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Her Serene Highness
Apr 27, 2002, 12:16:14 AM4/27/02
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There is a joint exhibit on "The New Art of Tea" at New York's Asia and
Japan Societies (until May 19). I went to the Asia Society today- they had a
lecture on wagashi, or Japanese tea sweets. wagashi comes in many forms.
Sometimes they are molded into particular shapes that reflect the season; or
they are colored to evoke certain flowers or moods; or they are made from
bean pastes or sugar or flour which willaffect texture and moistness. The
lecture was illuminating. Toraya (71 and Madison)exhibited some of their
sweets, which were quite beautiful. It was emphasized that wagashi is
ephemeral. Many of the soft 'cakes' have to be eaten within a day of
purchase, and almost all of them are seasonal. They contain no
preservatives and are meant to be eaten in a few bites. One interesting
fact- wagashi are not crumbly like many Western desserts, as they were
originally meant to be eaten off of a paper napkin during the tea ceremony,
and anything too gooey or oily might end up staining clothing or the tatami
mats, or getting stepped on. One uses wooden picks to cut and eat wagashi-
again, wood is ephemeral and doesn't impart a metallic taste to the food.
For more about wagashi, click here:
http://www.toraya-group.co.jp/new_york/index.html
Japan Societies (until May 19). I went to the Asia Society today- they had a
lecture on wagashi, or Japanese tea sweets. wagashi comes in many forms.
Sometimes they are molded into particular shapes that reflect the season; or
they are colored to evoke certain flowers or moods; or they are made from
bean pastes or sugar or flour which willaffect texture and moistness. The
lecture was illuminating. Toraya (71 and Madison)exhibited some of their
sweets, which were quite beautiful. It was emphasized that wagashi is
ephemeral. Many of the soft 'cakes' have to be eaten within a day of
purchase, and almost all of them are seasonal. They contain no
preservatives and are meant to be eaten in a few bites. One interesting
fact- wagashi are not crumbly like many Western desserts, as they were
originally meant to be eaten off of a paper napkin during the tea ceremony,
and anything too gooey or oily might end up staining clothing or the tatami
mats, or getting stepped on. One uses wooden picks to cut and eat wagashi-
again, wood is ephemeral and doesn't impart a metallic taste to the food.
For more about wagashi, click here:
http://www.toraya-group.co.jp/new_york/index.html
Her Serene Highness
Apr 27, 2002, 12:43:43 AM4/27/02
to
"Her Serene Highness" <nysm...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:iCpy8.110018$9N1.17...@typhoon.nyc.rr.com...
Yet another English language site:
http://kitchoan.com/E/
And another:
http://www.chanoyu.com/Wagashisweets.html
http://www.gld.mmtr.or.jp/~shokado/wagashi.htm
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