Confessions of an American Tea Time Observer

After spending a lovely 10 days with the Family I'd never met before, we returned home to Nebraska. Let me tell you, THIS little girl had a lot of questions; "Daddy? Why don't you look like your Mom"? He explained that children get their looks from both their Mother and Their Father, and he just happened to look more like his Father, than his Mother. (Okay, that explained my blond sister then, too!) "Daddy? Why did everyone have to sit and have tea when we were over Grandma's"? He told me in a matter-of-fact way that Grandma was from England, and that "Taking Tea" is something they did there. From there it went on until he had explained that he was raised mostly among his Portuguese Family, but his Mother was British, and so there were traditions that they did a little differently. "Okay, but, Daddy? Are you SURE Cindy belongs to us"? ( I never did like my sister) He just laughed.

At our house, tea was something that we drank when we had colds, for the most part. We also had tea, on occasion when company came over. Unlike my Grandmother, however, we never really observed tea time. I never thought much of it after that, until I was an adult, although we had been back to see my Grandmother several times since that first time.

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As a young adult, I discovered Iced Tea (I'm sure my Grandmother would have frowned if she had seen me drinking tea, over ice!) I liked Iced Tea. I still like Iced Tea. Hot tea was still something I drank when I wasn't feeling up to par.

As my Children grew older, I started developing a "thing" for Teapots, and Tea Cups. I began just a small collection, that grew, but not enormously over the years. Later still, as my youngest entered adolescence, I discovered the joy of hot tea. To be more precise, the joy of taking tea. At the same time every afternoon, I would make the world stop. I would have my tea, and my afternoon snack, and my Children came to know that was NOT the time to bother Mommy!

To me, this had nothing to do with "trying" to be British, or being a wannabe. It had more to do with the fact that I learned what a sanity saver it could be. I learned, and enjoyed the fact that those few precious moments, were mine. It was after that, I learned more from my Father about how Tea was "done" in England. In fact, he was quite touched that I had developed that little habit. Now an adult, it was time to learn the culture behind British Tea, versus American Tea, as well as the similarities.

Afternoon tea

Afternoon tea is a light meal typically eaten between 3pm and 5pm. It originated in the United Kingdom, though various places that used to be part of the former British Empire also have such a meal. However, changes in social customs and working hours mean that most Britons only take afternoon tea on special/formal occasions.

Traditionally, loose tea would be served in a teapot with milk and sugar. This would be accompanied by various sandwiches (customarily cucumber, egg and cress, fish paste, ham, and smoked salmon), scones (with butter, clotted cream and jam - see cream tea) and usually cakes and pastries (such as Battenberg, fruit cake or Victoria sponge). The food would be often served in a tiered stand.

While afternoon tea used to be an everyday event, nowadays it is more likely to be taken as a treat in a hotel, café, or tea shop, although many Britons still have a cup of tea and slice of cake or chocolate at teatime. Accordingly, many hotels now market a champagne cream tea.

High tea
Afternoon Tea at the Istanbul Kempinski Hotel
Afternoon Tea at the Istanbul Kempinski Hotel

High tea (also known as meat tea[1]) is an early evening meal, typically eaten between 5pm and 6pm in the evening. It would be eaten as a substitute for both afternoon tea and the evening meal. The term comes from the meal being eaten at the "high" (main) table, instead of the smaller lounge table. It is now largely replaced by a later evening meal.

It would usually consist of cold meats, eggs and/or fish, cakes and sandwiches. In a family, it tends to be less formal and is an informal snack (featuring sandwiches, biscuits, pastry, fruit and the like) or else it is the main evening meal.

On farms or other working class environments, "high tea" would be the traditional, substantial meal eaten by the workers immediately after nightfall, and would combine afternoon tea with the main evening meal. See also The UK Tea Council Definition.

In recent years, high tea has become a term for elaborate afternoon tea, though this is American usage and mainly unrecognized in Britain. However, this usage is disfavored by etiquette advisor's, such as Miss Manners (see below).

Main evening meal

In most of Wales, Northern England, parts of Scotland, and some areas of Southern England, the three main meals are referred to as "breakfast, dinner and tea" or "breakfast, lunch and tea" [2] where in other areas they might be "breakfast, lunch and dinner".

I still love my afternoon cup of tea. I even carry a tea wallet, in case I am out somewhere when tea time arrives. I may not do it in the "Traditional British Way", but I do it how I like it, and it suits me fine. I have 3 tea sets. A full service set, a tea for two set, and a tea for one set. My Children keep telling me I need to get rid of one of the tea sets. I keep telling my children I need to get rid of one of THEM! It is nice knowing that I share at least a little history of my Grandmother. Not as a routine, but I even enjoy scones with lemon curd and clotted cream, from time to time.

I prefer loose tea, in a teapot with a strainer. Do try to enjoy some tea. Iced, hot, loose leaf, tea bag, whatever. It's relaxing, it's healthy, and it is so pleasurable. Make tea time, your time!

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