Basic Tea Manners and Etiquette
- Arrive as punctually as possible and if you will be more than 10 or 15 minutes late, call the hostess to apologize and to let her know.
- Greet your hostess when you do arrive. If you have had a trying day, do attempt to keep a smile on your face. You don't want to be whiny, or worse, depress everyone around you. Especially if the tea is a celebratory tea for a bride to be, or if it’s a baby shower.
- Always use a napkin, along with any utensils the hostess has provided.
- If you are hosting the tea party, you can choose the order with which to serve the foods. If you want your guests to be thrilled they received the invitation to your tea however, then by all means let guests eat in what ever order they choose.
- Eat as neatly as possible. There will usually be finger foods and foods for which you are provided utensils. Never lick your fingers! Tempting as it may seem, you may not be invited back.
- Place your teaspoon on your saucer. Iced tea is the only beverage one can drink properly with a spoon still in the tall glass. And that is only if there is no saucer or iced teaspoon caddy to rest the spoon into.
- When taking tea, keep that pinky finger down. Raising one's pinky finger is an affectation that developed in the lower classes many years ago. It was based on a truly mistaken notion regarding the upper classes.
July 1929, The Duke and Duchess of York with the young, future Queen, Princess Elizabeth- Enjoying a “Tea Party”
No comments:
Post a Comment