tea and stories
it's been almost two months now since a group of...us started meeting at a tea house to read little stories we wrote and to chat while drinking tea. this is the closest to a writing group that i've ever had in cluj, a support writing group that sprung out of a storytelling workshop organized at my friend emma's bookshop. the ways of the world are many and mysterious, because, see, i'm not a workshop-goer. but i'm definitely a goer to group sessions once i decide i'm part of a group.
where cluj is easy as opposed to montreal is that i meet great people without even trying. all the trying i have to do is showing up in time. have i mentioned i like routines? i will do all my possible to uphold the status quo. yay. this status quo works for me.
what we write: 300 word (or whereabouts) pieces. i still see mine as just retrying my hand at writing, so far. it's good in that, up to now, it's made me restart writing some poetry, and question my topic choices a bit. just a bit.
what we write about: we choose topics for the next meeting, based on things we talk about during the current meeting. lots of giggles so far. the hardest topics are the big vague ones, but didn't we all know that?
i am not a tea drinker, but i love this place, "drumul ceaiului" - here, i will plug it:
http://www.drumulceaiului.ro/
these photos were taken on 2 separate occasions i've had my camera on me:
1. mid-april, back room, shaky hand
2. end of april (the week before easter, also remembered as "the luggage week", when everybody was leaving cluj); in the front room, with beautiful weather.
the teas are very diverse, and the ritual of tea-preparing keeps us forever entertained.
i found a favourite tea! we've had....jasmine, orchid, lavender, lilly something, ginseng, carnation...but one day i accidentaly found a 'milky oolong', which tastes like milk chocolate.
also, the menu dates from this week, although the place has somehow been functioning for months, at improvised prices like...one kettle= 1 batch of tea leaves = about 1.7 $. (yes, canadians/americans, do come to romania. and buy me teas and beer. )
i seriously hope i'm not jinxing this place/these meetings by writing about them. and i do want this guy to have lots of customers, but not necessarily while we're there.
oh, and there's a patio at the back.
fingers crossed for the magic,
c
where cluj is easy as opposed to montreal is that i meet great people without even trying. all the trying i have to do is showing up in time. have i mentioned i like routines? i will do all my possible to uphold the status quo. yay. this status quo works for me.
what we write: 300 word (or whereabouts) pieces. i still see mine as just retrying my hand at writing, so far. it's good in that, up to now, it's made me restart writing some poetry, and question my topic choices a bit. just a bit.
what we write about: we choose topics for the next meeting, based on things we talk about during the current meeting. lots of giggles so far. the hardest topics are the big vague ones, but didn't we all know that?
i am not a tea drinker, but i love this place, "drumul ceaiului" - here, i will plug it:
http://www.drumulceaiului.ro/
1. mid-april, back room, shaky hand
2. end of april (the week before easter, also remembered as "the luggage week", when everybody was leaving cluj); in the front room, with beautiful weather.
the teas are very diverse, and the ritual of tea-preparing keeps us forever entertained.
 |
| you wash the tea leaves first |
 |
| then you pour more water and wait for it to infuse |
also, the menu dates from this week, although the place has somehow been functioning for months, at improvised prices like...one kettle= 1 batch of tea leaves = about 1.7 $. (yes, canadians/americans, do come to romania. and buy me teas and beer. )
i seriously hope i'm not jinxing this place/these meetings by writing about them. and i do want this guy to have lots of customers, but not necessarily while we're there.
oh, and there's a patio at the back.
 |
| the very very nice manager of the place with his tea samples |
 |
| and us (most of the regulars) - as promised, untagged and all. |
c
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