Comments on: Making Tea

By: Rachel Laudan

Rachel Laudan — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 18:35:51 +0000

Yes, I think you could make a ritual out of a trip to McDonalds and that probably outside the US many people do. And the other thing to remember is that wonderful as the food was, the grandparents, particularly the grandmother, were fairly terrifying (and reflection on my own and others’ experiences have convinced me that this was not idiosyncratic on my part).

By: Paul Roberts

Paul Roberts — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:41:13 +0000

I too loved the sense of ritual in this story. What a wonderful experience to have as a child. What is sad for me is the sense of the loss of ritual in relation to contemporary eating……..though maybe one could ritualise a trip to McDonalds?

By: Rachel Laudan

Rachel Laudan — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:52:36 +0000

Thanks Erica. Here’s a bit on the bread. http://www.rachellaudan.com/2008/12/bread-a-problem-for-english-tea-in-a-foreign-land.html

By: Rachel Laudan

Rachel Laudan — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:49:17 +0000

Which colonies followed England is a very interesting question. Also interesting is that this was not a close or indeed very happy family. Many tensions all covered up by tea.

By: Rachel Laudan

Rachel Laudan — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:48:05 +0000

Hi Karen, hope I’ve answered most of your questions in my follow up post. I’m not sure of the kinds of tea. The caddies weren’t labeled and I did not pay much attention.

By: Rachel Laudan

Rachel Laudan — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:46:46 +0000

Thanks Maria, though I’m afraid it was not that glamorous!

By: Reminiscing About Tea Times - Crispy on the Outside

Reminiscing About Tea Times - Crispy on the Outside — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:31:19 +0000

[...] blogger and writer who lives in perhaps my favorite place on earth (Guanajuato, Mexico), has a great post up reminiscing about her early childhood memories of tea-making. A snip, culled specifically for [...]

By: Erica Peters

Erica Peters — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:39:36 +0000

Beautiful story. I appreciated the details about how much effort and presumed expense went into maintaining their standards for their family. Is it correct to assume they took a narrow view of family, for food-related purposes? Would the person who churned the Channel Island butter get to taste that butter, the jam-maker taste some garden jam? Did the staff have store-bought jam and butter, or butter made from the inferior cows’ milk? Were there “downstairs” treats you enjoyed when your grandparents weren’t looking?

When you have time, I’d love to read the bread story…

By: Cindy

Cindy — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:36:04 +0000

I thought of the Japanese tea ceremony as I read this. Maybe our nostalgia is not just due to the taste of things, but the community, the ritual, and the emotions those things bring up (belonging, or not, identity). I certainly associate tea meals with England. Its spread to the colonies, in which colonies did it “take” the best? A whole host of questions spring from a leaf …

By: Karen

Karen — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:33:33 +0000

Quite a ritual, Rachel. Even in the sense of time allowed or perhaps demanded by it! Out of curiosity, how much time do you think it took, from the turning on the electric pump to the conclusion of the gathering? And who did the turning-on of the pump, and the gathering of equipage and the kettle-boiling and carrying of all and cleaning up?

I’m also curious about the etiquette that formed the ending of the meal. Was there a final patting of napkin on lips by someone in particular that meant “we’re done”? Or did the children ask to be excused one by one before the grown-ups left the table?

And what were the tea choices your grandparents generally purchased?

Thank you for entry into the Secret Tea ritual,
Detective Karen