Hello!
Last time we talked about how to serve tea. In this lesson we will focus on two important table manners, how to hold your tea cup, stir your tea, and eat your scone.
Many people believe that one should hold your teacup with your little finger pointing upwards.
However, this is a mistaken belief. It is actually a lot easier to cup your finders around the handle of the teacup. In this manner, the fragile tea cup is very well protected against any mishaps.
Next, when stirring your tea, do not stir it in a clockwise manner. Instead stir it up and down. I actually learned this just recently. The reason you need to stir your tea in this manner is that the sugar will not dissolve well when stirred counterclockwise. My sister and I have always wondered why our sugar has always gone to the bottom of the teacup. Now we know why!
And lastly, eating your savory scone. Many people have trouble knowing how to doctor the scone as well as break it. The most common method is putting your cream or jam on your plate. Then with your fingers break your scone in two. Then taking small amounts, break off pieces and dip them into the jam or cream. I know this sounds more messy than to dip the whole scone into the elements and to then eat it like a sandwich. However, remember, taking tea is all about elegance and ceremony.
It is about enjoying fellowship, beautiful scenery, and being totally serene and peaceful for a couple of rare minutes.
Have a happy tea hour and until next time,
Alyssa
image found at
weheartit.com http://weheartit.com/entry/55656429/search?context_type=search&context_user=GreenNeonZebra&page=2&query=holding+tea+cups
and www.examiner,com http://www.examiner.com/list/does-and-don-ts-for-afternoon-tea