Saturday, October 28

Idling

Now, I'm a confirmed coffee drinker and hate tea. Tea makes me feel ill. But in Tom Hodgkinson's wonderful book How to Be Idle (HarperCollins, 2005, in its first U.S. edition), tea is praised as the civilized drink for people who desire to savor life and eschew the frenetic pace of post-industrial life, which he sees as fueled by coffee. Here is a portion of a 16th century Chinese poem by Hsu Ts'eshu (there's suposed to be an umlaut or the Chinese equivalent on the first "u"), as quoted by Hodgkinson:


Proper Moments for Drinking Tea

When one's heart and hands are idle...


Tired after reading poetry...


Engaged in conversation deep at night...


Before a bright window and a clean desk...


When the day is clear and the breeze is mild...


On a day of light showers...


In a painted boat near a small wooden bridge...


In a forest with tall bamboos...


In a pavilion overlooking lotus flowers on a summer day...


In a quiet, secluded temple...


Near famous springs and quaint rocks....



My picture is from a local Middle Eastern restaurant, where more coffee is consumed than tea, but it suggests a similar inclination for relaxing, drinking, and conversing. And here's another local spot for idling:





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