Evangelia Moschou

Teahouse and Tsipouradiko

Research Diploma Thesis

Moschou Evangelia & Varsami Maria Effrosyni

Department of Architectural Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

June 2023

Supervising Professor: Spiros Papadimitriou

Abstract

This research project is developed around the process of serving and consuming two beverages, tea and tsipouro. The approach is initially historical and in extension spatial. The spatial analysis is about the architecture as recipient of the actions and movements of the participants down to the small scale of the equipment and utensils used and are an integral part of the ceremonies. We could support the idea that drinking these two beverages serves a different and higher purpose than simply consuming a drink.

The tea ceremony (茶の湯) is not just an event where the host and guests drink tea, but is about the whole process leading up to it. The purpose is to achieve inner tranquility and spiritual communication between the participants through the ordinary act of making and serving the tea. The tea ceremony is a refined creation of the human mind. It’s a way of life and it requires a lifetime commitment.

Tsipouradiko is a ritual that became part of the living tradition of the city of Volos. It is not just a tavern, but a ritual culinary experience with great meaning. It is the observatory that examines the phenomena and is inspired by them in an experiential way, it is a successful model of banquet, social intercourse and psychological decompression. It is a ritual where those involved in it, voluntarily submit themselves to discipline.

As Deipnosophists, we choose to approach these two different worlds, which we examine through the concept of ritual, a concept that describes the steps performed with reverence and care so that a process fulfills its higher purpose. The question of our research project is how the concept of ritual is connected with the space, the objects and the behavior of the people who participate, and after all if these two approaches are so different from each other.