The health benefits of tea have been celebrated for centuries. It’s loaded with cancer-fighting antioxidants. It can counteract the negative effects of cigarette smoke. It helps prevent belly fat—and plaque buildup on teeth, making your breath smell better. According to the Katonah Museum of Art, Zen Buddhists initially introduced tea to Japan—so tea also has that calming vibe to it that we associate with Zen Buddhism.
The Katonah museum is sponsoring an outing to a tea ceremony demonstration to coincide with its current exhibition, Lethal Beauty: Samurai Weapons and Armor. On October 29, it’ll take visitors to the Urasenke Chanoyu Center in Manhattan. The motto of the Center is “peacefulness from a bowl of tea,” so hopefully, once there, you’ll get to experience the positive mental and physical effects of tea (or, at least, be more Zen Buddhist than lethal samurai). The Center, located in a building that once house the studio for artist Mark Rothko, was restored using materials from Japan and now includes four tea rooms and a surrounding garden.
After seeing a tea ceremony demonstration and learning about tea, lunch will follow at a nearby Japanese restaurant. Don’t get us started on the health benefits of seaweed and miso soup.
For more information or to RSVP, call (914) 232-9555 or visit www.katonahmuseum.org.
