Tea and Cakes

So continuing on with my touristy activities here in Hong Kong, I went to two more classes put on by the Hong Kong Tourism Board. I went to a "Hong Kong Cake Making Class" and a "Tea Appreciation Class." In the cake making class, Alyssa and I made "Wife Cakes," which are a very old Hong Kong favorite treat. They are called wife cakes because of a very old story which goes like this...

Once upon a time an old man got very sick. His daughter-in-law, while her husband was at work, sold herself into slavery to pay for this needed medicine. The husband came home to find his wife gone, so he gathered up all the ingredients he had in the house, and created these little cakes. He sold the cakes on the street until he had enough money to buy his wife back. The end.

Good tale, huh? Basically it is an ancient Chinese romance story.

The first time I tried a wife cake I did not like it. They are basically made of shortening, flour, eggs, rice, and a tinnnny bit of sugar. So my American taste buds were not quite satisfied with the level of sweetness (I mean we are used to glazed, chocolate, and sprinkle cover doughnuts!!! ha.) However, when I made my own wife cake at this class I actually liked it...maybe it is because I put my own love and care into it. The class was held at a local bakery, and we got to work with the chefs to make the wife cakes, and then we got to enjoy the treats with some tea. It was a great time, and when I get home I am going to make these cakes for everyone.

Then a couple of days ago I went to a tea appreciation class with my French friend Menou. We got to try many VERY high quality teas and learn about the traditions that are behind the teas. We learned about "tea masters" which are like tea connoisseurs. We learned about one lady who, by tasting the tea, can tell who the Farmer was, where in China the tea leaves came from, and if the soil that the plant grew is was muddy, clay, dry, etc. Crazy, right? Maybe one day I will be like that...