Side Dish

In today’s episode, we discuss matcha. Eunie reflects on Chado: The Way of Tea, a life-changing class she took in college. We also share our thoughts on matcha’s adoption and appropriation in America.

Special No. 1: Matcha can eliminate bad breath due to its high amount of chlorophyll that reduces odor-causing bacteria.
Source: Daily Mail

Special No. 2: Legends (and matcha companies) say samurai in Japan would drink it before battle.
Source: NBC News

Special No. 3: Eisai was the Buddhist monk responsible for bringing tea seeds and the Zen Buddhist Rinzai sect to Japan. He wrote the “Kissa Yojoki,” which proclaimed tea’s health benefits.
Source: Encyclopedia.com

Japan House at the University of Illinois hosts the course Chado: The Way of Tea. In this class, students not only learn best practices for tea preparation, but also Zen aesthetics and philosophy.

JuJu was in town for Eunie’s graduation tea ceremony a few years ago, where she tried matcha for the first time at Japan House.

 

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@kim_juju is here #graduationweekend

A post shared by Eunie Kim (@eunie.kim) on May 16, 2015 at 5:57pm PDT

Some of our matcha recommendations:

Eunie is obsessed with Patisserie Tomoko. Her favorite pastry there is the green tea dacquoise.

 

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Patisserie Tomoko #matchalover – – – #brooklyn #patisserietomoko #patisserietomokobrooklyn #bonneadresse #everyoctoberny #travelblog #frenchblogger #igmasters #photography #instagood #neverstopexploring #wanderlust #instacool #instafood #yummy #newyorkinoctober #mynewyork #thecanestcityguide #myplacesinnewyork

A post shared by Caroline Till (@caroline.till) on Oct 18, 2016 at 2:08pm PDT

Matcha Bar sells tins of matcha, an assortment of matcha-themed treats and signature drinks.

 

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When life hands you lemons, say… “excuse me can I also have some ceremonial grade matcha, a sprig of mint, and spicy ginger?” The Matcha Lemonade now available at all cafes. #EmbraceTheHustle

A post shared by MatchaBar (@matchabar) on Apr 18, 2018 at 7:59am PDT

Matcha n’ More is Instagram-famous for its matcha soft serve with gold leaf.

 

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Update: @kim_juju, @erikwang21 and I returned to @matchanmore to try their matcha ice cream. The flavor was . Will be back again soon

A post shared by Eunie Kim (@eunie.kim) on Mar 31, 2018 at 2:29pm PDT

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Theme music: “Enthusiast” by Tours, edited and used under CC BY 3.0 license.