High Tea vs. just "tea"

Sorry pal, but this is not a battle you'll win.

In the US, "high tea" is a marketing term for a specific kind of late lunch, with a couple of little sandwiches and six to ten kinds of desserts, which is vaguely modelled on 19th century upper-class teas but has more calories.

Most fraus who go to "real English-type high tea" have no idea that "tea" can also mean "supper".

r1 is correct.

Tea = beans on toast

Wow, we used to just have tea at 5 o'clock with a small bite to eat. I tried this high on pot once. Was that a high tea?

Thanks, R1, for validating my statement.

High tea for me is gobbling up sweets and savories while slurping up some Earl Grey with cream and sugar after smoking a joiint.

Dieticians tell us it's preferable to have a SMALL meal five times a day.

These rules about tea, supper and dinner are relevant to people with servants.

I absolutely agree, OP, and applaud your effort at correcting the misapprehension.

However, as a longstanding afternoon tea fan (I can even make my own clotted cream!), I have to inform you that the confusion of afternoon tea with high tea is not a purely American phenomenon. Even in the bosom of the erstwhile British Empire, the venerable Elgin Hotel in Darjeeling, they called it "High Tea" when I went there one the afternoon.

Pour that tea, hunty!

What’s a “hunty”, R9?

Earl Grey shouldn't be served with a full spread either. Strongly fragranced teas interfere with the flavour of the food. Best to stick to plain Black teas. Milk in Earl Grey is verboten too.

Earl Grey with milk? ...never

I don't think I could ingest ANYTHING that would be described as "clotted".

Doesn't this ruin your appetite for evening dinner?

Or is it for people like me who can eat whenever as much as possible.

[quote] Or is it for people like me who can eat whenever as much as possible.

Yes.

Drop the Tea

I learned this the hard way eons ago when I studied for a year at an English university. I'd only been there for a month and was thrilled when my new bf invited me to his residence hall's high tea .......I made sure I looked my spiffiest (MARY!) for such an event.

I was so disappointed to learn our meal consisted of bread and jam with tea. All of the other guys were scarfing it down with gusto, while I just sipped my tea. And at least one commented at how overdressed I was.

Was your attire re-purposed from draperies, r17?

I cane here to post something similar to R18.

Cane and sensible shoes are welcome here.

No tea, no shade, bitch!

Katharine for Twillings.....

r22, thanks, that never gets old...love it.

If tea is so British, why does Hyacinth drink coffee? Sheridan must be appalled.

[quote] Doesn't this ruin your appetite for evening dinner?

For me it does.

We only have afternoon tea when we're on vacation. It's a one-time-per-trip splurge at a fancy hotel like the Peninsula in Hong Kong , the Pera Palace in Istanbul, or the Oriental in Bangkok. Expect to pay around $60 -$75 per person, more if alcohol is involved. Most of the clientele is well-dressed women and it's fun to check out the Chanels and Diors.

We'll have breakfast, spend the day sightseeing and then have tea around 4. Then we'll skip dinner (maybe a late-night snack if we get hungry). Most places have a piano player or harpist and it's a lovely way to spend an hour or two, pretending we have the time and money to do it on a regular basis.

[quote] Earl Grey shouldn't be served with a full spread either. Strongly fragranced teas interfere with the flavour of the food. Best to stick to plain Black teas

This makes perfect sense. I always order Earl Grey and, yes it overpowers the food but I've never been smart enough to remember this for the next time and order something milder.

Of course, the sort of people who had dainty teas in the late afternoon weren't going to eat dinner until 8 or 9 at night, and then the first courses were going to be soup or bits of fish, so they might have eight hours between lunch and the next proper meal and might as well have a nibble of bread-and-butter or cake.

And it really was a nibble at a proper Victorian upper-class afternoon tea, ladies would have a tiny sandwich or a macaroon with their tea, and not stuff themselves and ruin their appetites for the large dinner expected later. But of course a modern "high tea" is pretty substantial and calorific, and it's either a late lunch or an early dinner. And it's only a late lunch if you're planning to eat a very late, light dinner.

OP, is 'high tea' also called 'meat tea'?

[R24], "Don't question me!"

Lol r17. I can just picture you sitting there in your best clothing and with a downturned expression on your face. That would be sad :-(

Spot on R26. The tea sandwiches many years ago used to contain a small schmeer of filling, unlike what is often served many places today.

Afternoon tea at the Orangery at Kensington Palace was lovely the last time I was there (about 8 years ago).

