Tea Parties

I have been fascinated with tea parties ever since I saw the Alice in Wonderland movie. I am sure that that film is a source of fascination for a lot of people, even people like me who grew up in a family that did not drink tea. My parents were both avid coffee drinkers, and to be honest I had never had a single cup of tea by the time I saw the Mad Hatter's tea party on the video. Still, I knew right then that I wanted to have a tea party soon.

My birthday party was coming up, and my parents hinted that something special was going to happen. I was a pretty sharp kid, so I thought that it might have to do with tea, but I was not prepared with how all-out they went on it. It was one of the best Mad Hatter tea parties that has ever been held in my opinion. My dad was dressed in a big top hat, my mom pretended to be the door mouse, and my older sister even made a surprise appearance as the queen. My family was always like that, going out of their way to entertain each other. Even to this day, I am touched by the memory.

My fascination with tea parties has grown over the years. After I actually got to have a cup of fine, loose leaf Earl Grey tea, I came to like tea parties ten times more. When I was a teenager, we used to have tea and crumpets about once a week as a family. My older sister and younger brother would sit down with us to a nice spread involving lovely little cakes and crackers, as well as hot, delicious pots of the best tea we could find.

Part of the thing that has always attracted me to tea parties is the ritual of the thing. I remember fondly going to the Japanese tea garden as a kid and getting to observe a real live tea ceremony. It was so cool. My older sister and younger brother were bored to tears, and even my parents looked a bit restless, but I was held rapt by the whole thing. I had never seen people eat in that kind of ritualistic way before, and I was really curious to see more. Although my own tea parties have never really gotten to that level, I still really respect the serenity of it.

Recently, tea parlors have been popping up and are becoming oh-so popular. Antique-looking furniture and Victorian decor prevail, although there are many varieties of these tea parlors, even those for little girls who like to play dress-up. Tea parlors also cater events such as birthday parties and wedding or baby showers, or dare I say it? Tea parties. Cuisine involves lovely salads that mix fruit selections (like raspberries) and salad greens, nuts, and unique dressings, along with finger sandwiches and pastries served on tiered trays. In this era of of corporate chain restaurants and cookie cutter themes engineered to distract us (slightly) from our hurried lives, a tea party at a tea parlor is a self-indulgent pleasure that's sure to lift any girl's spirits.