If you're of the female gender and you've never been to afternoon tea, make a date with a friend and go! It's such a special treat. My cousin and I for several years would go to tea at the Ritz Carlton around Christmas when it was so festively decorated for the holidays. Overlooking the ocean, we would sip champagne, while we waited for our tea to brew. Out would come delicious tea sandwiches: cucumber and cream cheese, seafood, egg salad or chicken salad, many different varieties. A delicious platter of desserts would follow.
These people have been in the restaurant business for years and, it shows.
Barbara mentioned that, as a business, tea houses are not such a good investment, but it is a labor of love.
"Meticulously arranged platters of luscious sweets and perfectly brewed cups of tea await you," as their brochure invites you to partake. This house was filled with fantastic gift items, ranging from china to jewelry to antiques. I bought a wonderful wrap on this trip. Music from the movies by a wonderful pianist played in the background as we enjoyed our treats.
Did you know that although teacups are fragile, they are also resilient?
Ceramic objects may be breakable, but they are also amazingly resistant to weathering and corrosion and age. Much of what we know about acient civilizations we have learned from bits of pottery they left behind. China dishes recovered from shipwrecks are often good as new, long after the ship itself has dissolved in saltwater.
This and other interesting facts can be found in a book, "Everything I Know I Learned Over Tea" by Emile Barnes with wonderful paintings by Susan Rios.
"It's always tea-time."
THE MAD HATTER
in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Advertures in Wonderland.
