AFTERNOON TEA
In the 1840s Anna, seventh Duchess of Bedford, started
afternoon tea in England, and it became an institution.
She used to have "a sinking feeling" in
late afternoon, having had, as was the custom, little
to eat some breakfast and with not nothing to look
forward to until an eight o'clock dinner. So at five
she began taking tea and cakes, and sometimes inviting
friends, as had been done earlier in France.
For the benefit of readers of English novels, here
is the Schapiras summary of teatime: Gradually, in
the eighteenth century, two distinct customs evolved.
"Eow tea" was aristocratic in origin and
consisted of a snack of pastries and sandwiches followed
by tea, at around six in the evening, It was a prelude
to the really serious eating, which would begin about
nine o'clock, "High tea" or "meat tea"
was bourgeois in background, and was made up largely
of the leftovers of the huge middle-class lunch: cold
meats, relishes, bread, and cheese. These were served
with tea to form the evening meal.
The British institution of tea soon extended across
all classes, and leaped across the oceans to countries
founded by emigration from Britam(althoughtheUnitedStateslatergaveitup)."I'll
make you a cup of tea" became the British solution
to every problem—or at least served as an excuse to
pause while considering further action.
The present-day scene is captured very well in three
sentences by Charles and Violet Schafer in their Teaa-aft:
"Construction workers jj shinny down 20 stones
twice a day for tea. Shoppers, male and female, dodge
into restaurants, snack bars or hotels for theirs.
Bobbies on the beat call a halt for tea."
British dockworkers have gone on strike for tea rights.
During the times of heavy bombing in World War II,
gathering for a cup of tea was g a great morale booster,
a minute of closeness and a reminder that peace might
return. Volunteers in covered vans served it all night
and Minister of Eabor Ernest Bevin asked employers
to provide tea to workers on overtime.
No sheepherder in the Australian outback forgets his
tea. In his swag bag or matilda (celebrated in the
Australian song about Waltzing Matilda) He carries
his wire-handled can, or billy. He boils his water
in it, hung over an outdoor blaze if necessary, and
then throws in the leaves. Today the United Kingdom,
as the world's largest tea importer, buys a quarter
of the tea on the market. Per capita consumption is
almost seven pounds a year.
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