On Wednesday night, Columbia’s Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture hosted Dr. Genshitsu Sen, the former Grand Master of the Urasenke school of the Japanese tea ceremony. Bwog, recognizing that there is such a thing as too much coffee, spent the evening in the audience at Casa Italiana, to learn about the Japanese tea ceremony, from the master himself.

An even more different kind of tea party

Some sense of the gravitas of the occasion was immediately conveyed when I walked into the room, full with people dressed in either traditional Japanese garb, or formal evening attire. Dr. Sen was warmly introduced with the endorsement for the next Nobel Peace Prize, and received sincere demonstrations of appreciation from the well-heeled crowd. His opening remarks consisted of courteous compliments and thanks to New York, Columbia, and the Keene Center, making the evening seem that much more decorous and sincere. Despite only understanding through his translator, it was obvious that he was far more youthful and vigorous than one might expect from his 87 years. Constantly gesticulating, grinning and cracking jokes, his presence was warm and inviting, alleviating any sense of alienation that could arise from such formalities.

Dr. Sen sketched a brief history of the culture of tea in Japan, (which they inherited from China), but spent most of the lecture explaining the timelessness of the tea ceremony, and the importance of the ritual in everyday, modern life. “It’s just a beverage, of course,” he said of matcha, the powdered green tea that is served, “but when I drink it, I look at the deep green tea, and the round bowl. I think of it as symbolic of our planet.”
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tips@bwog.net with a picture.”>

RoomHop is back, this time with a DIY/modern art/bricolage special from Watt, courtesy of Carolyn Ruvkun. If your room needs Hopping, contact us at tips@bwog.net with a picture.

“I imagine my room to be a giant junkyard, but not so dirty,” says Patrick Han of the Watt double he shares with Shao-Wen Ang. The “garbage aesthetic,” as Shao-Wen calls it, starts at their front door plastered with an original art piece. “We broke some pens and splattered the ink, then stuck a blunt knife through an orange.”

The interior, too, makes creative use of dried fruit. While most people throw away Clementine peels and old tea bags, Patrick and Shao-Wen choose to feature them. They unhinged their window guards and weaved fruit peels, playbills, and photos through the diamond slits. “The window covering is a useful way to hold things,” says Patrick.

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If Blue Java’s got you down, don’t fret. Awaaz: The Voice of South Asia is handing out copies of the first issue of its magazine as well as free Indian chai in the West Ramp Lounge in Lerner from 12:30pm to 1:30pm 4:00pm. There’s an expert chaiwalla (one who makes and distributes chai) present, supplies are limited, and you’ll have to buy your chai after 1:30pm 4:00pm, so be swift! 

Bwog got a tip yesterday that Vine, Swish‘s identical twin replacement, lacks the one thing that everyone seemed to like about Swish, may it rest in peace: bubble tea. Fortunately, as our tipster mentioned, 116th Street’s bubble tea franchise is not gone forever, but merely transported two doors down to Ollie’s.

The bubble tea stand occupies a quaint corner, pictured at right, of the ever-frenzied Ollie’s, but we were assured that all the same flavors and weird tapioca balls have all been transported safely and that nothing has changed from Swish’s bubble tea selection. The reason for the move? Simply that Vine and Ollie’s are owned by the same people. 

So bubble tea enthusiasts may now go about their days with the consolation that they’ll never have to set foot in Cafe 212, filled to the brim with things that make you fat, for a healthy dose of boba.

                                                                                                                        -ECS

Now that midterms are over (for some of us!), penny-savers should be quick to hit up two wonderfully delicious free food events today, which include a joint birthday party for the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Intercultural Resource Center and a Teahouse with the Asian American Alliance featuring musical guest Alice Hu (and samosas, mango lassi, and tea).

OMA/IRC Anniversary Celebration

5:30pm – 8:30pm (brief program at 6:15pm)

Intercultural Resource Center

552 West 114th Street

AAA Teahouse

10:30pm

Lerner 555

There are free cupcakes with blue & white frosting in the little wood-panelled room adjacent to Uris Deli. Although undergrads will be kicked out, says an astute commenter.

There was free barbecue out on Low steps, but the breadline extended across the plaza and you probably missed it. Sorry.

You can probably still get a piece of the free massages being given outside Lerner Piano Lounge. But maybe not.

3:45 p.m. UPDATE- MORE FREE FOOD. Fifth floor of Lerner. Cookies. Coffee. Tea. &c. Academic types milling around. Mingle!