Tea Time Etiquette
ea time etiquette, is experiencing a renaissance of sorts,in the pro -
fessional, or business realm, as well as within the social scene. This is a good thing, but it shouldn't stop there. Wouldn't it be nice if etiquette was actually practiced at home? What is it about the word "etiquette" that sends most people into an emotional tale spin of dread and sweaty palms, or even worse,apathy? I feel that etiquette is a social grace that decidedly separates us from the animal kingdom. At some point in our lives, we have heard (or used) the question: "Were you raised by a pack of wolves?", on someone who was not being very polite. Why? Because there are those who understand that proper social etiquette shows that you have respect for your fellow man and for yourself. Etiquette is simply a customary code of polite behavior in society, or among members of a particular profession, or a particular group.
And so, tea time (like any other social event) has its own customary codes of polite behavior, that one can easily learn and apply. If you can learn how to say, "please," and "thank you," then you can certainly learn a few simple teatime customs or "etiquette." Granted, even though most of the world's populace will never enjoy the experience of taking tea with the Queen, still, it wouldn't kill the common man and woman to learn the "dos," and "don'ts" of the civilized art of taking afternoon tea.
"Teaism is a cult founded on the adoration of the beautiful among the sordid facts of everyday existence. It inculcates purity and harmony, the mystery of mutual charity, the romanticism of the social order." Okakura Kakuzo Book of Tea
Yet, unlike the Queen, who is very gracious about overlooking the dreaded "teatime faux pas", there are those tea snobs out there, who lack this queenly graciousness, and are just waiting to shoot a disapproving eyebrow toward an unwitting tea etiquette offender. Please, I beg you, don't allow these few pompous upstarts to ruin your tea taking experience. Instead of being a shrinking violet, realize that there are many tea etiquette misconceptions out there, so perhaps, it may well be they, and not you, who is the one in error. Really, all one has to do is observe the host, or hostess when unsure of what to do, or to humbly call attention to one's lack of etiquette knowledge with a sincere apology. Because there is usually a real lover of afternoon tea on hand (hopefully the host/hostess) who will gladly and gently inform and/or correct any misstep committed in ignorance when asked to.
And now, I myself shall attempt to correct any teatime misconceptions, and misinformation as well as providing the "correct" as opposed to what is the "accepted" manner of taking afternoon tea. The Victorian age (the era Anna the Duchess of Bedford lived) is the age in which this delightful pastime was popularized, and adopted the Bedford Orthodoxy, or manner in which we think tea is served. However, there are some things, like drinking tea poured into the saucer from the teacup to cool it, though socially correct in the late Victorian, and Edwardian period, isn't correct now. Etiquette, like most things in the world, does change over time due to the curse of natural human laziness, or the development and improvement of products and services that render previous practices obsolete.
And now, I myself shall attempt to correct any teatime misconceptions, and misinformation as well as providing the "correct" as opposed to what is the "accepted" manner of taking afternoon tea. The Victorian age (the era Anna the Duchess of Bedford lived) is the age in which this delightful pastime was popularized, and adopted the Bedford Orthodoxy, or manner in which we think tea is served. However, there are some things, like drinking tea poured into the saucer from the teacup to cool it, though socially correct in the late Victorian, and Edwardian period, isn't correct now. Etiquette, like most things in the world, does change over time due to the curse of natural human laziness, or the development and improvement of products and services that render previous practices obsolete.
"The soul of politeness is not a question of rules but of tranquility, humility, and simplicity. And in the taking of tea it finds perhaps its most perfect expression." Dorothea Johnson Tea & Etiquette