Angela Webster McRae's Blog, page 167

My Country, 'Tis of Tea — New York

I was not at all surprised to find lots of information about tea in New York, and I especially had fun discovering a few of the more obscure things about the Empire State!

• Tea Island on Lake George, New York, is a historic resort area that once had a tea house on it.  According to the 1868 book "Lake George" by B. F. DeCosta, "Two miles down the lake, on the west side, close to the shore, is the first island which we pass. It is called Tea Island, and is a perfect gem. In 1828 a 'Tea-house' was kept there to accommodate visitors, which fact accounts for its present name." And you can still visit Tea Island today! Click here if you'd like to see its modern incarnation.

• Some "society women" of a hundred years ago poured tea in New York City for the "motor men of Street Railway." This is one of those wonderful old Library of Congress images that raises more questions than it answers. Its title is simply what the photo reads up top, "Society women pouring tea for motormen of Street Railway." The photo, which is from around 1908, is part of the George Grantham Bain Collection. Who was Bain? He was a New York City photographer known as "the father of foreign photographic news." I can't help wondering whether Bain took this photo himself (those two men at right and that "society woman" closest to them look a bit, um, unimpressed, shall we say). "Motor man" appears to be a term for those who conducted trains and trolleys. So that's helpful, I guess, but why were the "society women" pouring tea for them? Motormen Appreciation Week, maybe? And did you notice the little candlestick lamps/lights on the table? Interesting. And isn't it funny that a century may pass, but we still need the basics of white tablecloths and stacks of plates and cups and a nice, big tea urn!
 • New York City is home of the Russian Tea Room, which is perhaps one of the most legendary tea rooms in the country.
This is a vintage postcard of the tea room I found some years ago, and the back reads: "Next Door to Carnegie Hall, Exquisite RUSSIAN and FRENCH CUISINE. Lunch - Afternoon Tea - Dinner - After-Theatre Supper - Vodka - Cocktails - Wines - Liquors." I've never been to the Russian Tea Room, but it's definitely on my bucket list! (Go here if you'd like to see more photos and their Afternoon Tea offerings.)
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Some tearoom history from Mississippi

I am so fortunate that my blog readers are such generous souls who know precisely the sort of things I like and often share things with me. Today, I wanted to share some pamphlets with you that I received from Patsy in Missouri. I have written about the Old Southern Tea Room in Vicksburg, Mississippi, before, so I was quite delighted to get a vintage pamphlet from this tearoom as well as two more pamphlets from Natchez, Mississippi. In the golden-colored pamphlet above, I was drawn to the image of the Mammy figure on the front. Some years ago, I attended an intriguing lecture in Atlanta by a university professor who was researching the Mammy figure in American history and culture. I was also intrigued to learn that some people actively collect "Mammy" art and artifacts. While the image makes me uncomfortable, I believe that even when researching something as seemingly innocent as the history of American tearooms, it's important to acknowledge this part of US history.

The text of this pamphlet begins, "After a hard drive from California or Maine, the motorist craves good food, and can find it at our Old Southern Tea Room in Vicksburg, Mississippi. This unique oasis of refreshment was established in response to an insistent demand, but does not employ fancy chefs to prepare ornamental dishes. Aunt Elvira, our cook, presides over our kitchen, just as her ancestors did at plantation hearths during the lavish days of the Old South." (I can't help thinking that "Aunt Elvira" might have taken a different view of the work of her ancestors "during the lavish days of the Old South"!)

It's also interesting to note that Duncan Hines and the American Automobile Association recommended this tearoom.

Another eatery recommended by AAA was the Carriage House Restaurant at Stanton Hall, a property of the Pilgrimage Garden Club of Natchez, Mississippi. I love to read old menus, and this one is fun because it focuses on Southern foods of chicken and ham, desserts, and coffee and tea. While there are some aspects of yesteryear that I wouldn't want to return to (see above), oh, for the days when we could have enjoyed a lunch of gumbo, salad, bread, dessert, and tea for just $1.75.

The "Book of Tea" winner is …

Daniele K.! I've sent you an email seeking your snail mail address, Daniele, so as soon as I receive it, I'll get this book headed your way. (And if I see any more copies of this book at Dollar Tree, I'll be sure and pick them up so we can have more giveaways!)

Tea-blending, circa 1896

I've written frequently over the past year of my fondness for the many great digital resources available on the Library of Congress website. I've often explored the newspaper and photography archives there, but I haven't delved too deeply into the digital *books* available on the site. This week, I was frankly surprised to learn about "Tea-Blending as a Fine Art," a book on tea-blending that was written (and self-published, interestingly enough) by Joseph M. Walsh in 1896! Mr. Walsh obviously placed great stock in the importance of tea, as the first sentence of his book reads, "There is no article handled by the grocer which demands greater attention, engages more of his time, or has a more important bearing upon the success of his business than Tea, as it stands in many respects far ahead of all the other commodities in commanding and maintaining patronage, as well as in attracting and retaining trade for numerous other articles, and at the same time yielding a larger margin of profit to the dealer."

