Time for tea
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| Mairen at tea |
The waitress' eyes were elaborately decorated with black eyeliner. It made her appear as more of a heroine in a gothic romance then a straight-laced Victorian. Despite the bold, dramatic eye makeup, she was incredibly nice. When we crammed into one tight corner between a high-backed upholstered chair and a thin tea-table and asked if she could take our picture, she obliged us.
Moments like this, when my sister's daughter gets her first taste of English afternoon tea, need to be documented.
The experience set the bar high. Mom, my sister, her daughter and I drove through ice, wind and snow to get to St. James Tea Room and as we reached the parking lot, my first impression was we had come to apartment complex. I may have first thought we would be taking tea in someone's living room but my assumptions were quickly proved wrong when we walked through the tea room's front entrance.
We were greeted by an employee dressed in a long, starch-white apron. She directed us to try a fruity, pink-colored tea sample. We sipped from the small paper cups while checking out the tea room's gift shop. The shop spread out over several rooms and covered every square inch of space. Everywhere we looked there some sort of intricate floral knick-knack, lace-edged ornament, and Victorian-era antique.
A long line was beginning to form and we all marched to our assigned dinning areas. The four of us were surrounded by dark, heavy, embroidered drapes. We could hear the chatter of all the tea-goers around us but the walls of thick material provided an intimate atmosphere. A three-tier serving dish perched on the skinny table was piled with miniature-sized treats and we all shifted our china cups and saucers and teapots painted with delicate rosebuds to make room for plates of food. The Nutcracker suite chirped merrily on the sound system.
The entire experience was warm, savory and elegant. But it was my niece who made afternoon tea special. Mairen is truly one of a kind. She will wear her older brother's winter boots that are too big so she can play in the snow at recess; she will courageously climb up to the tips of tree branches to shake out apples in my parents' backyard. I often say Mairen is like Evel Knievel; a true dare devil who boldly jumps and leaps toward whatever life throws at her. Honestly, my 10-year-old niece is one of the coolest individuals I know.
So it was no surprise that she whole-heartidly embraced tea time. Dressed in her new knit dress and black patent-leather shoes, Mairen sipped on every variety of tea served and sampled every tea treat
available. Of course, she did it with her own panache; Mairen ate the sweets before deciding to
conclude the meal by polishing off a small dish of brussel sprouts and mushrooms.
We all left with some memento of the event. My mother and sister got jars of the cranberry curd and Mom bought petit fours for everyone. Still, my most vivid memory of that afternoon English tea will be the sight my sister's young daughter, perched in the upholstered chair, lovingly embracing the newest experience that life had tossed at her.
We were greeted by an employee dressed in a long, starch-white apron. She directed us to try a fruity, pink-colored tea sample. We sipped from the small paper cups while checking out the tea room's gift shop. The shop spread out over several rooms and covered every square inch of space. Everywhere we looked there some sort of intricate floral knick-knack, lace-edged ornament, and Victorian-era antique.
A long line was beginning to form and we all marched to our assigned dinning areas. The four of us were surrounded by dark, heavy, embroidered drapes. We could hear the chatter of all the tea-goers around us but the walls of thick material provided an intimate atmosphere. A three-tier serving dish perched on the skinny table was piled with miniature-sized treats and we all shifted our china cups and saucers and teapots painted with delicate rosebuds to make room for plates of food. The Nutcracker suite chirped merrily on the sound system.
The entire experience was warm, savory and elegant. But it was my niece who made afternoon tea special. Mairen is truly one of a kind. She will wear her older brother's winter boots that are too big so she can play in the snow at recess; she will courageously climb up to the tips of tree branches to shake out apples in my parents' backyard. I often say Mairen is like Evel Knievel; a true dare devil who boldly jumps and leaps toward whatever life throws at her. Honestly, my 10-year-old niece is one of the coolest individuals I know.
So it was no surprise that she whole-heartidly embraced tea time. Dressed in her new knit dress and black patent-leather shoes, Mairen sipped on every variety of tea served and sampled every tea treat
available. Of course, she did it with her own panache; Mairen ate the sweets before deciding to
conclude the meal by polishing off a small dish of brussel sprouts and mushrooms.
We all left with some memento of the event. My mother and sister got jars of the cranberry curd and Mom bought petit fours for everyone. Still, my most vivid memory of that afternoon English tea will be the sight my sister's young daughter, perched in the upholstered chair, lovingly embracing the newest experience that life had tossed at her.
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