Professional Development Meeting Assignment
Domain: Food Service
The event I attended was called Japanese Green Tea 101: From Matcha to Sakura Sencha which was sponsored by the Japan Society. The event was held at the Japan Society located at 333 East 47th St. New York, NY 10017 on Thursday, April 12, 2018 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.
The primary speaker at this event was Rona Tison who is a tea expert and the Executive Vice President of ITO EN North America who are the global leaders of green tea. The other speaker was Tomoko Yagi who is an expert in wagashi or Japanese sweets.
The main point of the meeting is to educate attendees regarding the fundamentals of green tea (brewing, best way to drink, health benefits, and trends). Ms. Tison discussed how green tea is grown in 22 out of 47 prefectures in Japan. One thing that I learned is that all tea (green, oolong, and black) come from the same plant called Camelia Sinensis. Ms. Tison also discussed how Japanese teas are high in antioxidants, Vitamins (C, E, B2, folic acid, and beta-carotene), amino acids, and other minerals.
Some of the health benefits presented by Ms. Tison during her lecture included the health effects of some of the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that are contained in green tea. For instance, folic acid has been shown to prevent neural tube defects in infants. Catechins help decrease cholesterol and it also has antioxidant properties. Theanine helps lower blood pressure. Beta-carotene helps maintain night vision. These are just some of the health benefits of green tea.
From the lecture, I learned that there are four types of Japanese green teas. The four types are, Sencha which is the classic green tea, Genmaicha which is a green tea with roasted rice, Gyokuro which is shade grown (most expensive), and Matcha which is a powdered green tea. Each type of tea must be brewed at a specific temperature in order to achieve the perfect taste and to obtain the maximum health benefits. The most popular type of green tea in the United States is matcha. According to Ms. Tison 90% of matcha in Japan is produced for culinary use. In the United States, matcha has grown in popularity and is currently being utilized not only as a drink but is also in food and beauty products. Data from the USDA Agricultural Research Service shows that matcha is one of the most powerful antioxidants compared to high oxidant foods like gojiberries, pomegranates, acaiberries, and broccoli. Antioxidants are an important component of our diet because consuming antioxidants helps delay some cell damage. At the end of her lecture, Ms. Tison stated that she hopes that Japanese green tea could be a staple in every American household because of its health benefits and great taste.
The last part of the lecture consisted of a tea brewing demonstration as well as a short discussion led by Ms. Yagi regarding Japanese sweets (wagashi) and how these sweets are usually paired with the type of tea consumed.
I thought that the presentation was somewhat biased since Ms. Tison is an employee of ITO EN. However, I thought that the information she presented was informative and is what someone with no knowledge regarding green tea would like to know. When presenting health benefits, she used reliable sources such as the USDA. The presentation did not display any negative side effects or implications regarding green tea consumption. Green tea was presented only in a positive light which seems a bit biased.
I thought that the entire presentation was very effective. I liked the information presented and I thought that it was very informative. I especially enjoyed the tea brewing demonstration. For someone with limited knowledge regarding green tea and how to brew it properly, I liked the lecture and demonstration components of the presentation. Having the attendees try the different teas after the lecture was effective since it brought the presentation full circle.
I thought that the lecture and demonstration were extremely effective. I liked how Ms. Tison took time to explain how tea is grown and processed. For someone who is not as familiar with the process of tea making as others, I appreciated Ms. Tison’s clear explanations. The presentation contained a lot of helpful pictures and were not too text heavy. The goal of the talk is to teach people regarding the fundamentals of green tea making, its health benefits, and other trends surrounding this wonderful drink.
After the talk, ITO EN served four different types of green tea which is completely in line with what Ms. Tison talked about. A type of wagashi was also served which was made by Ms. Tagi. I thought that all the food and drinks served were consistent with the themes of the event.
Applies to:
CRDN 1.4: Evaluate emerging research for application in nutrition and dietetics practice
CRDN 1.6: Incorporate critical-thinking skills in overall practice
CRDN 2.2: Demonstrate professional writing skills in preparing professional communications
CRDN 2.9: Participate in professional and community organizations
