Tea and Me

     What is it about the Art of Afternoon Tea that captivates my soul?  Is it the tinkling of silver teaspoons in china tea cups or the beautiful linens and flowers on the table?  Or is it the anticipation of elegantly presented finger sandwiches, scones and dainty pastries that delight all of my senses?  It is remeniscent of a time gone by.  A kinder, gentler time where charm, grace, politeness and manners guided our words and etiquette dictated our behavior.  When I partake in this ritual it takes me to a world I have only read about but feel as though I lived, at one time or another.
     My first tea was at age 16, part of a preparation for a debutante ball I was attending.  Years later after my daughter was born, I started a tradition of taking her to tea each year on her birthday.  A special tradition just for the two of us, set apart from her celebrations with family and friends.  This was a private time, we would carefully chose dresses and accessories that exuberated femininity.  At that time, tea rooms were primarily in the finer hotel lobbies, accompanied by a harpist or pianist.  I would watch my daughter take it in with all the delight her eyes could muster.  This tradition continued even through our travels and time spent overseas.  We became obsessed with trying tea rooms in every country or city we traveled to and I was thrilled she shared my passion.  After returning home, we were elated to see how many tea rooms had opened in our city.  These became the places special memories were made with the closest of family and friends.  It is always exciting to introduce the ritual of tea to someone for the first time and uncover another kindred spirit.