Is any one doing a Tea Camp?

[Sky Diamond]

I really like tea, and I'd really like to be part of chill space / tea time camp. I believe there was a group serving tea at Symbiosis, Pyrimid Eclips .. Maybe there's a group like that at BM too ..

[trilobyte]

There will likely be dozens, but this being December it will probably be several months before you start to see posts or hear about open recruitment from one of the existing/established camps. You may want to consider starting your own - see this thread for more info.

[misfit]

skinny kitty,,, serving up some fine blends, but bring your own cup.......

[9ah]

Go thru the theme camps listed on the BM site to see if any of the listed camps interest you as well. Best of luck.

[Sunbeam56]

We are newbies to BM. Have planned to go before this year, but fate intervened.
If we can make it this year, which has not become apparent, we are going to have a visitor tent - "Tea and Sympathy, Coffee and Criticism".
But I wouldn't suggest joining us. Because we are rank amateurs, and probably won't make a big foot print. More like we are experimenting with some ideas.
Plus, as newbies, I really want to get out and SEE the BM. FEEL the wind. OPEN my eyes. So I doubt, because we are a small group, that our camp will be one of those that are available 24/7.

Still there are some interesting themes to play with.
English tea - which can be viewed as a kind of ceremony, pause to reflect during the day.
Japanese tea - which can be viewed as a way of resolving conflict, appreciating beauty, contemplation.
Russian tea - pour on the caffeine!!!

And of course, just in those three examples, you have multiple opportunities for costuming, themed sets, etc...

Dunno - not fully committed yet, but there's an idea in there.

[trilobyte]

Sunbeam - good luck getting everything together and making it out to the event this year! And don't worry about being open 24/7, or even any set hours for that matter. Lots of camps are only open for short periods throughout the day, and don't even have posted hours. You don't even have to aim for something involving serving food/drink to the public. You can just bring extra supplies, and plan to just share your love of tea with random friends, strangers, and neighbors as the mood suits you throughout the week.

[Sunbeam56]

There is not a lot happening fast, so let me bore you with some ideas that I had.
The Japanese Tea Ceremony is pretty celebrated. I made a minor study of it at one time, to coincide with some other things that involved Japan.
The "god" (notice - not capitalized, Shinto has a flexible idea of god-ness) of tea was a monkish guy (Rikyu). Apparently his technique was to amp the caffeine to hysterical levels. But before the amp, there was the art. The ritualization of the tea ceremony was to provide a consistent background for contemplation.
Every step through the formal tea garden was rife with symbolism, from the ritual clensing, to the ritual points for contemplation. The entrance to the tea house was low, forcing the participant to bow - to be subservient to some concept. The entrance was to be decorated simply - but carefully artistic, designed to appeal to the guest.
In the "high" form - the tea ceremony was a huge party. The participants ended up quite inebriated by the excess caffeine.
In the "conceptual" form - the tea ceremony was a means of seeking forgiveness or accord. You would invite someone whom you were in conflict with, and seek to please THEM. They, as guests were honor bound to view and accept the efforts made by YOU to please them. It set a table for later discussion of what the real conflict was.

Personally, I see it as an art form. Every step is concerned with beauty and an advancement of the spiritual. From the entrance to the garden, to the trail to the tea house - which should have places to pause and contemplate the beauty that has been designed to be revealed, to the ritual cleansing, to the entrance and ceremony itself.

And yeah, taste was secondary.

[gaminwench]

I wish I were better with the photo sharing/upload thing... someone help me out here...

There is a man who does formal, silent Japanese tea ceremony out by the Man or the Temple.
One on one,
great attention to detail,
absolutely beautiful.
(there are photos in the BM archives)

There are high teas,
Alice in Wonderland teas,
Buddhist tea ceremonies,
and many, many more...

and whatever you cook up!

[Ugly Dougly]

skinny kitty,,, serving up some fine blends, but bring your own cup.......

Yeah, I brought by a sampler set for them one year. Nice place.

[SachiIvy]

You're probably thinking of the Saraswati Tea House - they were at Symbiosis and some other events, doing tea ceremonies. Wonderful crew!
I participated in tea ceremonies all over the playa last year - one at Saraswati, but others in unexpected places where folks took it upon themselves to hike hot water and traditional teas and tea services out to the temple and other intimate spots. It was wonderful!

[theCryptofishist]

Pizzamancer also brings over a group from Japan. They are with Playawaste Raiders.