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Just where do you think you are going?
Some say High tea, some say Royal tea. Some say three o'clock or four o'clock tea. If I am quite excited I will say we are having tea in a fancy voice, to indicate that we aren't just having a cuppa. In fact, just Afternoon tea is the correct phrase. High tea and Royal tea are popular with tourists, but high tea was only for servants, who would dine at 6pm after the upstairs had been given their Afternoon tea. So unless you want to be dining with the servants on ham and ale down stairs you'd best be calling it Afternoon tea, and if you're having Champagne only then may you refer to it as Royal tea. The best kind of tea is tea with alcohol obviously.
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What on earth are you wearing?
I think most people know that the dress code is smart casual. Smart jeans or trousers and a shirt are recommended for men, and apparently it's the perfect excuse for a lady to dress up, as long as she's not in evening wear of course. Heavens! I'd usually be dressed to the nines in a corset and lacy blouse with a victoriana skirt, and probably some sort of headdress, looking most improper of course, but not at all scruffy.
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How do you pour?
Personally, I pour my tea first after brewing it for as. Long. As. Possible. I like a builder's brew me. Ahem, daintily of course. And just a smidge of milk to lighten it. My MIL likes to put the milk in first and then the tea, which just makes for some milky ass tea all round. It's great if that's what you like, but apparently this practice is also wrong. Milk first marks you as a commoner because the milk would have to be used as a coolant before pouring boiling tea into cheap clay cups, thus causing theme to crack. Fine porcelain and bone China would not require such measures.
Holding the cup
Sometimes I like to hold my pinkie in the air and pretend I'm posh, you know like you used to do as a child messing around? Wrong. Sometimes I like to hook my middle finger into the handle and act like a one handed professional tea drinker. Sometimes when I feel like I need a hug, or I'm cold, I feel that it is ok to wrap both hands around ones drinking vessel. Also apparently unacceptable behaviours, you know you are supposed to meet your thumb and index finger in the handle of the cup and try not to drop it. Right.
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Stirring one's beverage
Rather than plopping in your sugar and frantically stirring until the tea splashes and your spoon has it's own clinky beat, one should consider sacrificing dissolved sugar in favour of a simple back and forth swishing motion from 6 to 12 o'clock. And for goodness sake, do not let your spoon touch your cup. NO LILLY NOOOOO!
If you get a fancy tea in Australia it is almost always called High tea! Oh dear!
ReplyDeleteLast year I actually damaged my finger and got an unhealing sore from holding the teacup too much on the one finger and thumb, I had to switch to a cup with a larger handle!
My idea of smart casual is also a lot less casual than normal people's! :P
That's tourists for you I suppose ;) that's actually hilarious! How dedicated you must be to tea to have sustained such an injury!!
DeleteI wish most normal people's idea of causal was not so casual, life is too short not to dress fancy!
Interesting article to read I've recently found a a black and white damask tea pot and sugar bowl from the charity shop. I'm looking forward to brewing leaf tea rather than tea bags
ReplyDeleteSounds lovely! I will have to do a post on my teacup collection soon.
DeleteSounds lovely! I will have to do a post on my teacup collection soon.
DeleteOoh I lost this post. My grandma was British and this takes me back to our tea parties we had together. She even bought me a toy set of tea dishes which she would actually pour tea in! Sometimes, she would let me use her fancy bone china cups...which I own today. We would make cucumber sandwiches and scones :)
ReplyDeleteAw how lovely!! Those are special times I trust you treasure you tea set :)
DeleteI often attend afternoon teas here in the States. If you're ever in NYC, Alice's Tea Cup makes a pretty awesome tea. They even arrange an adorable afternoon tea for kids if you book a reservation for one. I've been told by a wonderful British lady from Annapolis, MD that the index finger goes through the handle to the knuckle with the thumb placed on top of the handle to secure it. Then the third finger is used to balance the cup with the two remaining tucked into the hand. I'm not sure what the proper etiquette is for a big burly guy who can't get his fingers into those handles. Ed tends to do what he wants while not making a scene. He once got his finger stuck in the handle of the tea cup. There was a lot of butter on his finger that day, I can tell you! HA!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds great! I have a friend who was on her way to NYC today, I wish I was going too :( that's so complicated! And HILARIOUS about Ed! How undignified ;)
DeleteEmail her and tell her to go to Alice's Tea Cup Chapter 1 or Chapter 2 (there are three locations, each designated by chapters). I prefer Chapter 2 because it's more spacious. It's complicated, but it actually works and after some practice, the fingers instinctively want to do it.
DeleteThe tearoom owner was laughing so hard over Ed's stuck finger that all decorum went out the window. She gave him an extra chocolate chip scone to sooth his embarrassment. :) Southern tea rooms are always so relaxed and nice.
I told her and now she's very excited to go there! Now I want to visit :(
DeleteHahahahahahahaha! That's so nice of her though. Sounds better than a stuffy British tea room ;)
Great excuse to dress up! I wish we drank tea with milk in the rest of the world, for example, like with filter coffee!
ReplyDeleteThe best excuse! I thought milk with tea was a British thing, how interesting.
DeleteA very enjoyable post! I did not know that bit about pouring the milk in first - I guess grandpa really was a commoner! And here all these years I thought I was descended from royalty. ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed it! It was fun to write. I had heard something about the milk part years ago but it wasn't until I did some further research that I found the real reasons behind it. How funny!
DeleteThis was a great read! I too like my tea super strong. Dark like my soul. My mom laughs at me and always makes a reference to russian prisoners who make it so strong they get a buzz off it. When I visit my dad, we drink it the russian way, with jam in the cup as a sweetener and the two pots. I love how the British make an event out of it. I would love to have an afternoon tea party!
ReplyDeleteDark like my soul! I love that. I didn't know that's how Russians drink it, how interesting!
DeleteThis was very interesting. I know going out for tea and various kinds of snacks in The Netherlands is called "high tea," which would be wrong according to these rules :P
ReplyDeleteAh I see! But technically in another country, so a custom all of it's own?
DeleteThis was a funny and informative post!
ReplyDeleteThankyou, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
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