Ma’leyADisappearingNaxiTraditionofTeaPreparation

Lijiang’slongroleinYunnanprovinceasakindof‘in-between’markettownofcolour,flare,copper,andleatherhasgivenwaytothewaysofmoderntourism.Duringthetimesoftrade(morethanathousandyearsofit)theTibetansreferredtoitasthehappymarkettownof‘Sadem’.Allmannerofgoodscouldbeacquiredandallmannerofmenandwomentransportedthesegoods.Go-betweentownshadabitofswaggeraboutthem,abitofmysteryandteawasbeingpassedthroughitinhugeamounts.TheindigenousNaxiwerenomadswhomovedintotheLijiangvalley,findingpeace,fertilegrounds,andasafehavenfromharassingTibetansandotherethnicgroups.TheNaxi,theirculture,language,andeventheirteahasbeenofthe‘middleground’withtraditionsthathavereflected(butnotentirelycopied)thetraditionsoftheborderlandsaroundthem.MyowntimeinLijiang’s‘evolved’pandemoniumofcloseto6milliondomestictouristsayear,I’vefoundanookofNaxiculturethatreflectsalittlemoreauthentic

cultureandalittlelessfreneticpace…andatraditionofservingteathatIcanwellimaginedisappearinginnotime.WestofLijiang,IsitnexttoayoungwomanwhosimplycallsherselfNo’la.Aroundme,lean‘mountain’chickensstrutaboutinakindofhyper-activestate,amidstsunflowerseedshellsanddust.SkiesaboveareboltblueandtheairhasthecleancoldwaftsthatarecarriedfromthenearbyHengduanMountains,whichactasanentrypointtotheeasternHimalayas.TheTeaHorseRoadhadpassedwithintheseregionsonitslonganddauntingjourneynorthwestintotheHimalayas.Wearenotfarfromthehugespiresandaltitudesofthegreatmountains.WhilethetealeavesthemselvesvariedlittleamidthispartofYunnan,themethodsofmixingandconsumingthemdid.No’lahasakindoftypicallylocal‘shy-but-proud’spiritaboutherassheexplainsoneoftheteaworld’sveryrareteaconcoctionswhoseproponentsandpreparersarefastdisappearing.No’laexplainscarefullythat“youthdon’ttakemuchinterestinNaxiculture”,andratherpropheticallytellsme“thisteatraditionwilldieoutsoon”.Thoughnotyet30,No’laspeakswiththejadedgravityofanelderwhohasalreadyseenthesigns.Shesitscrushinghempseeds(whichgrowalmostcasuallyhereinnorthwestYunnan)withamortarandpestle.Aroundherareanumberofotherincredibleingredientsbesideshempseedsthatwillbeaddedtothis‘tea’mix:peanuts,amassivechunkofbutter,egg,salt,abowlofgroundchillipeppers,anddriedtealeaves.ThisNaxitraditionofteapreparationisknownasMa’ley,andthoughitremindsmealittleofthefiercelypotentTibetanbutterteapreparations,itissomethingentirelyuntoitself,withfarmoreingredientstoenterintotheequation.Thoughmypalatehaslongpreferredsimpleun-processedteas,thislittleharmonyofadditionshintsatsomethingcuriousandwonderful.No’la’ssmallframebeliesapairofpowerfulhands.Hermovementsareslow,methodicalandentirely‘crushing’.Afterhercrushingofthehempseeds,thepeanutsthengetthesametreatmentbeingcarefullypulverizeduntiltheytooarenothingbutafine-grainpileofdust.Thepeanutsarethenputintoaseparatebowl.Allofthis‘work’remindsmeofoneoftea’sinnatebitsoftimelessvalue:oneneedstimetoprepareit,timetoconsumeit,andinthistherecanbenosubstitutes.Theverynumberofingredientshereinparticularseemstoenhancethis‘ancient’andtimelesswisdom.Iwait.TheTibetanshavelongbeenproponentsofthe‘teaasfood’ideal.Butter,barleypowderandevensalthavebeenaddedtocreatealiquidcaloricmasterpiece,perfecttoreplacewhatislostandsatethirstsinthehighestofhighlands.Thisconcoctionbeforemeemphasizesthisnotionthatteacanbeabasefromwhichtoworkfrom.Entirelynecessarybutalsoonly‘oneamidmanyflavours’.Hemp,longknownasamedicineandrelaxantforlocals;peanutsaddingabitofprotein;butter,

