painting: Seaside Inn by Janet Kruskamp, from allposters.com
Good Morning,
Today I noticed our local tea room, which was such a delightful place for families and church members to meet, had closed for good. I only hope another one will be available to our community again soon.
Tea rooms are some of the most pleasant places to visit, with a different meaning and effect than any other kind of restaurant. If you have never tried one, please go as soon as possible and you will see how the visit effects your mood for the rest of the day. Going to a tearoom makes you feel you have been "somewhere." You never know when the tea room might not be there! It is like a visit to another country or another time. No hurry and no worry seems to be the tea room motto.
If you have no tea room in town to take a guest, you might try making your home into the "somewhere" you take people for a light meal in the afternoon. Since the passing of the tea room, I have been thinking of having a couple of tea-time events this year, amd in preparation have been reading about tea rooms around the world. These two pictures are from a place in England.
One thing I like about this kind of hospitality is preparimg ordinary ingredients to have an interesting appearance. I think it causes people to eat less hurriedly, and it is such a nice experience to share with family and good friends, in the home.
The verdant countryside around here ought to inspire more artists, poets and tea-room advocates, but few seem inclined or able to do it, so this is where the home can be so valuable. There can always be an afternoon break at home where someone can enjoy this little pause and come away with a happy heart.
It would be good if every homemaker knew how to put on a simple afternoon meal of these nutritious treats, and all the children could observe it being observed often enough to imitate it. The home has to be the place where these traditions are held and continue so they are not forgotten.
Look for a future post featuring a very simple but attractive teatime menu with recipes using commonly stocked ingredients.
"Time passed pleasantly, and nobody seemed in a hurry to move." -Jane Austen (from the book, "Emma")
5 comments:
Hello Lydia,
I mourn with you on the loss of the tea house! We lost ours in our town a few years back, and it was sad indeed. Our daughter had her bridesmaid's shower there, and for every child she had after she was married I took her while pregnant and again after the baby was born. Seven children later, it was sad to see a place that held such memories for our family disappear.
However, for the last few years I have been having teas at my home for my daughter and granddaughters! We have so much fun, and I set up a special little table for their dolls. We learn a new table manner at every tea, and the girls dress up and dress up their dolls. This year, two-year-old Rachel will be joining us, and so we will review and learn new things as well as partake of our scones, finger sandwiches, and a platter of three different
bite-size desserts along with our raspberry lemonade. We invited another grandmother with her granddaughter last year, but we will expand our fun to include others this year. What a joy to encourage femininity in our little girls as well as refresh and learn new table manners, all in a fun and beautiful setting!
Thank you for this post. It was an encouragement! Our next tea will be on St. Patrick's Day and I have yet to buy things green and white :)
Vicki, I find green teacups are scarce, even on the web.
The homemaker will provide tea times in the future. Homes can provide thee celebrations without having to be a steady business.
I will give that some thought, Candace. Occasionally I do a tea here but in all the work of it I forget to take photos.
My daughter and I love to make the day special by preparing a tea time in the middle of our home-schooling day. We are inspired today to do a low key St. Patrick's tea with home-made decorations and everyday foods put together special. Thank you for your inspiring posts. They have been a source of encouragement over the years. It really is so important to set examples for our sons and daughters, that they may carry on these traditions in their homes. I appreciate the principles you espouse. It certainly can look varied in all our homes. Yet it is important to value the home. Thank you for persevering and being you.
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