Tea - how the Victorians managed to make even salad fattening

Yes, could someone be a dear and define "cream tea" and "meat tea"?

I always assumed it's whatever food or drink one consumes while watching Teletubbies.

[R34], Americanized Teletubbies, or str8 up British Teletubbies? I was so brought down, returning from a vacation in England in 1998. I switched on PBS to watch TT only to hear an American voice doing the narrative.

I open the it-has-to-be-warm scone, put on jam, then cream. Cream first is just wrong! Ugh! You know, as the Brits say. So call me a Cornwallian. People from Devonshire tend to smother the scone in cream before adding jam. No matter where you are from, the U.K. or elsewhere, do not eat the scone as a sandwich, Scones need to be cut into two halves and enjoyed leisurely. And pronounced o sound like gone, not bone

I just returned from London, and two of the hotels referred to it as Champagne Tea (since it included a glass). Fine with me.

And remember, it's pronounced SKON, like JOHN; not SKONE, like TONE...

R38, see R36.

R10 DL favorite hunty is a portmanteau of honey and cunt.

R24 coffee was drunk in England before tea became popular, there are still coffee houses operating today that were founded in the 1600s. Perfectly proper English drink even in a beaker, Hyacinth needn’t worry.

OP: Mary!

Tea for TWO

[quote] Doesn't this ruin your appetite for evening dinner?

For the working classes and regular folk, that was their dinner. They didn't eat dinner at 8 and stay up late. They had to go to work in the morning.

Do the green or white teas common in China and Japan have a place in the British tea customs? Genuine question.

[quote]Earl Grey shouldn't be served

Fixed

The few American teas I've attended have been drawn out affairs with several tea "tastings" and acres of carbs. The tea leaves me jittery and the little sandwiches and cakes fuck with my low carb diet. Not to mention the timing of these events --2 hours or more smack dab in the middle of the day, is not convenient for getting other shit done.

[R46], wait... you mean you actually get shit done? Doesn't that cut into your DL time? ;'}

I love cucumber sandwiches.

I also love cucumber sandwiches, R48. Sometime you should try this Southern version of them - so good!

As a non Brit, I live for clotted cream and find it such a rich treat. Do you Brits consider it boring and common?

I'd like mine iced, please, 🍹 lemon and sugar, and a 🍔 double bacon cheeseburger and 🍟 fries on the side.

And please put a slice of tomato and lettuce on the burger because I am trying to eat healthier.

And don't forget the mayo.

I hear they use it as lube when engaging in sodomy

I take tea every day between 3 - 4 o'clock. It goes back to my childhood, I'd get home from school, have a cup of tea and a few cookies, or a piece of toast with butter and jam. Now as an adult, I keep an assortment of teas in my office, a small teapot, and a secret stash of biscotti. On the weekends, I still like toast with butter and jam with my tea.

When I came home from school I had a glass of Kool Ade and watched the soap operas.

I take bourbon every night between 8:00-11:00pm.

R46 you sound insufferable

Why is the lady @ R21 sipping her tea with the teabag still in it?

r21, she's Red Hat Club.

If you pull on the string, her hat goes up eight inches.

I adore little watercress sandwiches with a light spread of kefir cheese. Or kefir cheese with pepper jelly.

I’ve never heard of that r49, looks good. I think I’ll make some of that this weekend.

I adore fine chocolate.

And Red Velvet Cake.

And homemade lasagna with a freshly baked loaf of Italian bread.

And a turkey dinner with all of the trimmings.

Ind ice cold Coca Cola as my drink of choice.

All at "tea," r62?

You must be under 25 y/o R62.

We're coming for you

It's a Winter Festival, r63.

Or a "Comfort Tea" if you prefer.

I'm a older boy, r64. I'll be 27 in May. And I'm expecting a Red Velvet Cake.

spill the TEA

If you spill the tea, make sure to clean up your mess afterwards.

LONG ISLAND ICE TEA !

'Atta girl r68!

R17, did they shout out "No Room! No Room!" when you entered?

Cold drinks are refreshing.

Hot drinks ........ Not so much.

Don't be such a pussy, OP.

Now pass the toast and beans. And a few slices of bacon, please.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

You learn so much on datalounge

This tea shop is near where I live in Santa Rosa, CA. The owner is a bawdy Brit and an absolute hoot. It's a popular place for lunch and afternoon tea, people celebrate special events there, and the owner will regale you with funny stories. The teas and food are delicious.