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Amenia Tea Society planning presentation on poisons for October

Amenia Tea Society planning presentation on poisons for October

Continuing what is now a long-standing monthly gathering, the Amenia Library’s Tea Society’s event on Saturday, Sept. 13, featured teas and pastries from China. Organized by program assistant Megan Marshall, left, attendees were introduced to Asian pastries, including scones, lotus seed and mung bean mooncakes and sugar-coated hawthorns and more.

Photo by Leila Hawken

AMENIA — Since the series began in 2024, the monthly Tea Society events at the Amenia Library have been a popular draw, inviting visitors to engage with teas associated with a variety of the world’s tea-drinking cultures and to sample accompanying culinary treats associated with those cultures.

Organized and curated by the library’s program assistant, Megan Marshall, every detail is attended to, including proper presentation with china teapots, cups and saucers and plates of goodies either made by Marshall or bought. A bonus is the neighborly conversation that a cup of tea invites.

The gathering on Saturday, Sept. 13, featured the teas of China: Dragon Pearl Jasmine and Lychee Black. Examples of treats were green curry onion scones, lemon jasmine tea scones, chestnut mung bean pastries, lotus seed and mung bean mooncakes, and more.

The next meeting of the Tea Society will be Saturday, Oct. 11, at noon. Marshall said that rather than the usual formal tea and pastries format, the meeting will feature a talk by area resident Madame Datura titled “Poison in Relation to Tea,” including spooky foods. As Hallowe’en approaches, the theme is thought to be timely.

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