Valentine's Day Orgy

No, not that kind of orgy, perverts. A tea orgy, which was substantially less sweaty but similarly full of good cheer.

Now taking the girlfriend to a tea party on Valentine's Day was a gamble, I admit. It's not a fancy restaurant and there was no wine involved. Still it seemed interesting: different variations of organic tea from around the world, a buffet, desserts. It couldn't be ALL bad.

It looked bad at first--the place was jammed and the buffet line long. I seriously considered bailing. But then we nabbed a table with an older man poring over dusty, yellowed books, a man who I'd seen through the window from the street, and looked interesting, a good person to sit next to.

Boy was I right. Turned out this guy was J. Norwood Pratt, popularly known as the "Pope of Tea," a guy who has devoted a huge portion of his life to tea, has written the authoritative book on tea, who was going to preside over a tea party with Larry Ellison's wife this weekend. And when you think about it, tea is a fascinating beverage. After water, Norwood claimed, it's the most consumed beverage in the world. Politically/historically, tea is hugely important: consider the Boston Tea Party, the exploration of the West, the colonization of India, Marco Polo's travels to China. It's a calming ritual shared by people all over the world, and there's a simplicity to it, a serenity to it, that's very charming.

Better yet, Norwood recited romantic poetry twice during the night. Reciting isn't the right word; he bellowed it, tortured it, became it. I can't tell good poetry from graffiti, but his delivery brought it alive--his face turned red, his veins materialized, his eyes bulged. Fabulous.

The story of his romance with his lover (who was at the table) is pretty good. I like to think I have one of the best relationship-starting stories of all time, as I first met Karla when she was descending a fireman's ladder from her burning apartment building. Norwood's is pretty good too--he met his woman on a cruise forty years ago. Valerie went on to marry somebody else, but after her husband died she still remembered the guy from the cruise, and, with the help of the Internet, tracked him down. They've been together for four years since--all in all, a perfect tale for Valentine's Day.