Travel Log Photo 43 - Thailand circa 1979 - Garden Topiary - Elephants

Travel Log Photo 43 - Thailand circa 1979 - Garden Topiary - Elephants

Modern Asian Glazed Tea Cups Decorated with Grass Style Calligraphy - Japanese and Chinese Tea Rituals

Modern Asian Glazed Tea Cups Decorated with Grass Style Calligraphy - Japanese and Chinese Tea Rituals

These modernized tea cups are inscribed with calligraphy for poetic elements such as the moon.  The cups are gifts from a close family member celebrating the fine ritual of the tea ceremony.  I have been privileged to be served in an authentic Japanese tea ceremony and to visit fine Chinese tea rooms as well.  The memory of gently holding the tea cup and absorbing the warmth, fragrance and gentle steam of the tea is unforgettable.  The style of the cups in this post form a nice East-West artifact and a set of mementos for the ritual of tea time.

Eating Utensils - Laquer and Inlay Chopsticks - Asian Cuisines and Artifacts

Eating Utensils - Laquer and Inlay Chopsticks - Asian Cuisines and Artifacts

Now widely familiar to cultures world-wide, chopsticks are eating and cooking utensils - cultural artifacts - associated with many of the cuisines of Asia.  The pair shown in this post serve as a decorative memento of many wonderful meals and of the days when I learned to use chopsticks by meeting the challenge of learning to pick up a single peanut or a single grain of rice. Now I simply enjoy the pleasure of using them once more when I am lucky enough to dine out eating at Chinese or Japanese restaurants.

Travel Log Photo 5 - Asia circa 1979 - Red Door with Gold Dog of Fu (Guardian Lion)

Travel Log Photo 5 - Asia circa 1979 - Red Door with Gold Dog of Fu (Guardian Lion)