And so we find the afternoon tea enjoying a vogue of unrivaled popularity
here in America. When a debutante daughter is to be introduced to
society, the mother plans an elaborate afternoon tea (and they can
certainly be elaborate!) When guests from out-of-town are visiting, the
hostess can think of nothing more appropriate than a chummy tea to
introduce them to her friends. So charming a way of entertaining is the
afternoon tea that it has usurped the evening reception almost entirely,
except when the occasion requires special formality.
THE SIMPLER TEA
Then, too, there is the simpler tea so dear to the hearts of our
hospitable ladies of good society. It was George Eliot who earnestly
inquired, "Reader, have you ever drunk a cup of tea?" There is something
undeniably heart-warming and conversation-making in a cup of steaming
hot tea served with delicious cream; it is an ideal prescription for
banishing loneliness. Perhaps it is not so much the tea itself, as the
circle of happy friends eager for a pleasant chat.
As the simple tea does not require very much preparation or planning, we
will discuss it briefly here and take up only the formal tea in detail.
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