httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HC3JToUFM4

Too tired to read then click play on the box below to hear the blog read to you by Brian (and occasional comment by Helenka when I screw it up).

Hello, Culinary Playmates:

It is I, Helenka, your fearless advocate of gustatory creativity (aka I eat weird but really tasty food and think you should, too). However, for this episode, I’m almost at the point of recusing myself, precisely because there was absolutely nothing weird about what we had to eat or – more importantly – drink. How can this be? Short answer: Brian prepared an afternoon tea. What a drastic change from our last episode’s homey comfort to an elegant and refined experience. I was impressed.

Well … normally … when one talks about tea, one is not talking about all those newfangled herbal-flavoured, or green or white teas (the stuff I’m more likely to drink nowadays). In this case, it was a Breakfast tea. The food choices for afternoon tea were the kind that are bound by a couple of centuries of tradition. Also, even though I have faint memories of a few afternoon tea parties when I was growing up, it’s not something that stuck with me. Hmmm. ::ponders:: I’m wondering if it’s because it’s not in my genes, as it certainly is in Brian’s (with Newfoundland being the last province to join Confederation in 1949). Besides, he has fond nostalgia working for him too, as this is something important he shared with his Grandmother. More recently, Brian has been indulging with Fiona and Menka in The Tea Room at the historic Robinson-Bray House.

One of the easiest places in which to indulge in afternoon tea is at an upscale hotel. I missed my chance to experience probably the utmost of all Canadian tea ceremonies when I visited Vancouver during Expo ‘86. No, I admit I did not go across to Victoria (on Vancouver Island), even though I would have loved the ferry, too. I had other plans and wanted to spend the time in Stanley Park (a full day of exploring) and Capilano River in North Vancouver where I crossed that suspension bridge so many times, because I didn’t want it to be over and have to leave. Seeing the breathtaking pictures here, do you blame me for foregoing tea? So, what’s so special about Victoria, B.C. (besides its reputation as being one of the last bastions of a British presence in North America, not to forget a very comfortable place to retire)? It’s the home of the Empress (now called the Fairmont Empress) Hotel, where afternoon tea is undeniably a tradition and a huge attraction.

I have to giggle at the way that Brian and I dressed, hats and all, not knowing what the other would be wearing in advance. He’d simply asked me to … uh … wear a hat. Mysterious? Indeed. He was the white hat and his short-sleeved attire would have been perfect for afternoon tea somewhere in Bahamas or Bermuda (due to their ties to Britain). But I went all black hat and more formal, just right for a dramatic Royal tea (at which champagne or sparkling wine is served). Yes, indeed. I’d like a taste of that kind of Royal life!

Mind you, I’ve also had some weird teas in my day. I’d always been a tea-with-lemon type unless I was sick in bed as a child. Then it was always Earl Grey with milk. Don’t even ask how I managed to get English tea into a Polish household where, more often than not, I was subjected to chamomile tea ::shudders in remembrance:: to which I was allergic. I still can’t stand it to this day. On the other hand, Darjeeling was one of those teas that I enjoyed at any time. When I began to branch out, I had a willing victim … er … person to share with. This was my British employer for two summers in the early 70s. I’d buy different teas and subject him to them. We both loved Jasmine (with the dried blossoms in the tin) but the Lapsang Souchong made me … er … high! As that condition was not conducive to getting back to work after a mid-afternoon tea break, I stuck to Jasmine after that. Nowadays, I’ll still buy tea that looks interesting. I remember picking up a box of Anne of Green Gables ginger tea on one of my visits to Niagara-on-the-Lake. And, since I’ve come to love the taste of ginger, I’ve been on the lookout for a good, bracing ginger tea.

In any case, you can see how Brian maintained tradition and I loved every minute of it (though it was impossible for me to raise my pinky while lifting a full mug). So, please follow the easy instructions to have your own afternoon tea party. Simply relax and enjoy having a bit of historic reenactment as well as fun. But – you know – there’s no stopping you from being adventurous. If your roots are as far from British as mine are, use some of your own preferred foods (in miniature form) to see if they play nicely with a cup of steeped tea. Remember that even the grandest of traditions are there for you to use as a launching pad for your own explorations. Besides, there’s nothing more comforting than a nice hot cuppa, especially when the weather is doing everything nasty and unpredictable (snow? ice? rain? all of the above?) so many days in a row … unless it confounds us with a day of clear blue skies and no wind.

So, until next time, have yourselves a great week and don’t forget to have fun with your food, too!

Enjoy!
B&H =;)

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