Comments on: Food coloring and fear in Yangon’s tealeaves http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2009/06/20/food-coloring-and-fear-in-yangon%e2%80%99s-tealeaves/ New perspectives on mainland Southeast Asia Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:10:35 +1100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Dylan Grey http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2009/06/20/food-coloring-and-fear-in-yangon%e2%80%99s-tealeaves/comment-page-1/#comment-657250 Dylan Grey Mon, 22 Jun 2009 03:15:47 +0000 http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/?p=5821#comment-657250 great article. but regarding your concluding sentence - i believe the tea leaves in question are of the pickled variety (laphet htote) for snacking, and not the drinking type. so while your assertion that tea leaves hit home harder than daw aung san suu kyi's trial is probably true - they are not looking 'back at the drinker every time he stares into his cup'. sorry for being so nitpicky... great article. but regarding your concluding sentence – i believe the tea leaves in question are of the pickled variety (laphet htote) for snacking, and not the drinking type.

so while your assertion that tea leaves hit home harder than daw aung san suu kyi’s trial is probably true – they are not looking ‘back at the drinker every time he stares into his cup’.

sorry for being so nitpicky…

]]> By: tom http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2009/06/20/food-coloring-and-fear-in-yangon%e2%80%99s-tealeaves/comment-page-1/#comment-657249 tom Mon, 22 Jun 2009 03:12:54 +0000 http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/?p=5821#comment-657249 Well, at least in regards to pickled tea leaf used in tea leaf salad (one of the most popular dishes in Myanmar), the problem seems to be with the growers, who are adding the chemical dye (in this case, Auramine O) to their leaves to give them that shiny green sheen. Without the dye, they would be brown. The best pickled tea (and green and black tea, for that matter) in Myanmar is grown by the Palaung in Shan State. When I visited Kyaukme earlier this year I was told that the Palaung have been using the dye for decades, maybe 40 years or more. It would be great if someone who knows more about this could shed some light on it. Well, at least in regards to pickled tea leaf used in tea leaf salad (one of the most popular dishes in Myanmar), the problem seems to be with the growers, who are adding the chemical dye (in this case, Auramine O) to their leaves to give them that shiny green sheen. Without the dye, they would be brown.
The best pickled tea (and green and black tea, for that matter) in Myanmar is grown by the Palaung in Shan State. When I visited Kyaukme earlier this year I was told that the Palaung have been using the dye for decades, maybe 40 years or more. It would be great if someone who knows more about this could shed some light on it.

]]> By: Marco http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2009/06/20/food-coloring-and-fear-in-yangon%e2%80%99s-tealeaves/comment-page-1/#comment-656893 Marco Sat, 20 Jun 2009 09:30:15 +0000 http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/?p=5821#comment-656893 Under the regime of General Psychological Warfare it's no wonder people do not know what to believe. It's incredible that the Burmese are able to maintain any sanity at all. Under the regime of General Psychological Warfare it’s no wonder people do not know what to believe.

It’s incredible that the Burmese are able to maintain any sanity at all.

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