By Kathy Bryant
Photos Courtesy of The Ritz
When I picked up my bone china cup decorated with blue forget-me-nots
and sipped Darjeeling tea at the Ritz in London, I was following
a long tradition of tea drinking. It's a tradition so old that the
British are actually come-latelies to it.
As with most things, it seems, the Chinese were the first tea
drinkers, beginning about 4,000 years ago. Called T'se (pronounced
tay) in some areas and Ch'a (pronounced chah) in others, the Chinese
exported it to Java and then Dutch traders took it to Europe and
North America.
While in Europe, tay became "tea." Chah became the term for
the tealeaves, compressed with oxblood into bricks that were transported
via the caravan routes to Russia, India and Persia.
It was the Japanese who refined tea ceremonies, dating back
400 years, while the American tradition began about 1650 in New
Amsterdam. Drinking tea was quite the thing to do in America,
even though tea was scarce and expensive ($30 to $50 a pound).
Meanwhile, the first record of a tea table being made was in
1705, and teacups were not made in quantities until the middle
of the 18th century.
Tea at the Ritz
 So
the Ritz, which opened in 1906, is new by Chinese standards, but
its tea room, the Palm Court, has a history and legend all its own.
It is perhaps here that the ritual of tea drinking in the English
manner seems the most "civilized."
The Palm Court, a long, narrow room adjacent to the hotel's
main corridor, combines the English Edwardian charm with the elegance
of the French Louis XVI architecture and design. Sitting near
the sculptured fountain in Echaillon marble and gilt figures and
ornaments, I was transported to the turn of the century. It wasn't
hard to imagine the people in their finery eating here (thanks
to Masterpiece Theater and the like) and for a few minutes I could
be Lady Someone or Other in from her elaborate country estate.
Luckily for me, the wrought-iron-supported glass roof allows sunlight
to stream in on the pastel furnishings and tea drinkers, giving
us a soft, air-brushed look that's quite flattering.
Lady Diana Cooper remembers the Ritz as the first hotel where
young women were allowed to go alone to tea. Romantic novelist
Barbara Cartland has described tea the the Ritz in the years after
World War I as, "A useful institution for the 'also-ran' men:
one could meet men, without chaperones, for lunch and tea. So
you had lunch with men you were keen on, and tea with the rest."
The Palm Court just misses being stuffy because the service
is so friendly and attentive, but it's definitely a best-manners,
dress-up place. As a bonus, there's an endless parade of people
to watch as they hurry into the restaurant, or just stare at the
hotel. You might even spot a celebrity or two.
 With
all this grandeur available, the seven varieties of teas offered,
from traditional English to Ceylon Orange Pekoe, are almost anticlimaxes.
But I was there to eat, so following my personal philosophy that
food eaten out of town never turns to fat, I tasted everything:
finger sandwiches, freshly baked scones with jam and clotted cream
(my favorite) and delicate pastries that would've made Marie Antoinette
swoon.
It's a good idea to book ahead, although they are trying to get
rid of what used to be a three-month wait. Tables can be reserved
at 3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. But you can arrive as early as 2 p.m. It's
just that the people watching probably won't be as good then. And,
after all, this historic spot for cafe society wouldn't be the same
without society to watch.
Fabulous Travel Recommends
 For
tips on adventurous eating the world over, plus information on unique
customs and dining etiquette, be sure to check out Richard Sterling's
fabulous book The Fearless Diner. Click
for more information or to order through Amazon.com.
| Kathy Bryant, a free-lance writer based in Huntington
Beach, California, writes regularly for the "Los Angeles
Times," "Art and Antiques" magazine and London's "Interior"
magazine, among others. She specializes in stories with
a design or a food twist. |
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