逛街 :: 看茶具 :: 賞陶瓷

The gallery of Jioufen Teahouse.

Went into the right stores, saw gorgeous tea ware and accompanying items, but I didn't have the urge to buy everything in sight. There's a shopping list and it must be adhered to. Storage space is limited, and clutter isn't ideal. The age of mad acquisition is over, and now, there has to be a good reason for all purchases.

All the debate about what's good to brew tea with. Glad I waited it out before getting all the tea ware. Now that I know so much more about the teas, their characteristics and interaction with all factors, I'm more assured of my own brewing style. It effectively seals all future tea ware to be bought because I know exactly the sort of design desired, or required.

There's also this inventory at home. If I buy something, something else would have to be thrown out. Not a hoarder and definitely don't want to do the 'buy first and think what to do with this later'. If I can't justify a purchase, it stays on the shelf. The partner (the girl) teased, "What if you dream about it at night?" Ah well. I might. But the years have shown that it doesn't make me happier to own something or pass it over for nothing.

All the cute stuff at 品墨良行小餅乾小兔子 (Pinmo Biscuit Rabbit Café).
Apparently it used to be in Kaoshiung, but has now moved up to Taipei.

Taipei has superbly beautiful wares. Never mind the traditional designs. Not too into that. But the Japanese influence is heavy and there're so many shops retailing wares with clean lines and minimalist designs. So many things to go ooh and ahhh over.

It really didn't help that for the first two days, I was royally confused over exchange rates. The partner and I were debating about a vessel to purchase for Pekoe & Imp. The price tag stated '$4500'. I dithered. I thought it over-the-moon expensive. The partner thought it was reasonable. I frowned. She frowned, then grinned, "Woman, it's to be divided by 23 lah!" OHHH. I was still converting prices like I was in Hong Kong.

Enjoyed the vibes of the various stores we wandered into. Lovely decor, both modern and traditional. No one made us feel unwelcome or in a hurry to hustle us out. They allowed us to take our time to sample teas, touch and linger over tea ware, chat, take photos and write notes.

Ceramics by Tetsuya Otani (of Otani Pottery Studio) at 小器,
a store retailing beautiful Japanese wares.