thecalories;salttorehydrate;andeggforalittlemoreofa‘proteinaddition’…andthenofcoursethecrowingbitofbeauty:theteaitself.AroundthislittlespacethatNo’laandIoccupy,alongwithalloftheingredients,womenfromthelocaltown(whichisamixofbothNaxiandBaiindigenouspeoples)passby,takinglittleglimpsesattheaction.PerhapstheytoohavealreadyforgottenthepreparationofthisMa’ley.No’lahasalloftheingredientsinvariousbagsandcontainers–averitableplethoraofthisregion’soldworlditems.Adogpassesby,wagsaboredtaleandafterseeingnothingofinterestmovesoninsearchofsomethingmoresubstantial.Evidently,thisMa’leyholdslittleinterest.Asmallbagoflocallygrownteasitsasthoughremindingthatthispreparationisstillabouttea,regardlessofhowmanyotheringredientsarelinedupwaitingforthe‘plunge’.MywaitcontinuesHempandpeanuts,grounddownandatthereadywaitasNo’lareadiesthewoodencylinderthatI’mmorefamiliarwithforTibetanbuttertea.Peanuts,hemp,chilipeppers,butterareallputin.Amountsareroughguessesratherthananythingprecise.Nearbyakettleburblesitslittlesongandacopperteapothasdriedtealeavesputintoit.No’laisnowsmilingassheworksandpullsthismasterpieceofteadiversitytogether.SuchistherangeofingredientsthatIcannotfathomwhatthiseccentricbandofingredientswillcreate…AsIcontinuetowatch,teainthisMa’leyformseemstoblendintoamixthatismedicine,food,stimulant,andceremonyallatonce.Hereasthealtitudesbegintoclimb,tea’spurposebecomesanall-conqueringsourceofcaloricfuel.Itbecomesfarmorethansimplyaliquidresultinfusedwithtea’slife-givingproperties;itbecomesamoreefficientversionofan“all-in-one”.Oncewaterhasboileditispouredintothecopperkettlewiththeawaitingtealeaveseagertoaddtheirownwonderfulstainintothisblend.Theamountoftealeaves(aroughhandful)ensuresthatitsbitterblessingswillnotbewipedoutbythevariousadditionsbutratherservetoaddsomebite.Then,thekettlewithteaisplacedatopaburnerandbroughttoaboilforafewminutes.Theteabecomesmoreofapowerfulstew,andthen–andonlythen–isitaddedtothecylinderofhemp,peanuts,andasmidgenofthechilipeppers.No’lausestheplungertogentlybludgeonthemixturetogether.Aglobofbutter,andsome

saltareadded.Againtheplungerdoesitsworkforcingtheingredientstogether.Atlast,thefinaladdition–tworaweggsthatwerecollectedthisverymorning–isready.Quicklyandwithoutafusstheeggsarebrokenandtheytooaremixedin.Iwonderhowmuchmorethecylindercanhandleintermsofingredients.ItgurglesandchortlesasNo’larelentlesslyplungestheingredientsinto…Idon’tknowwhat.Itisagrandandalmostmonstrousalchemicexperimentthathasmeentirelyenthralled.No’lacontinuesherproductionbypresentinguphomemadebreadpattiesinpreparationforthefirstsip.Icarenotforthewell-meaning‘solid’food.IonlycarethatatlonglastImightsiporeatofthiswonderfulmess.Sheallowsasmiletoreachhermouth.TheNaxi,liketheirdistantcousinstheMosuoandtheYipeoplepracticematrilinealownership,sothatpropertyisinheritedorpasseddownthroughthemother’sline.Womenheretraditionallyhavehadmuchsayinafamily’saffairsandNo’la’spowerandpridehaveworkedtowardsthismoment.Alargebowlthatisfrothy,chunky,andstrangely‘fluid’ispouredoutwithNo’la’sexpressionappearingalmostmotherly.Shetellsmesimplytodrink.Ithasalwaysimpressedandhumbledthatsomuchtimeandeffortcanbeputintosomething,onlytoconsumetheresultinquickseconds.Thesipismoretentativethanforceful.Textureisn’tsomethingInormallyworryaboutbuttheadditionofraweggshavemadethestrangelywonderfultasteseemlikeasecondaryeffect.Anothertaste…allhascometogetherandbecomesomethingelse,somethingwithallofeffectsbutnoneoftheparticularitiesoftheingredients.Itisamasterpieceinthatinsuchashorttime,allelementshavecontributedtothetaste.ItisalsoacredittoNo’lathatithasworked.Theresultfeelsmore‘mealish’thanitdoes‘liquidish’.Thehempandpeanutshaveaddedalayerofnuttinesswithouttakingoverandthebutterhasactedasanadhesiveintheblendsoothingallsharptastesandprovidingakindofbackbone.Andofcoursethetealeaves–simplegreenleavesofthesmallleafvarietal–havedonewhattheyalwaysdo:injectsomebittergreen.No’lasipsherownbowlsatisfied,withoutmehavingutteringtheslightestword.Sheknowsitissomethingveryspecial,thisMa’ley.

An unlikely addition to tea: hemp seeds sit ready to be ground.

Both hemp seeds and peanuts get ground up for Ma’Ley. Both addcaloric and medicinal aspects to an already ‘busy’ tea.

Vital and eternal- tea leaves are added to a kettle and will be prepared on the side before being added to the main ingredients.

Strong tea is poured through a strainer into the main cylinder which contains all of the rest of the ingredients of this ‘smorgasbord” of elements.

Butter tea with the addition of ground hemp seeds, ground peanuts, salt and even raw egg is added to the main tea kettle for a ‘re-heating’.