Out of all meals, tea is perhaps the one which most lends itself to the exchange of gossip. In my post about afternoon tea in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest I wrote about the ‘invention’ of this quintessentially English meal in the 19th century by Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, who decided she needed to eat something light to combat ‘that sinking feeling’ she experienced mid-afternoon. Whilst this routine began as a private affair for the Duchess, she soon started inviting her friends to join her for tea and gossip about the latest scandal. The ritual caught on and was adopted by the fashionable upper classes of London society. Continue reading “Gossip and tea”
Tag: Oscar Wilde
Afternoon tea
ALGERNON: When I am in trouble, eating is the only thing that consoles me. …At the present moment I am eating muffins because I am unhappy. Besides, I am particularly fond of muffins.
JACK: Well, that is no reason why you should eat them all in that greedy way. (Takes muffins from ALGERNON)
ALGERNON: (Offering tea-cake.) I wish you would have tea-cake instead. I don’t like tea-cake.
(Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest)
Food-wise you can’t get much more quintessentially English than afternoon tea: sandwiches (ideally cucumber and crustless), scones with jam and cream and an array of cakes. Continue reading “Afternoon tea”