The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1869-06-26
AN ENGLISH WOMAN'S EXPERT
ENCEI IN AMERICA.

"Whsn we first came to this county,"
she said, 1--WE settled in York State. 10 a
small town, where l had two married sons
living. They brought their wives a. once.
Of course, to call on me, and quite num-
Der Of the neighbors also called. Well, l
had returned their calls. and th-n nv
daughtev-in-law hin,ed that i; wss now my
duty, according to their custom. to invite
them all to tea. As was afraid | might
make some bIunder, told them to end
the invitations and set tto day, and II;
try to be ready for them. They d:i So
and sent me word one Eond4.y, that on
Wednesday some 'ila|f-aozen. gentlemen
and their wives would come and drink
tea With me. Twas very glad to have
them all Come, l am sure. but didn't
khow ~hat to have for tea! |, of course,
, had never been out to tea in this country.
and | didn't know whether an English tea,
such as | WAS accustomed to,awou'd do
here. hated to ask anybody about it,
for didn't ike to be suehed at for nv
ignorance, so l resolved to get just such
tea as I would have done in England,
and let it 60 at that.
"On the appointed day my company
came, and st ten time invited them to the
diuing-room. I'm afraid there were few
smiles when they saw my table. but they
were very polite. had large mahogany
table, polished very bright. bu: had no
tablecloth on, the plates, etc, being act
on the bare table. / had nice teal
brought chest Of excellent. Young Hyson
With me from England. Ny table was
set with some old-fashioned china and
silver that had been IN heir loom 10 my
hu.banp's family for many generations. |,
had good bread, sliced very thin. good but.
ter, and some good old English cheesr,
brought from the old country and that
was al there was on the table. II,
I'm England should have thought it
all quite nice, but knew by the faces Of
my gussts-though as said before. they
were very po|its-thst I had Tailed in
something. What that something Was
l soon discovered, for not long after that |
Was invited out to tea at the house Of one
Of my guests on that former occasion. l
went-and assure you was surprised,
to say the least, when sat down TO the
tea-table. The table was covered with
snow-white l;uen cloth the tea wae no
better than mine--in my opinioh-but
the food !! There were cold bread sad hot
biscuit. four OF fve kinda OF preserves and
peaches and cream; cold tongue sliced
and cold sliced ham; lemon pie and Gus
tard, apple pie and floating islands; tar's
cookies aud no less than six kinds Of cake,
plain and frosted and fruit cake !; cup cake,
gold and silver cake. s.-E.,.as .f+
''WelI, there eat, completely puzzled.
What to eat. l didn't know. In England
We never have pie at tea, and We. very
seldom eat preserves at any, time. We
put them in puddings sometimes, Or have
them on the table after dinner with the
dessert, but they are not considered healthy
BY the mass Of ths people there. It's fact.
! actually did not know what to eat, but
finally made my meal Of bread and butter
and very email piecs Of the plain cake.
However, soon got a. bad as the rest.
and learned. When / bad company to tea,
to crowd the table with plesty Of rich.
indigestible food rather than bs though,
stiogy BY my neighbors; but my. con
scieDce used to trouble me all the more,
and to this day l like the English way the
BEST and think it BY far tbs, most sensible |
and healthy."-Housthold. s@-