Monday, May 09, 2022

Maman at Sadaharu Aoki Tea Salon

 

Most of the Mom stories have already been told. I’m late to the soirée.

I remember My mom, who liked the high life, once took me for tea at The Palm Court in the Plaza hotel, NYC. 
I was her foil when she wanted to browse the inside seams of haut-couture outfits she could not afford but wanted to copy. Browsing is evidently a genetic trait I got from my mom.
This past weekend I was looking at old Parisbreakfast posts (there are 2,802 to browse through). 
In May, 2006 I visited the tea salon of top pâtissier, Sadaharu Aoki
His exquisite, green matcha desserts (his specialty), elegant Bernadeau cups and
The  classic tetsuba teapots looked fun to paint.  
I ordered the matcha mille-feuille with wild strawberry tea. Mom, you taught me well ☺️ But how the H to eat this extravaganza of green tea creme and brittle multi leaves of pastry? Merci deux for syncronisity🙏  
Just at that moment as I was about to plunge in my fork and have it go flying, darling renown pastry author Jill Colonna of Mad About Macaron fame, did a demo on her instagram stories—how to eat a mille-feuille!🙏🤸‍♂️
Ta da! The day was saved. One must cut one’s mille-feuille ‘side-saddle’ Thank you 👏 dearest Jill💋 
Ah the nuances of French daily life. Things your mom may not have taught you (who knew it would be needed? One prefers not to recall what one did à table pre-Jill😳 
By the way I told the 2 kind vendeuses I wanted to set up a still life and paint it later. 
They were helpful finding the correct-sized tea spoon from 3 different sizes. I made a few pencil ✏️  sketches on site as warmups. 
They did giggle a bit☺️ It would have been loverly if my mom could have joined me for tea at Sadaharu Aoki’s tea salon. I know she would have adored it as much as I did. Do give it a try. There are 4 shops in Paris and quite a few in Japan. That’s my late ‘Mom’ story PBers. I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day Sunday. Thanks for stopping by. My watercolors and Paris letters are waiting for you on Etsy 😊 🐻❤️💋

14 comments:

  1. Lovely memories of your mom and your early childhood with her. Speaking of synchronicity, I was startled to see the photo of the Palm Court at the Plaza and your memory of having tea with your mom there, because I was just musing yesterday about my first great cup of coffee - at age 11 or 12 - when my grandmother indulged me on a trip to New York - yup, in the Palm Court of the Plaza Hotel!

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  2. I think I would have liked your Mother. I also liked & still do like the high life! My older sister treated my Mother & I to lunch at the Palm court. I was just in just in junior high school and we were in NYC for a weekend. I remember being so intimidated by all of it.I have learned to get over that feeling. 🗼❤️🥂

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  3. Thanks KiWi,
    The Palm Court has been around for centuries I bet.

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  4. Yes one must get over that feeling!
    Paris is full of grand, palace hotels.

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  5. Anonymous1:43 PM

    Enjoyed reading this … older post or not!

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    1. Anonymous1:45 PM

      LOL Carol … I’m GeriNJ 👆 up there… I just couldn’t sign in☺️

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  6. Timing is everything. Really good pastry is also everything! And it looks like a fine and tasty time.

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  7. Your tea & pastry still lifes are so darned good! Love them. Lovely tribute to your Mom, Carol.

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  8. Anonymous8:49 PM

    My FIRST Parisbreakfast DRAWING I remember was the Confit Rose Petal preserves. A MUST HAVE FOR And my gf was in Peris so I texted her to buy me a jar! Now WE are both avid fans…and she met you in 2018 at a good exhibit.

    Thank you for you all your drawings….

    D.

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  9. Hey Anonymouse, this is Not an old post 😳
    Hot off ze presses

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  10. Jeanie…so true.
    I’ll take an haute-couture pastry over an haute-couture purse/sac
    More affordable too

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  11. That photo💕And that paper is exquisite with your brush and paint⭐️

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  12. FoodWalker4:05 PM

    Delightful! AND useful. Now I don't need to stay clear of that daunting mille-feuille pastry!

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  13. Mille thanks! I have always avoided the dreaded millefeuille shower after once trying it at a fact restaurant. Now I can savor it once again!

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