Los Angeles herald., 1905-03-12
TEA DRINKING A
FASHIONABLE FAD

IT. EA DRINKING a la Chinese has
recently become one of the
amusing little fads of fashion
able life. This does not mean simply
that a Chinese brand of tea has come
flamboyantly into fashion, but rather
that such tea is served with all at
tending customs and accessories. IT
Is some time now since the habit of
taking afternoon tea in the home has
been established in New York. This
soothing beverage at about O'Clock Is
said to give those prone to fatigue the
necessary impetus to unfinchingly 20
on until dinner time
This season, however, instead of
being served at one small, round table,
laden with steaming kettle, a canis-
ter, regulation cups and saucers AMI
many pastry trifes, the tea itself is
the prominent. the all desired subject.
Each individual makes It for himself.
Whoever is attending to the afternoon
service of tea, either smart footman
or quite as appropriately member of
the family. sets before each guest who
drops in at this informal hour a table,
the sort that come in little groups, or
so-called nests. On this then is placed
Chinese tea making cup and another
smaller cup I'm which the drink when
sufficiently drawn is poured off. The
former of these consists Of three pieces
"a metal saucer, in which sits a small
bowl, and which is covered with an
other china piece, appearing like an
inverted saucer. Into the bowl proper
a teaspoonful or more Of tea is put,
and on 1t very hot water is poured.
The water is taken, also individually,
not from kettle, but from a Chinese
teapot, which is so imbedded in a
wadding lined straw box that it's
spout only is seen peeping through a
small opening. AS soon as the tea
then is sufficiently well drawn it is
poured off in the smaller cup, the
curious little top piece of the bowl
being held so as to prevent any of the
leaves getting into the clear amber
fluid.
Those who have cultivated a taste
for tea served in this way disclaim the
use of either sugar, cream or lemon.
Their opinion as to whether the bever-
age is good or bad s'based entirely
OIL the teas quality, it's aroma and
particular flavor and it's being drawn
to exactly the desired degree of
1t is naturally in this lat
ter possibility that the Chinese method
of making tea has its great advantage.
Indeed high bred Chinaman would
look askance at tea of the same
strength served out to all from a gem
eral teapot. To him this would mean
that everybody in the room had ex-
actly the same taste and palate.
Curiously enough, the Chinese do not
care for their tea to be nearly so hot
as that customarily served by other
nations. The little cup into which the
tea is finally poured has no handle,
and yet when the tea is adroitly
drawn, it can be picked up without
warming the fingers.
The most tasty bite to serve with
tea made in this way is either rice
waters or else simple little rice mullins
made at home. And for those who are
slaves to sweets it may be comforting
to know that it is not deemed excru-
bad form to take a lump or
two of sugar in the tea. Sometimes
also candied fruits are passed along
with the rice cakes.
Undoubtedly to the fashionable
world the great charm of Chinese tea
making is in it's novelty. The art,
of handling the cups grace
'ully gives ample opportunity to show
/ womans pretty fingers and the
bright sparkle of her rings. fas-
,ination there lies also in collecting
he china. Most of the tea-making
cups are picked up individually, and
hen other little ones are hunted for
hat will go with their particular
styles of decoration. To find a num-
Der of such cups all matching would
indeed be rarity, and probably they
would command a great price. Some
If them are exqusitely decorated,
others are coarse and crude. At the
Oriental shops, however. attractive
specimens of them can be picked up
rom time to time. They range in
price from so cents to S. and Sc apiece.
In selecting the tea-making cups the
point of their being quite generous in