Tea-Tillating Tidbit (Humor)

Posted by Kimberly Gigstad
4
Jun 13, 2007
869 Views
Tea-Tillating Tidbit

By Kim Burke- Gigstad

Afternoon tea invitations were not created with Miss Manners in mind! Recently, while reading the history of tea, I chuckled to discover how the ladies' afternoon tea party came into being.

During the 1700's in Britain, the English feasted on only two meals per day. An ordinary breakfast which, surprisingly, included ale and a massive evening dinner with all the bells and whistles. Now, one would think two meals would satisfy an ordinary person's hunger but apparently this was not the case with Anna, the Duchess of Bedford.

Apparently, the Duchess experienced a sinking spell during the afternoon. Shortly, thereafter, she invited friends over for an additional afternoon meal. The menu included small cakes, bread and butter sandwiches, assorted sweets and, of course, tea.

Hence the future of Weight Watchers.

I found Duchess Anna amusing because in the back of my mind I had always thought an afternoon tea party to be some big, high society ritual the rich had concocted, which is true. What made me giggle is the fact the teatime ritual wasn't founded for women to gather around and talk about world events, charities or the planning of upcoming festivities. These ideas were established later.

The afternoon tea party was inspired because one lady was hungry and decided to create a fun food party.

What a deliciously wicked plan!

Can you imagine the Duchess with her friends, gathered around for the first afternoon feast, feigning dubious table manners when in actuality tummies were turning and eyes were bulging at the display of sandwiches and cakes?

It kind of puts everything in perspective, doesn't it?The next time you go to grab a drink and a bite in the afternoon, say a silent thank you to the Duchess who had the tenacity, creativity and raw craving for a cake to invent late afternoon snacking.

Lipton's anyone?

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