Suzy Says

Love/hate for Friday, February 14, 2003
Tea

First things first: happy birthday to Adrian, and my friend since high school, Alice, the former model turned math Ph.D. It couldn’t happen to two more stylish people. Hope you guys have a day, or preferably an entire weekend, worthy of your fabulousness, and tons of really great presents, too.

Sorry, no romance related love-hate for you, despite it being Valentine’s Day. Neither of us is a big fan of the idea of being told to be romantic on one particular day each year. We think it’s nicer for romantic gestures to be spontaneous and from the heart, rather than as decreed by Hallmark. For example, John came by my office last week with a bunch of flowers for no particular reason. And a couple of days ago, he called me to tell me I looked beautiful that morning, having had an unaccustomed three minutes with me looking half-way decent for a change on my way out the door that morning, and only because I was late for work at that. Maybe he was overcome with surprise/relief that I wasn’t in the usual d&eacuteshabille. Anyway, now that you are thoroughly sickened, here’s your love/hate for this week. Enjoy!

Though I must have coffee in the morning – and am of no use to man or beast before being caffeinated (just ask John or any of our four cats) – I drink tea otherwise. I can blame this on being half English, I guess, though the tea I drink is not the Indian tea of my ancestors, or rarely, anyway. It’s usually green tea or herbal tea, and I love to use my adorable teapot (note the snail on the lid). I can accessorize anything!

For the most accessorized tea ever, you must experience high tea at one of London’s grand hotels. Gentlemen: you will have to be accessorized to the point of a jacket and tie in these enclaves of tradition. You can often borrow one that the staff keeps on hand for the unaccessorized uncouth, but really, I would recommend avoiding the embarrassment and having to hear about it ad infinitum from your better-accessorized half.

Once properly accoutered, venture to any of the following establishments for a step back in time to a more gracious era, when afternoon tea was an occasion to pause and refresh the body and spirit. You will receive assiduous and courteous attention from the waiters in hushed and elegant surroundings. There will, of course, be tea, served with style in eggshell-thin porcelain cups after you decide which variety (Earl Grey, perhaps?) you’d like. There will be wonderful tiny sandwiches and gorgeous pastries. It will be pretty expensive – around ?25/$40 per person, but what price civilization in this uncivilized world?

The Ritz: The gold standard, and the hardest one to get a reservation for, although they now have three sittings a day. Served in the beautiful Palm Court, as it was for Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin, and King Edward VII. Service as exquisite as the food.

Claridge’s: A favorite of Queen Victoria’s. She would still recognize the elegant Foyer, right down to the silver cake stands so tall that they sit on the floor instead of the table.

The Savoy: Still has its famous th&eacutes dansants, but only on Sunday. Conveniently located near the theaters in the West End, the Savoy is not surprisingly a favorite of actors and actresses, including Nicole Kidman and Elizabeth Taylor.

But in my mundane, everyday life, I don’t have high tea. Instead, I drink at least one cup of green tea a day. Not surprisingly, since my Mom is currently fighting breast cancer, Republic of Tea’s Sip for the Cure is my favorite. It’s green tea flavored with pink grapefruit, and part of the purchase price goes to the Susan Komen Foundation. So you’re doing yourself good, and others, too. How often does that happen?

Nor do I draw the line at drinking tea. Origins makes a wonderful product with white tea, which guards one’s skin against the horrors of premature aging. Tea is very good for you, body and soul. And how often is something that’s good for you so very pleasant?