Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1937-10-19
Entertaining
At Parties
In Home
Tea Bags Simplify
Matters and Are
In Good Taste.
BY EMILY POST,
bb EhtLf IOSts
NEAR MRS. POST: The other aft

YEAR MRS. POST: The other aft
ernoon l went TO tea. and when l
asked the lady who was pouring. for
cup of tea, she poured hot water into
cup and then pumped a soggy tea
bag into it. The table really looked
lovely but while / waited for her TO
"churn" the bag around in my cup, /
suddenly had a loSt-appetite sensa-
ton of never wanting TO see a cup Of
tea again. In fact, just lost myself
in the crowd and left the dining room.
Since then I've been wondering what
you would have thought Do you ap-
prove of tea-bagS? Or do you advise
spoons full of loose fresh tea put in
the teapot? In short, have tea-baeS
been accepted by hosteSses Of taste?
Answer: Properly used yes; improp-
erly, no! Properly means out Of
sight in teapot, and IN private
house, with the tags and most Of the
strings cut off At large tea, bags
are excellent for several reasons. First,
they eliminate the use of strainer--
which is always a Nuisance when II
is necessary to pour for great many
people. Second. 1t takes only mo-
ment to throw the l.Sed bags into the
garbage pail and rinse the teapot,
whereas it takes eXaSperating minutes
TO empty teapot Of all its cling-tight
leaves. Also in any house where time
IS valuable and service limited. tea
bags are so much to De preferred that
many lovers Of particular tea myself,
for example,, which happens not 10 he
buyable in individual bags. tie il up
themselves in one. two. three and four
teaspoon quantities. But even so.
thoroughly agree with you that the
water-logged bags when pulled like
drowned kittens from the cup are
very unappetlsing In fact, / have
never seen one thrown into cup,
swished around, and then rescued,
slopplly dripping, at formal tea. The
silver tea-ball IS, on the other hand.
entirely attractive but not very practi-
cal except for single cup Of tea--for
an odd guest who is known 10 prefer a
particular brand not liked by any ore
else. But for many cups the tea-ball
necessarily makes beverage that cup
by cup grows less aromatic TAGS
hanging out of the top of a teapot
are all right in a tea-room or other
public place where each person or
ders different brand Of tea and II is
necessary 10 know which pot belong
to whom. But in a private house where
the same tea is for every one, tags as
we'll as bags should be kept out of sight.
l.
DEAR MRS POST: When very in
formal refreshments are served in
the evening could il be considered
proper to serve milk and soft drinks
IN bottles and furnish our guests with
straWs instead of glasses? IL would
have lot of glass washing land sup
PLYING if We could. And how about
beer in cans? My husband and his
friends happen to like a variety that
our grocer carries in cans l have had
it poured into big pitcher. but my
husband says 1t loses its favor and
wants the cans put on the table. Could
do this? II sounds like moving into
grocery store. to me.
Answer: At an informal party-after
playing games. for example-it would
be quite all right to bring in table
or tray of half-pint milk bottles and
other drinks and provide people with
straws. Glasses would be necessary
for beer-and best for cider. too. But
cans are now just as admissible on
modern refreshment tray as bottles,
and sandwiches should be a little
thicker and larger than the fancy va
rieties of samples characteristic of
formal occasions.