yuygu

Tea

摆头茶 bǎitóuchá, also called 甩头茶 shuǎitóuchá — “tea with a head shake”: 酥油炒面茶 sūyóu chǎomiànchá, tea with clarified butter and roasted barley flour. The name comes from the way of drinking: the surface has to be blown off while shaking the head left and right so the flour does not stick to the lips. The routine is 三茶一饭 sān chá yī fàn: tea three times a day, in the morning, at noon, and in the afternoon, with one shared meal in the evening; the morning brew is made with snowmelt water. Sunan, the northern slopes of Qilianshan.

Growth on the crown

A blown film: a thin, slightly curved petal of solidified butter film, lifted from the crown at an angle, with a round window in the middle, blown out by breath, the window edges wavy, melted, darkened to brown; the surface is matte, toasted to amber-ochre, set in dark roasted barley groats. At 6 mm — an angled thin petal with a hole straight through: the through-window makes it kin only to the kamenka pebble, but there it is dense stone lying flat with a ragged pebble edge, here it is a thin plane at an angle.

Headwear

An everyday felt hat of Sunan cut: a pointed cap of rolled sheep felt in a warm light-gray tone, with a wide black band along the rim, dark stitching running along the cap seams as well, breaking up the light field; the brim is flipped up ONLY at the back and lowered at the front, with a modest embroidered patch of dark silk on the front slope. The apex is bare — the slot at the crown belongs to the growth.

Silhouette at 6 mm. A bell with an asymmetric brim. A pointed bell, brim flipped up at the back, lowered at the front, apex bare: differs from yanka by the ragged asymmetry instead of an even wide brim all around, from dnevka by having a brim at all, from berestka by greater height and the presence of a brim.

Clothing

A high robe with a red trim along the lapel, a sash, boots on felt soles, a wooden cup at the belt.

Palette

White felt, black band, dull-red embroidered patch, pale butter film, toasted ochre of barley flour.