The Bitter, Sweet, and Aftertaste

In one of the letters I received from China the girl, Danlei, told me about the ancient city of Dali, located in northwestern Yunnan, where she grew up. She told me that if I were ever to visit that I needed to try the three courses of tea by the Bai nationality (Huang.)  I thought this was interesting, I’ve heard of multiple courses of meals, but never thought about having multiple course of a drink. She described each course and what really stood out to me is that one of the courses had cheese in it. I couldn’t imagine having a type of tea with cheese in it, so I had to look into these teas.

 

The Three Course Tea of Bai today is a kind of welcoming ceremony for treating guests and friends of the Bai people. It was originally a ceremony held by the senior members of the family to express good wishes for younger generations leaving home for school, work or when they are married. But now it has become one of the ways the Bai people show their value of friendship  (Three-course Tea Of Bai, Three-Course Tea of Bai Ethnic Minority.)


The courses are the "bitter, sweet and aftertaste". The first course is the Bitter Tea. This tea is made from baking a local green tea in a pottery jar till they have a “scorched” smell and they turn yellow, then the boiling water s added to make the tea. You get half a cup, it is described as bitter and strong, but still refreshing. The second, the Sweet Tea, is made by diluting the bitter tea with more boiling water, and adding brown sugar, cinnamon, and Ru Shan, which is the cheese like food. It is just a daily product made from goat cheese. This course is “chewed” and is sweet and nourishing. The last is the Aftertaste. Honey, ginger, Chinese pepper, and semen juglandis, which are type of walnut kernel, are added to this tea. Danlei described how in all three courses you taste the five flavors: sweet, sour, bitter, pungent, and salty. The Bai people think of it as your life- bitter, sweet and full of aftertaste (Three-course Tea Of Bai, Three-Course Tea of Bai Ethnic Minority.)

 

I think this is a very fascinating tradition. The Bai people found a way to get all of these different tastes just from only three teas. Danlei said it was an unforgettable taste for her, and I would love to try it one day if I get the opportunity, even though I am not a big fan of tea. I also think it is a good connection with life. The more I’ve thought about it life is exactly that: bitter, sweet, and full of aftertaste.

 

 

Secondary Sources

 

"Three-course Tea Of Bai." -Yunnan Tourism Website. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2014.

 

"Three-Course Tea of Bai Ethnic Minority,China Guide,Great Wall Travel." Three-Course Tea of Bai Ethnic Minority,China Guide,Great Wall Travel. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2014.

Primary Source

 

Huang, Daniela. "Good days in Dali." Letter to Mary Books. 21 Oct. 2014. MS. Qingdao, China.