Friday 23 December 2011

The Antient Art of Tea Chi (Chai Style)



As you may have gathered by now, we Ragged Ramblers are dedicated to the mastery of a number of arts: parkour, eating cake, historic interpretation - and now, Tea Chi. 


The origins of this hitherto most secretive of practices are shrouded in the mysteries of time (and other such clichés). As a result, there are a number of different 'foundation stories' which seek to explain this antiquarian art. The one we find most persuasive runs thus...


One of the oldest statutes of The Ragged Society of Antiquarian Ramblers states that a Rambler's cake is sacrosanct. Under no circumstances should a Member surrender his or her cake, for fear of being black-balled. It is said that one summer, time out of mind, a party of Ragged Ramblers had stopped to picnic somewhere in the north of Suffolk. Now, these are wild parts, and it is therefore no surprise what happened next. 


The legendary co-founder of our Society, Dawson Bulwer-Rant, was partaking of cake when an impertinent young pup called Phileas Acorn, seeing Bulwer-Rant bring his tea to his lips, decided to reach across and snatch a slice of delicious Fickle Cake from the plate of the aforementioned antiquarian. Chroniclers say that what followed defies description. With that deficiency duly noted, imagine an uncoiling of energy; a fluid whirl of movement and a scream, followed by a flurry of tumbling arms and limbs, as the poor Acorn was bowled clean over by Dawson Bulwer-Rant - who stood triumphantly, still with tea in hand. This was the beginning of what later became known at the art of Tea Chi (literally, 'tea energy'). Over time, generations of Ragged Ramblers have passed on the lethal form of picnic defence, and can, on rare occasions, be found practicing the 'forms'. 


This is what we share with you here...


Huzzah!

8 comments:

  1. Sir Norman St Johnson-Johnson23 December 2011 at 19:38

    By golly , that young whipper-snapper didn't stand a chance. Fearsome image of cloud hands. Gads!

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  2. My ancestors in my home village of Pyong Ming Marsham would learn tea chi (chai style) from interlopers visiting. They would pick fights to see if they could learn any new moves from the farmers. If they could they would stay until they completed and if not they would move on. Ah this is wonderful. So warming to see your learned Society maintaining the tradition. Pyongzah!

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  3. Robert De Nero and Al Pachino in a Norfolk Church being Ragged Ramblers. Huzzah. I want to be played by Christopher Eccleston in a similar fashion to his portrayal of Norfolk in the first Elizabeth Film (the good one)

    +Many Coats+

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  4. ragged ramblers im in love WITH YOUR TEA CHI!!!! i think im gonna make it my personal "sport like" addiction! hahaha oh you always make me cheery with your silly, lovely and interesting stuff!

    I hope you keep on writing in the ame fashion with the new year!!

    Lillian cespedes from W.U.Hstry

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  5. Dear Lillian,

    Thank you ever so much for your kind comments. It is lovely to get positive feedback, and we wish you and your fellow blogsters well for 2012.

    Huzzah!

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  6. Master S. O'Sullivan16 January 2012 at 22:11

    I thought I was alone. I will gladly share the shortbread form with you. It begins 'man parts tartan package.

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    Replies
    1. Dear SOS,

      So you are a proponent of the Shortbread form. I believd that this was first developed by the Mucky de Sade, who proposed that each movement begin with a cry of, "Let the basho begin!"

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