Some enchanted teatime

摘要

FOR more than a century, the Palm Court at the Ritz hotel in London has resonated with the clink of fine china, as gentlefolk sip afternoon tea and nibble crustless cucumber sandwiches beneath glistening chandeliers. The silver tea service and strains of Chopin bespeak a bygone era. But a revamped version of afternoon tea is thriving. Since 2004, the Ritz has served "afternoon" tea from 11.30am to 7.30pm; it hosts nearly 150,000 people a year. Saturday slots at the Savoy are booked up three months in advance. The Berkeley hotel in Knightsbridge changes its tea menu (cakes and other goodies are typically part of the package) every six months: recent offerings have included a "Valentino clutch cake" and a "Dolce & Gab-bana eclair". The economic doldrums have not hit demand; they may even have enhanced it. When tea leaves were first imported to Britain in the 17th century, only a few could afford them. By the 18th century it had become the democratic drink of everyman; but afternoon tea as a distinct ceremony, complete with pastries, was a Victorian invention. A "mania for thinness" sent it into decline after the second world war, says Helen Simpson, author of a book on the subject. The gradual infiltration of American coffee culture also played a part, as did the rise of women in the workforce (less time for sipping), the widening array of social haunts and the ebbing of formality (the Ritz still bans jeans and "sports shoes").