near closing, so I decided to make my way back. When I got back to the Conference & Exhibition Center, I heard modern techno style music playing in the parking lot. A good number of young adults were roller skating in the lot. Some even had colorful LED lights flashing from their skate wheels.
By the time I got back to my room, my energized state was completely gone. It was a quick shower and off to bed.