When I flipped over to page 15, I was impressed by the variety of Oolongs Mr. Walsh was able to list: Ankoi, Amoy, Foochow, Formosa, Saryune and Pekoe. Then he moves on to "Congou Teas," which he notes are "grown principally in the Bohea hills in China, and are known to trade in this country as English Breakfast Teas. They are divided into Kaisow or Red-leaf and Moning or Black-leaf Tea, and are a distinct variety differing in color, liquor and flavor from the Oolong sorts."

I marvel that he wrote all this without benefit of iPad, iPhone, or Internet. Can you imagine? That's just a small sample of what's shared in Mr. Walsh's book, and I'm so happy to have discovered it. If you'd like to check out this book for yourself, or simply to bookmark it for later reading, as I often do, click here.

A midweek giveaway!

When I see a tea book for only $1 at Dollar Tree, I can't help myself. Yes, I already have "Book of Tea" by Annie Perrier-Robert (I posted a review of it here back in 2010), but I'm betting one of you could use it. Yes?

If so, please leave an "Enter me" comment to this post between now and 7 a.m. tomorrow morning, August 11, and you'll be entered to win! (US and Canada only, please.) Good luck!

Tea Time Magazine's September/October 2016 issue

Local public school students started back to class last week, and another sign that fall is on the way is that the September/October issue of Tea Time magazine landed in my mailbox. Oh, how I love when those spice tones of fall start appearing on the covers of my magazines!

The cover cake on this issue sounds like one I definitely need to try. Do you bake more in the fall? I sure do. In fact, I've been a slacker of a cook this whole summer, rarely doing anything more adventurous than oven-baking some of the copious quantities of (delicious!) squash my dad kept us in all season long. But this Walnut-Apricot Spice Cake ... oh my goodness. From the spicy-looking interior to the nutty exterior and the luscious looking apricot jam and vanilla buttercream on top, well, I can just imagine the glorious flavors. With a cup of apricot tea, perhaps. But it has to wait till fall. I just can't enjoy a fall flavor at the tail end of summer, can you?

And owing to my current love of all things turquoise, I enjoyed reading about this "Afternoon Teal" (not "tea" but "teal") that uses the teal color to bring awareness to ovarian cancer. (Note the simple ribbon-shaped fold of the napkin at lower left. Clever!) Kentucky tearooms are highlighted in this issue as well, including, I was pleased to see, the Greentree Tearoom in Lexington that I visited with Linda Jennings and other tea friends a few years back. There's also an article about Jane Pettigrew, whom I once got to meet at a World Tea Expo, receiving the British Empire Medal and attending a garden party at Buckingham Palace. Have you received your issue yet? If so, what were your favorite features?

"All-Butter ShortDead" by H. Y. Hanna a fun prequel!

Back in June, I had the pleasure of reading "A Scone to Die For," the first book in the Oxford Tearoom cozy mystery series by H. Y. Hanna. After reading that book, I had subscribed to Hanna's email newsletter, so last week I was pleased to receive word that she'd written a shorter cozy, a "prequel" to the series, and it was now available as a free download on Amazon.

"All-Butter ShortDead" begins with Gemma Rose flying home to Oxford, England, from Australia, having decided to leave her successful but stressful executive career behind in order to return to her family and follow her dream of opening a tearoom. On the plane, she finds her seatmate is a woman who seems terribly afraid of flying, and Gemma tries to help calm the woman's nerves, even as she finds something about the woman, Jenn, a little odd. When the plane lands, Jenn takes off and leaves a pretty scarf behind in her seat. Gemma remembers the name of the hotel in England where the woman is staying—it's not too far from Gemma—so she rings her up and offers to deliver the scarf. Jenn invites Gemma to join her for a drink at the hotel but ends up getting so drunk that Gemma finds it necessary to help her back to her room before calling it a night.

The next morning, Gemma gets word that Jenna has been murdered, and all fingers seem to point at Gemma. She's in danger of losing her new tearoom before she's even signed the contract on it, and rumors are swirling about her personal life as well.

This book is shorter than the other novel, but it was a fun read, and since it's free for only a limited time, I'd encourage those of you who like cozy mysteries to go here and download it now. The books are perfect reads for tea lovers, and I look forward to reading the entire series!

