Buddy + Painting + High Tea

Yesterday's Buddy Painting session ended with a high note of sort: High tea. "High Tea" as a social gathering is commonplace back home, and we have visited many hotels serving such late afternoon snack food on weekends with friends and family members alike then. Because of such "indulgence", we have come to assume that having High Tea is essentially a British tradition as Malaysia was a former colony of the British Crown. That's until I wikipediaed the term this morning:

"The term "high tea" is sometimes used in the United States to refer to afternoon tea or the "tea party", a very formal, ritualised gathering in which tea, thin sandwiches and little cakes are served on the best china. This usage is an analogical construction, the term "high" being associated with social "formality" (rather than a "high", or main, table). Most etiquette mavens advise that such usage is unorthodox outside commercial contexts."

And it adds:

"In recent years, high tea has become a term for elaborate afternoon tea, though this is American usage and mainly unrecognised in Britain. Such usage is disfavored by etiquette advisors, such as Miss Manners."

So in one single moment, my long-held belief has been debunked. So until I am advised otherwise, with etymological evidence, I would stand corrected.

With that linguistic exploration out of the way, let's get back to the matters at hand. First, the paintings. Mrs. Kim has started her three paintings of flowers three nights ago, using the Chinese brush painting guidebook by Yu-shia Liou. This trio is joined by the fourth, a continuation of my Rose series, complete with the fluttering of a lone butterfly.

As for the High Tea, I bought two packets of tea (Georgia Peach and Earl Grey) and several bagfuls of tidbits from Kaleisia in the morning. I then brewed the Georgia Peach and served it using the thin procelain cup set, a gift from the Japanese mother of one of my students in Malaysia (and I'm glad I brought it along). Mrs. Kim came acalling with home-baked Macademia cookies (the kind I like best), and a bag of mixed nuts bought from Sam's Club. After the painting session, Hubby joined in and we talked in typical High Tea fashion, meaning spontaneous and at times wandering, while sipping the hot tea whose fragrance seemed to ensure in the mouth and around the nostrils.