Tea Lady: A woman, an art
By The Prism
14 April 2023 • 6:56 pm
It takes 6 years to become a highly skilled tea lady but it's not the biggest challenge.
Tea culture in Vietnam and the appearance of “tea lady”
For millennia, tea drinking has been considered an art of sophistication and elegance, a central cultural feature of Asia. Enjoying the tea is also a way to “lead us into a world of quiet contemplation of life”, said an old Asian scholar.
The art of tea drinking in Vietnam is simple but elegant, in which tea makers hold a very important role in the art of tea. They must be the one mastering tea knowledge as well as creating a lively “tea atmosphere”, hence inspiring the love for tea with any drinkers.
Tea makers playing an instrumental part in the culture of tea drinking. (Photo by Lan Phuong)
In recent years, the concept of “tea lady” is becoming more and more popular in Vietnam, which is a turning point that helps to bring the traditional tea-drinking culture closer to young people.
As a new concept created since 2010, “tea ladies” are the women who make, pour tea, and talk with guests in tea rooms. However, they are not simply a person serving drinks but also creates the image of a traditional woman in Vietnamese culture.
Tea ladies and the art of tea making. (Photo by Lan Phuong)
Having a conversation with Ms. Bao Nhu, a tea lady of the Nguyet Tra Tea & Coffee in Hoang Mai, Ha Noi City, we were allowed to have a deeper insight into that cultural beauty.
Tea lady Bao Nhu performs the tea-making ritual. (Photo by Lan Phuong)
A presence of traditional woman’s beauty
Today, the young have a tendency to disown femininity reflected in traits of meekness, humility, devotion, etc. on grounds that these feminine frames are likely against feminism. This trend has caused an underestimation of the women's role and also some of their career choices, including the tea lady. It can be said that the tea lady is the job where the femininity of traditional Vietnamese women is most fully preserved.
Tea ladies with particular features of traditional Vietnamese women. (Photo by Thuy Linh)
Besides the requirement of gentle appearances, it is a must that the tea lady will learn how to walk, talk, and dress in the first stage of training before getting to know about tea knowledge and ritual. Petty chores like washing tea utensils, cups, and kettles, arranging flowers, cleaning, and keeping the tea room clean are repetitive but done with all respect and ingenuity by the tea lady.
Every tea utensil is cleaned up carefully and respectfully. (Photo by Lan Phuong)
Moreover, they need to have a flair in observing and understanding each customer to give reasonable suggestions of tea for them. With their subtle hands, those seemingly trivialities are respected in the same way that femininity is respected in this profession.
A sacred art with complication and hardship
Tea ladies make an impression with elegance and sophistication, but their work is not that easy. Becoming a tea lady takes significant time and persistence. The apprenticeship period lasts about 6 months, but to be considered skilled, it takes over 6 years of practice and experience.
“At first, it will certainly be difficult to distinguish types of tea, being familiar with the basic steps of making tea and even maintaining gentle posture all the time.”, Ms. Nhu said.
“But most importantly, in order to make good tea, a good tea lady is required to maintain a professional calm demeanor throughout. Amidst the hustle and bustle of life, this requirement seemed to be the most challenging.”
Tea work is executed with impeccable taste, regularly in different types of herbs, so a strict diet, without strong-tasting drinks like coffee, is getting to the ladies who make tea. “Luckily, being a vegetarian makes me feel no trouble with that.”, Ms. Nhu humorously.
The Prism.
The tea ceremony originated in Japan at the end of the 12th century, when the monk Eisai had the opportunity to study Buddhism in China. After many centuries of existence, this ritual has become an irreplaceable traditional culture, a time-honored value in Japan founded upon the reverence for beauty in life. The tea ceremony has gradually been widely spread around the world.