Tea Time

After an almost 30-year hiatus, tea has come back into my life. Green tea for breakfast, and a lovely black tea with milk in the afternoon. In the past I always drank tea with milk and sugar, but switiched to black coffee many years ago while working for FEMA on the island of Samoa following a storm. No tea, no milk until the supply boats came almost two weeks later. Black coffee was what was available, and that has been my choice ever since.

Now, however, I've been reminded of the advantages of having a nice cup of tea. Its a good pick-me-up, and good things to eat invariably accompany an afternoon tea. My personal favorite is a scone with cream and jam.

Several of the French impressionists made tea time a subject of their paintings. The Monet painting below is a beautiful example of afternoon tea in the garden.

Monet was serious enough about his afternoon tea time to have a beautiful Limoges set made for use at his home on Giverney. Afternoon tea was often served to visiting artists and guests, and was served in the lovely gardens when weather permitted. The recipe for Monet's Madeline's, a sweet, lozenged-shaped cookie, can be found in the cookbook Monet's Table, which describes how food was grown and prepared at Giverney.

Other impressionist artists like Renoir also painted tea time. The idea of afternoon tea is seeing s revival in our community on Marco Island. If you'd like to try a traditional cup of tea, please join me on Friday, May 5, at 4 p.m for tea and scones. I'm looking forward to seeing you.

 

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