Ramblings of an Aging Mama Bear: High Tea

I love the idea of High Tea. The pretty & dainty china, the delicate and fancy treats all appeal to me. I thought that High Tea had originated in England, many many years ago and that it was strictly for the gentrified. The history surprised me:

The earliest record of 'taking tea' was not due to the purely social needs of women, but was due to changes in the male domain.

Because of late evening meals, lunch became larger spreads, often accompanied by extended business meetings. By 1859 politics governed the environment, topics such as Marx and the European Royalty were popular with influential London men. These lunch parties were usually hosted by up and coming young men striving to impress the staid and conservative business sector, but eventually that sector too, embraced the new trend.
All of this resulted in a very long break between meals for the women waiting for their men to return home for the evening meal. The 7th Duchess of Bedford has been credited as the first to adopt afternoon tea, which became a fashionable form of entertaining by 1865. Lady Fredericks mentions in her diaries in 1866, that ladies met and discussed 'tea business', the female equivalent of men discussing politics, thereby giving women a social outlet to discuss topics such as politics etc which were deemed unsuitable for women to discuss in mixed company.

Social behaviour
As taking of tea became fashionable, the ritual became both expected behaviour and correct behaviour.
Tea was also seen as a symbol of a right of passage. 'Finally being admitted to tea and coffee drinking, then, is a minor initiation rite: you are old enough to take it and by that time you are also likely to know how to "behave". Eating when we are hungry is a relief, eating with others is also fun. The event and the pleasure of company is important to an individuals well being, hence, the phrase "tea and sympathy".
Taking tea developed public and private realms of interest; festive dressing is a response to an eating event. Wearing clothes is a social act. Styles bow to social agreement, they adorn their wearers and enhance their appearance, thereby displaying a subtle language of who you are and who you want to be.

Manners
"Never" says Andreanis' French guide to etiquette (1988) "leave your coffee spoon in your cup when you lift it to your lips". It was once perfectly correct to stand your teaspoon upright in your cup to show you did not want any more tea, just as it was once correct to pour a hot beverage into a saucer to help it lose heat. The saucers though, were deep more like a small bowl. In the early 18th century this was not an unusual practice, as the earliest tea cups were much like Chinese teacups and frequently did not have handles. All the tea drunk before the mid 1800's and most of 1850 was China tea. (The High Tea Society)

Tea etiquette

Afternoon tea is far less formal today, but some simple rules of etiquette still apply.

Pick up your cup and saucer together, holding the saucer in one hand and the cup in the other.
When stirring your tea, avoid making noises by touching the sides of the cup.
Never leave your spoon in the cup, and avoid sipping tea from your spoon.
Milk should be poured into the cup after the tea.
Lemon slices should be neatly placed in the teacup after tea has been poured.
Never add lemon with milk, as the citric acid will cause the milk to curdle.

Apparently one cannot simple boil the kettle, chuck a tea bag in the cup and add water. This is How to Brew the Perfect Pot of Tea .

What to Serve

To me High Tea food signifies TINY little cakes, sandwiches, sweet and savory morsels. Pretty & dainty.