SERVING TEA
Tea may be served as an accompaniment to meals or with small sandwiches, dainty cakes, or
macaroons as an afternoon ceremony. If it is served with meals and is poured at the table, the hostess or
the one pouring asks those to be served whether they desire sugar and cream and then uses these
accompaniments accordingly.
In the event that it is brought to the table poured, the sugar and cream are
passed and those served may help themselves to what they desire. Lemon adds much to the flavor of tea
and is liked by most persons. A dish of sliced lemon may be passed with the cream and sugar or placed
where the hostess may add it to the tea.
The Russians, who are inveterate tea drinkers, prepare this beverage by putting a slice of lemon in the
cup and then pouring the hot tea over it. If this custom is followed, the lemons should be washed and
sliced very thin and the seeds should be removed from the slices. The flavor may also be improved by
sticking a few cloves in each slice of lemon; or, if the clove flavor is desired, several cloves may be put
in the teapot when the tea is made.
Fig. 7 shows slices of lemons ready to be served with tea. Some of them, as will be observed, have cloves
stuck in them. Lemon is almost always served with iced tea, for it adds a delightful flavor. If it is not squeezed into
the glass, it should be cut into quarters or eighths lengthwise and then cut across so that small triangular
pieces are formed. These are much easier to handle than whole slices.
In the serving of afternoon tea, the pouring of the tea is the main thing, and the remainder of the
service simply complements this pleasant ceremony. Tiny sandwiches, small cakes, or macaroons
usually accompany the tea, while such confections as candied orange peel, stuffed dates, or salted nuts
are often served also.
When sandwiches are used, they may be merely bread-and-butter sandwiches or
they may contain marmalade or any desired filling. The principal requirement is that they be made as
small and thin as possible, so that they will be extremely dainty in appearance.
A tea cozy is a convenient device to use when tea is served from the pot. It consists of a padded
cap, or cover, that may be slipped over the teapot to prevent the heat from escaping after the tea is infused.
It is made of several thicknesses of material in a shape and size that will slip over the teapot
easily and can then be removed when the tea is to be poured. This can be made very attractive by means
of a nicely embroidered cover.
Fig. 8 shows an attractive table that may be used for serving tea. The top folds over vertically, so
that when the table is not in use it may be disposed of by placing it against the wall of a room. This table
holds nothing except the pot containing the tea, which must be made in the kitchen and placed in the pot
before it is brought to the table, the sugar and cream, the teacups, and the lemon. Sandwiches, wafers, or
cakes that are to be served with the tea should be passed to the guests.
Fig. 9 shows a tea wagon and the equipment for making tea, with the sandwiches and cakes to be
served arranged on a muffin stand, or Lazy Susan. When tea is to be made with an equipment of this
kind, the water is heated in the little kettle by means of the alcohol burner. The can with the long spout
contains an extra supply of alcohol with which to keep the burner filled.
The tea ball, which is in the little glass, is filled with tea and the boiling water is poured over it into each
cup. The ball is allowed to remain until the tea is of the desired strength, when it is removed and used
for another cup, provided sufficient strength remains in the tea leaves.
The silver tea caddy at the back of the wagon contains the tea, and lemon with a fork for serving it is
on a small plate near the front of the wagon. Napkins and plates for the cakes and sandwiches are on the
lower part of the wagon. The napkins and plates are first passed; then the tea is served with the
sandwiches, after which cakes are served.
COCOA and CHOCOLATE are made from the fruit of the cacao, or chocolate, tree. This tree is
native to Mexico, where cocoa was first used as a beverage, but it is also grown in South America and
the West Indies. The fruit of this tree was named cocoa Theobroma, which means "food for the gods,"
because of its excellent flavor. The original natives of Mexico and Peru used cocoa in place of money.
When the Spanish invaded these countries, they learned its use and took it back to Spain, where it is still
a popular beverage. In many localities in Spain it became a fashionable morning drink, but it was also
served at other times.
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