Friday 31st January 2025
1.10pm
Blanca Valencia in conversation with Mei Chin
Did you know that tea – China’s longest guarded secret – arguably sparked the Opium War? Tea has been a source of pleasure for so many of us, but there are many worlds brewing inside of one cuppa. While its history can be wonderous, there is also poverty and heartbreak. We will hunt for memorable depictions of tea in paintings and literature, examine some of its most important and intriguing varieties, and delve into myriad tea cultures and tea vessels in East Asia, Ireland, England, and elsewhere. We will look at tea for aristocrats, the clergy, and the common people, and tea made from snow and infused by being placed in blossoms before they close at night. We will explore the modern world of cold brew and cheese and boba tea, tea sommeliers, and 75 euro tea pairings at chic restaurants like London’s The Clove Club and Berlin’s Oukan.
** no booking required **
About the Speakers:
Mei Chin is a multi-award-winning writer and New York City native. She was co-founder and co-host of the podcast Spicebags, which explored the international food community in Ireland. Her work has appeared in Saveur, Gourmet, Lucky Peach, Bomb, and Rolling Stone, and she contributes regularly to the book and food sections of the Irish Times. She authored the “catalogue/fairytale” for the 2021 Helsinki Biennale’s So Long, Thanks Again For The Fish, a collective exhibition of contemporary Hong Kong artists, and is currently at work on a novel about mushrooms and ghosts.
Blanca Valencia is speaker, writer, and event curator. She has a Grand Diplome from London’s Le Cordon Bleu and an MA in Gastronomy and Food Studies from TU Dublin. She was the co-host of the Spicebags podcast (IFWA winner 2021 and 2023), and is the author of Blasta Books 5 Soup with Dee Laffan and Mei Chin. She is the co-founder of ArtPlate, a collaboration that highlights the intersection between food and art in Ireland. In 2023, the Irish Examiner selected Blanca as one of the top 50 New Irish food heroes. Blanca loves creating food and drink experiences that draw from art, popular culture and history and developed events and lectures for the National Gallery of Ireland, Chicago Cultural Center, and the Cervantes Institute in Dublin and Chicago.