When I was a child, my mother used to say to me (not unkindly), “Your eyes are too big for your stomach.” This was when I couldn’t finish something I’d served myself, especially ice-cream. I remember ice-cream headaches very well!
Perhaps this is why as an adult I like charcuterie boards and tapas ? They allow my eyes to be big, without overfilling my stomach. I can look at little tasty morsels, satisfying that scientifically proven visual hunger, but I’m under no obligation to eat everything on the board, especially if I have to share lol. I’m always surprised by how satisfied I feel after just a very little bit of this, and a little bit of that.
Which brings me to afternoon tea …. A WHOLE CATEGORY IN ITSELF.
Quickly diverting back to childhood. We called the evening meal “tea”, and ate it pretty early, well before 7pm. This was a socio-demographic thing. I think the terminology has become more homogenised over time, and “dinner” is much more prevalent. What we had was more like what the British call “high tea”, the early evening meal of the working class, “Tea” is also the hot drink we drank during the day, and at tea.
Afternoon tea seemed impossibly British, reserved for those who could afford The Ritz or The Savoy. Not that I wanted to be an upper class Brit, but a proper afternoon tea with scones and jam and cream, and little sandwiches with the crusts cut off, and sweet little frosted cakes ….
- all those visually appealing little tasty morsels!!
- the opportunity to relish a little bit of this, and a little bit of that!!
- SAVOURY AND SWEET … ALL AT THE SAME TIME!!!
Plus the ceremony of it all (I’ve been lucky to partake of tea ceremony in Beijing, but that’s another story). An English afternoon tea was something I longed for … for decades!
“Under certain circumstances there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.”
-Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady
It finally happened.
Not at The Ritz. That can be for the bucket list. But at a place well known for it. The photos are from that day.
So, there I was greatly enjoying my longed-for afternoon tea, with complimentary champagne, in excellent company, when something completely unexpected happened.
I couldn’t finish my portion. Asking for a doggy bag would have been improper in the circumstances. Nevertheless, I ploughed on as best I could.
So, the revelation? Despite the passage of the years, I am still proving my mother right. My eyes are too big for my stomach 😂🥂🍰
Thanks for sharing this valuable information.