Looking out of Yocha Studio last week, we noticed a couple of backpackers strolling unhurriedly down our wonderful Gågata pedestrian street in Uppsala. They wandered over to our window, chatting as they leisurely examined the display of Asian artefacts and exchanged a friendly smile before moving on slowly towards the river (no, they didn’t buy anything 😡)! This small moment reminded us of our own past travels, and of just what a wonderful time of year September is to be on the road. The summer tourists have returned home, the streets are less crowded, there is less frenzy and more laid-back Swedish lågom, less stress and more ‘normality’ - life is finally back to its familiar, comfortable rhythm. The unheeded traveller watches as children wend their way to school under autumn leaves, sees chestnuts lie amongst yellow leaves on the ground, hears workers gossiping as they drop in for lunch. The heat of summer is gone yet the cold of winter is no more than a distant rumour, and they remember how lucky they are to be here. We have a word for it – Septembering. |
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Another big plus for September is that the Mid-Autumn Festival usually takes place towards the end of the month (although it can pop up in October from time to time as it’s based on the quirky lunisolar calendar used in much of East Asia). Sometimes also known as ‘the Mooncake Festival’, this ancient celebration of the fullest moon of the year (allegedly) is a time for family get togethers, moon-gazing, and of course the making and consumption of mooncakes – a symbol of family unity and togetherness. And if you’re wondering where to get your traditional mooncakes in time for this year’s festival, well, your search is over! Yocha Studio has the most authentic, homemade mooncakes all year round of course, but we’ll be stocking up even more for Mid-Autumn Festival as we have a very special mooncake offer for a very special day! For more information on the festival and our mooncake offer, click here (and see if you can spot the deliberate mistake!) |
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Traditional mooncakes & tea |
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And a third plus for lucky September was our very first Yocha Studio dumpling workshop, held earlier this month. The sold-out event saw would be dumpling-meisters of all ages assembling to learn about the origins and history of this iconic northern Chinese comfort food, as well as making their very own dumplings with all materials provided. Dough was rolled, stuffing was stirred and the important art of how to hand-mould the perfect purse-shaped dumpling was practiced (again and again), before the finished products were proudly dropped into boiling water. Unsurprisingly, every dumpling made, both traditional and vegan, was consumed on site by the proud participants (and one rather hungry staff member who took a little more than their fair share and had to be shooed away from the dumpling pot more than once). |
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"All about Dumplings" workshop |
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If this sounds like something you might enjoy then hold on to your hats, we have not one, but two more exciting workshops planned for next month. First, our popular Chinese Blind Tea Tasting workshop will be back in October for tea-lovers old and new, with yet more teas to sample, appreciate and taste at your leisure, in the tea-soaked atmosphere of Yocha Studio. What better way tea spend an October Sunday morning? Or if you fancy yourself as a bit of an artist and prefer the idea of creating something special with your own hands, we’ll be holding our first Cloisonné (enamel inlay painting) workshop later in the month. The cloisonné enamel inlay technique dates back thousands of years but developed in a unique way after it was introduced to China during the Ming Dynasty. You’ll end up with a beautiful (we hope, it depends on you!) and individual enamel artwork to take home with you as we make our very own enamel paintings in the comfort of Yocha Studio’s Asian atmosphere. |
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Yet another positive for the month of September! Saturday 9th saw a spectacularly successful Kulturnatten/Culture Night in Uppsala with extended opening hours, not to mention extended queues, which snaked well outside the door for most of the day. Attractions included outdoor Kung Fu Tea ceremony displays along with tea tasting, samples of Asian snacks and free traditional Chinese music played on the Guzheng. Best of all everyone really seemed to join in the fun, and the buzzing atmosphere in central Uppsala throughout the day and night had to be experienced to be believed! Congratulations to the tired but happy staff who eventually managed to close the doors well after 9 pm, and looked forward to a well-earned day off on Sunday. |
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Kulturnatten Uppsala 2023 at YOCHA |
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Finally, in our ‘what to look out for’ spot this month we have some exciting news. Yocha will soon be introducing that ubiquitous and tasty Japanese lunch staple, Ramen Noodles, to our lunchtime menu (thereby making them even more ubiquitous). With our usual attention to quality and detail, these Ramen will be something to look forward to both for their unique taste and Yocha’s signature exquisite presentation. Whether vegetarian or meat-based, broth is the key to a good bowl of ramen and our Yocha broth will be second to-none! To enjoy this entire ‘lunch in a bowl’ look out for more details soon at our store or on the Yocha social media channels . |
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As ever, if you aren’t able to physically make it to Yocha Studio in Uppsala, either for the Kulturnatten celebrations, dumpling workshops or on any other day, you can still check out our website www.yochastudio.com or social media channels for the latest news on all our Asian design products available for purchase online – all with delivery to your door. If you’re Septembering this month, enjoy observing the tranquility of normal life! Till October, best wishes from, The Yocha Team. |
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