My Country, 'Tis of Tea — New Mexico

I've not yet had the pleasure of traveling to the Southwest, so I especially enjoyed learning about this week's featured state, New Mexico, and the rich influence of Hispanics and Native Americans. Come along with me, will you?

• La Fonda on the Plaza, which sits on the site of Santa Fe's first inn, established in 1607, is considered "the oldest hotel corner in America." This screen grab is from their website. (Click here to see it larger and to learn more about the fascinating history of La Fonda). The photo isn't identified, but those are definitely cups and saucers the women are holding. And if you scroll down, you'll see an image of a waitress at La Fonda delivering tea sometime between 1935 and 1940 (I found the ID on another website), so I feel fairly safe in surmising that tea has been served there over the years, although I've yet to read of "afternoon tea" or tearooms, per se. The La Fonda website reveals that "During Prohibition, when 'teas' were popular pretenses for stronger beverages, the bohemian crowd in the capital city imbibed freely. La Fonda was a favorite gathering spot for these writers and artists whose outings included generous servings of gossip. Among the literati was visiting author Willa Cather who stayed at La Fonda while writing her famed novel 'Death Comes for the Archbishop' (1927)." La Fonda has a wonderful history book available for viewing right on its website, and you can access it here in case you are planning a trip out west!


• The New Mexico Tea Company in Albuquerque is a nearly 10-year-old business that sells tea from around the world and also offers classes and tea tastings. I found a great article about the shop here, and a map on their Facebook page (yay! still in business!) shows all the cities where they have shipped tea. Cool!



• The most famous tearoom I'd never heard of? That could well be the tearoom in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, run by Edith Warner, who is the subject of a book I've just learned I must read, "The House at Otowi Bridge: The Story of Edith Warner and Los Alamos" by Peggy Pond Church. Apparently Edith, who was from Philadelphia, befriended both the Pueblos and the scientists working on the Manhattan Project, which makes me think this would have been THE tearoom in which I would most like to have eavesdropped! The modern-day ruins of her tearoom are shown here in a photo from 2009. Wow. Just wow.

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A new owner for Something Special

Several times over the years, I have written about the pleasure of taking tea at Something Special, the antebellum home and gardens here in Newnan. I recently received word from owner Mike Meyer that he was retiring and the business had been sold and will now be known as "Something Special at Lillian Gardens."
A well-respected local businessman, Mike was the second owner of Something Special I had the pleasure of knowing. I've wished him well even as I look forward to enjoying new experiences at Lillian Gardens at Something Special. If you're local, you may want to do as I did and follow their Facebook page here.
And here's the press release I received from Mike:
The name Something Special has a 36 year history in this community.  It was first opened in 1980 by Miss Virginia Davis and her daughter Martha Sue McCain as a Tea Room.  The tea room catered to the downtown lunch crowd as well as bridal and baby showers.  They retired after 14 years in the restaurant business and ended the first chapter of Something Special history.
I purchased the beautiful 1859 Antebellum home in 1996 and after extensive renovations, re-opened it as Something Special Events in 1997.  It has been a pleasure and honor for me to be part of this wonderful Newnan community and host special events for families and corporations. Over the 19 years, I have helped families create memories and watched them grow.   I am fortunate the facility is located in the heart of the Newnan’s historic district which gave me the opportunity to belong to the Greenville Lagrange Neighborhood Association.  I enjoyed being part of the Newnan Coweta Chamber of Commerce, Carnegie Library Association, and Coweta Master Gardeners. I cherish the support this amazing community provided me over the years.
The journey of life brings us through many different phases.  In addition to running the event facility, I was the primary caregiver through my mother’s 9 year illness.  I married 3 years ago and share my time between the facility and our Atlanta home.  With all these life changes, I decided it was time to retire from the event business and close my chapter in the history of Something Special. I have close friends and family in the community and will be spending much of my time at our Lake House in nearby Whitesburg.
I am passing the Something Special torch to a beautiful young lady who is full of energy and new ideas to start the next chapter and continue creating memories for families.  Ashley Bercich comes to us from Douglasville, Georgia.  She is married with two children and has had a career in finance for the past nine years.  She has always had a passion for helping friends and families with weddings and special events and is very excited to become part of this community.
The name will change to Something Special at Lillian Gardens and the facility will undertake renovations and a fresh coat of paint.  I am partnering with her until the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition and the existing catering department, event coordinators, and office staff will continue to bring excellence to the facility.
Please watch for the grand re-opening of Something Special at Lillian Gardens in early Fall!

My August teatime column: On High Tea vs. Afternoon Tea

For those of you who live outside Coweta County, here is my latest column in The Coweta Shopper, and this month's column addresses a topic near and dear to many of our hearts, the difference between "High Tea" and "Afternoon Tea." Click hear to view it online, and thanks for reading!