[click on pictures to enlarge - taken via iPhone]
"This is Best Society’s favorite form of invitation. It is used on nearly every occasion whether there is to be music or a distinguished visitor, or whether a hostess has merely an inclination to see her friends. She writes on her personal visiting card: “Do come in on Friday for a cup of tea and hear Ellwin play, or Farrish sing, or to meet Senator West, or Lady X.” Or even more informally: “I have not seen you for so long.”
[...] If the tea is of any size, from twenty upwards, the table is set in the dining-room and two intimate friends of the hostess “pour” tea at one end, and chocolate at the other. The ladies who “pour” are always especially invited beforehand and always wear afternoon dresses, with hats, of course, as distinguished from the street clothes of other guests. As soon as a hostess decides to give a tea, she selects two friends for this duty who are, in her opinion, decorative in appearance and also who (this is very important) can be counted on for gracious manners to everyone and under all circumstances." - Teas and Other Afternoon Parties, Emily Post (1873–1960). Etiquette. 1922.
So there you have it, pictures of an afternoon tea at The Rotunda at The Pierre with two friends of mine, positively decorative in appearance and displaying gracious manners under all circumstances.
15 comments:
what a classic way to have a cup of tea. Very stylish !!!!!
Very civilized. The little cakes look delicious and the place is gorgeous.
Did the food taste as lovely as it looked?
I'm swooning at the tea and delicacies. Swooning!
Oh that's do English, although we do have milk with that.
Tea and scones? Quite British... Next time I'm ready to join: Alice's tea cup or the Pierre, you choose!
Thanks for your comments on Blogtrotter. I was abroad on a professional trip last week. One day I�ll probably show some pictures from a somehow unusual destination...
Trying to recover some time, I�m still posting on Germany (Koblenz, December 2005). Enjoy and have a great week!
Bonjour Eliane,
Quelle chambre nostalgique! C'est belle, elle ressemble une chambre d'une 'Fairy tale'. Mignon!
Et bien, est-ce que c'est possible je te contacte par e-mail pour plus d'information sur la Belgique? (c'est mieux que je pose les questions a une belge vraie!)
A bientot!
Oh my! The little tea sandwiches look so decadent. I bet you guys had a great time.
Oooh, how chic! How elegant! Must have been fun.
My tea-sipping is hardly in the same class. The last time I had a cup of tea in public (last night), I was riding on the 7 train, drinking from a paper cup.
beautiful! I'd pour chocolate for you :)
very charming :)
•don: indeed - I love it!!!
•clueless: civilized is the perfect word to describe it. It is a nice very nice way to chit chat with friends. or to conduct a business meeting.
•fénix: yes, perfect. I love those finger sandwiches and the fact that you can sample a little bit of everything. It's like playing dolls as a grown up. :)
•lynette: I had forgotten how much I like this kind of things. I highly recommend it. Perfect for a girls' afternoon out or with Moms (although Dads love that too)
•mike: I am very fond of the British ways. I could have had milk with it but I opted for Earl Grey with which I do not fancy milk that much. But between milk or lemon, for me it's milk without hesitation.
•gmg: great, I actually have a list of tea places to try, so I may recommend another one by then. Between The Pierre and Alice Tea Cup, The Pierre without hesitation - everything is too big at Alice Tea Cup.
•photolicious: bonjour! C'est une pièce assez incroyable en effet (room=pièce, bedroom=chambre). Décorée comme un comte de fées, comme tu dis.
Pas de problème: tu peux me contacter par email. Vas sur mon profile et clique sur "email".
A la prochaine!
•ming: they were very nice. We had a great time. It was extra special because they had never done this before.
•annulla: It is a lot of fun! You should treat yourself to a nice tea once in a while. We were planning to either have brunch or dinner. So that was a nice compromise. Not something I do every day although it is easy to get used to.
•eve: I knew I could count on you. Next time we see each other, that'll be in the plans! :)
•moi: couldn't agree more. It has an old-fashioned charm to it that is totally irresistible. :)
If I visit NYC, can you and Ming and I go there to have tea? :-P
I just woke up and am reading blogs, I AM HUNGRY!
May I join with keropok too :-) ?
• keropok & fabrizio: of course! We'll have a mega tea party. And I expect to have tea with you the day I visit Singapore or Torino!
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