Halloween is already behind us, but zombie muffins, with their rotten-green and a bit leaky looks, are great for any other occassion. And without one as well ;) Despite their looks, they are really yumme~! ;)

There are sooooo many awesome recipes around the net for scary, slimey, leaky or disgustingly delicious desserts for Halloween parties. But most of them are not suitable for allergy sufferers and breastfeeding mothers who avoid allergenic products (and don't have much time to get crazy in the kitchen ;)).
That's where zombie muffins step in! They're ready in a blink of an eye, and they do the job when you need to scare your Halloween party guests, and still enjoy the taste ;)

Zdjęcie ze sklepu http://www.hibiki-an.com

Matcha! Wonderful, magic powder from the land of the cherry blossom, anime, Honda, sushi and Murakami... ;)) Simply: something worth having in our kitchen at all times, even if we do not plan to hold the tea ceremony in our house. I just love it! It gives the beautiful colour and flavor to all desserts. In my kitchen it's irreplaceable :)

...Why such title?
Well, when I've started thinking about writing a blog, about its possible content, that I could share with you - I've had in mind this one particular view, from 2 years ago, but still so fresh, as if it's been just a moment... Tea fields of Kasahara, incredibly green and fresh, with this wonderful aroma flowing in the air. Maybe that's the background of my thoughts? :)

yup, that's the view :)

...so green!

お茶娘, daughter of the tea :) from: http://motoko16.eshizuoka.jp

A few words about the term "daughter of the tea" then :) In Japan, especially around the places famous of its tea, almost on every corner you can catch a glimpse of a woman in a specific outfit (it can be a poster, statue, costume...). It is a common symbol of a japanese tea.



Japanese quite often participare in many kinds of events (organized mostly by NGOs) - some of which are taking place in countryside, where people can experience f.ex. traditional tea harvesting. During those events on the first tea harvest of the season quite often women are wearing the お茶娘 costume.
I honestly love this part of the culture, that people WANT to truly feel their own culture, that they choose to spend their weekend working on the countryside, rather than being lazy and get some rest :)

complete "daughter of the tea" outfit from this shop

http://newsnaka.blog6.fc2.com

I've asked recently Mariko, my Japanese friend (whose knowledge on the matter of Japanese culture and tradition is really impressive), if there is any intriguing story hidden behind the term "daughter of the tea"... Unfortunately the reality is not so impressive ;) One of the sources says, that お茶娘 appeared for the first time during the national fair in Shizuoka, in 1950. The office ladies from the city hall served the green tea to the guests wearing that costume, probably not aware it'll become a popular symbol of new green tea season.

Nevertheless, this costume is absolutely cute <3 during my volunteer work in Japan I've been harvesting tea in way less attractive clothes, but well, I do hope to get it one day ;) or maybe not for myself, but for Sophie?
Don't you think a child wearing お茶娘 costume looks absolutely lovely? :)

<3 z www.cha-nakamura.jp