Sunday, January 25, 2009

Tea With Miss Janice, Post #13

As promised, here is a list of tea etiquette faux pas you don't want to commit (in no specific order, cuz they are all important):

~Dunking your teabag, it's tacky!

~Blowing into your teacup--practice patience.

~Placing a used teabag on the saucer--makes such a mess!

~Drinking tea while wearing gloves--nevah evah!

~Slurping your tea--please don't do this.

~Leaving lipstick prints on the serviette/teacup--this is gross! Use a tissue to blot your lips before you sit down for tea.

~Extending your pinkie finger while holding the teacup--it's considered an affectation and you'll end up looking like a mafia character!

~Pouring milk in first--it's poured in last!

~Draining a teabag by winding the string over the bag around the spoon--why would you even do this?

~Using lemon wedges instead of slices--the slices are much more dainty, don't you think?

~Taking big bites of food--"I is told ya and told ya that you can always tell a lady by the way she eats in front of folks like a bird, and I ain't aimin' for you to...eat like a field hand and gobble like a hog"! Mammy, from Gone With the Wind

~Using cream in your tea...use only milk please!

~Sipping from the teaspoon--this is just silly.

~Putting the whole tea sandwich in your mouth...again, very field-handish lookin'.

~Putting jam/butter/lemon curd, cream directly on your scones (place small dallops on your tea plate and then spread).

~Placing your teaspoon, iced teaspoon, or spreader on the table after you have used them--flatware is never returned to the table after it has been used.

~Placing your serviette on the table before you are finished--this is a sure sign to others that you don't know a cotton pickin' thing about dining etiquette!

~Eating while talking--do I even have to bring this up?

~Chewing your food with your mouth open--ditto.

~Reaching across others--nevah evah!

~Licking your fingers--y'all please don't do this!

~Placing your elbows on the table--four-year old students of Miss Janice's programs know better than this!

~Slouching while eating--every Southern lady knows that her back should never touch the back-side of the chair...she sits up straight!

~Asking for seconds before being offered--didn't y'all pay attention to Mammy when she spoke in Gone With the Wind? "Don't act like a field hand," please!

~Washing your food down with tea--chew your food, then take sips of tea.

~Calling iced tea "ice tea," we Southerners know this already--it's iced tea y'all!

~Calling Afternoon Tea "High Tea," it's not...read my posts this month!

~Burning candles at Afternoon Tea without drawing the curtains--I'll admit this was a tea etiquette rule new to me until I studied about the etiquette of the Afternoon Tea.

~Cradling the teacup in one's fingers when it has a handle--are you guilty?

~Swirling the liquid around in the cup as if it were wine in a glass--what's the point?

~Lifting only the teacup when the saucer is 12 inches away from you. Remember that the teacup and saucer are married, just like the salt and pepper shaker. They should always be together.

~Leaving a teaspoon upright in a teacup--a spill waiting to happen.

~Putting scone halves back together like a sandwich after slicing and spreading on the jam and cream--Lord have mercy, don't do this!

~Using a serviette as handkerchief. Now, I know all you ladies would nevah evah do anything like this!

~Removing food from your teeth during teatime--enough said!

~Touching your face or head during teatime.

~Looking over instead of into the cup of tea. This is true with any beverage you are sipping!

~Failing to write a thank-you note to the hostess.

I am planning to participate in "Tablescape Tuesday" and will feature an Afternoon Tea tablescape. I hope that you will stop by then. I know that Susan, our wonderful hostess for "Tablescape Tuesday" is thinking about switching it to Thursday. So, I will feature my tea tablescape either on Tuesday or Thursday! See y'all then!

24 comments:

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

Ok, I'm going to need a cheat sheet to take with me to tea! Very interesting. I had always heard you should not have candles on the table in the day time, but it has become so common to see this, I wondered if it had become acceptable. I guess good manners never go out of style. Thank you so much for the reminders. laurie

Lucy said...

Thank you for a wonderful reminder list...(why,there should be a law against these faux-pas!) I love this series. Thank you.

Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer said...

I am glad you listed these... I am certain I would have made a boo-boo!

Confessions of a Plate Addict said...

Oh my, Miss Janice...are cheat sheets allowed at tea?? How funny...I just saw Laurie's comment asking the same thing! I am sure I have been guilty of several of these faux pas! Maybe it's a good thing I am a coffee drinker. Does it have rules, too?...Debbie

Nanette said...

Oh, some of these are so funny. Well written!
Valerie

Jewel Sauls said...

Great information! Mammy's voice will be in head for the rest of the day!!!! Thank for keeping us straight. :D

~ Lisa @ AbidingThere~ said...

Oh my goodness, so many rules! How will I ever remember them?? Thank you for making me more aware.

Sandra said...

Yes, I would've def made a faux pas - or two ;-) Thanks! You need to put all of these posts in a little booklet available for purchase on Amazon.com :-) By they way - I L-O-V-E your GWTW quotes.

Hopsy said...

What a WONDERFUL list of reminders! I especially like that you brought up NOT buttering your scone all at once. I think that in American socitey today this is such an issue. I often go out to eat with people and they will butter an ENTIRE piece of bread at once! No, no, no! They need to start reading Miss Janice!

Unknown said...

Oh this is your best post. I am so prepared for my next tea.

Kara said...

As my in-laws are English, I knew the "milk should go in last" in the tea cup.....I believe the "upper crust" in England call those who do this "MIFS" milk in firsts..so it is considered very lower class...but I have been known to do this..I definately need these cheat sheets for my next party.
You are the guru of all tea knowledge.
Miss Kara

A Hint of Home said...

I would be so intimidated to have tea with you. I'm learning but I see how much I don't know. The cheat sheet would be helpful.
Thanks for all the time you spend to educate us.

^..^Corgidogmama said...

Oh lawsy mercy...I just found out that I'm a field hand afterall!
And, I always put cream in my tea as well.
I'm the scourge of the tea club!
You tried though, Miss Janice, your tried.....sigh!

QueenBeeSwain said...

thank you for posting, don'ts are just as important to know as the do's!

kHm

Glenda said...

Most of this is just common sense and normal decency. I did not know, however, that the cup and saucer were considered "married" to each other, but that also makes perfect sense.

I also did not know that the use of lemon wedges was not a good idea. I do agree that the slices would look better with the hot tea, but are wedges proper with iced tea? I can see that I have much to learn and with your help, I will.

Miss Janice said...

Lemon wedges are fine with iced tea, but I still prefer slices--less of a mess!

Tootsie said...

most of these sound like common sense to me...but there were a couple that I would not have thought of! thanks again!

Lady Katherine said...

Oh! I just might need that cheat sheet! lol I see one thing I am guitly of, the holding the tea cup!

Bo said...

This was entertaining as well as informative! I hope I haven't come across as a field hand in the past...LOL ;-) Bo

Dixie said...

So happy I found your blog Miss Janice (via Tablescape Tuesday). I miss all things southern, especially the manners!

I've be accused of being "uppity" because I prefer to use china and cloth napkins opposed to paper plates and paper towels. Imagine that! Texas is a different place, but I refuse to give up my southern ways. You make my heart sing "Dixie"!

I am going to take time this week to go back and read every post you have shared... I feel as though I am at home in my beloved Mississippi.

blessings. Dixie

niartist said...

Loved this post, and I have to admit that I am guilty of using straining the bag with the spoon by wrapping the string around ... I know! I didn't know that was improper! I hadn't done it before until I was at lunch one day with a very good friend of mine who did it, and I thought - perhaps that's what should be done!? I'm stopping today!

Unknown said...

I always put my milk in first. Great list.

Carly A. Heitlinger said...

This is too cute :)

Suburban Princess said...

Oh my favourite peeve is the afternoon vs high tea. It's the dead giveaway that they haven't got a clue what they are talking about!

Do people really use teabags at afternoon tea?