|
|
|
Kesta Allen |
|
 |
A British obsession,
tea
drinking started in England
as late as the 17th century
and the
tradition of the afternoon tea
only dates back to the early 1800s.
|
|
The afternoon tea
session began as a chance for women to meet together without men.
The hostess would always pour the tea and would often serve the
tea with sandwiches,
crumpets, scones, cakes and pastries.
The
pastime
took
off. Not content with keeping tea drinking inside
the house, the British started organising picnic teas which gave
people a chance to be outdoors. The food would be carefully
prepared and carried in
hampers and baskets.
By the start of the 20th century tea drinking had become a
national pastime. Many hotels and department stores had their own
little teashops which provided an informal meeting place to talk
business as well as pleasure.
The afternoon tea tradition came full circle in the 1950s with the
craze for tea dances – a chance for women to meet men. |
|
Three Tea
Superstitions |
|
|
|
Three Tea Quotables |
|
► |
'Women
are like tea-bags. It's only when they're
in hot water that you realise how strong they are.'
Nancy Reagan, Wife of US ex-President |
|
► |
'Give me tea sweet and
weak. Bring me the Times and
do not speak.'
A. P. Herbert, a British politician who improved divorce laws |
|
► |
'Take some more tea,'
the March Hare said
to Alice, very earnestly.
'I've had nothing yet.' Alice replied …
'So
I can't take more.'
'You mean you can't take less,' said the Hatter.
'It's very easy to take more than nothing.'
Lewis Carroll, author of 'Alice in Wonderland'. |
|
|
Four Tea Expressions |
|
► |
A
storm in a teacup
Something that is not very important which people
make a lot of
fuss about. In America, where everything is bigger, the expression
is "a
tempest in a
teapot". |
|
► |
Not my cup of tea
Something you do not feel very enthusiastic about or interested
in. |
|
► |
Not for all the tea in China
Something you emphasize that you
definitely DO NOT want to do. |
|
► |
It's no tea party:
In America, something that is very difficult or
unpleasant to do. |
|
|
Reading Tea Leaves |
|
Try reading your fortunes in tea leaves. First make a cup
of tea with a generous amount of tea leaves.
Do not strain the
tea.
Sip the tea and make a wish. Then rotate the cup in an
anti-clockwise direction three times using your left hand.
Turn
the cup upside down onto the
saucer. Point the
handle of the cup
towards you. Now pick up the cup and you can read the leaves left
inside for your fortune! |
|
GOOD LUCK
SYMBOLS: stars, triangles, trees, flowers,
crowns and
circles.
BAD LUCK
SYMBOLS:
snakes, owls,
crosses, cats,
guns
and
cages. |
|
Source:
New English
Digest |
|
GLOSSARY |
|
crumpets:
English muffins
(bollitos dulces)
pastime: a hobby, a freetime activity (pasatiempo)
took off: left, disappeared (desapareció,
"levantó vuelo")
hampers: large baskets for food (viandas)
craze: fashion (moda, onda)
lid: cover (tapa)
left off: left outside (sin colocar)
bearing ill tidings: bringing bad news (con malas
noticias)
to spill: to pour, to overflow (derramar)
whilst
= while (mientras)
omen: a sign of something about ot happen (presagio)
to stir: to agitate, to move around (revolver)
anti-clockwise:
on the opposite direction to the hands of a clock (en
dirección opuesta a las agujas del reloj)
to
stir up: to provoke, to arouse problems (provocar) |
weak =/= strong (liviano,
no cargado)
storm (UK) = tempest (US) (tormenta)
make a lot of fuss about:
make unnecessary excitement about unimportant things (acerca
de lo cual hacen mucho escándalo)
unpleasant: annoying, not pleasant (desagradable)
to strain:
to filter out (colar, pasar por la coladera)
to sip:
to have a small drink
(beber a sorbos)
turn the cup upside down: invert
the cup (daR
vuelta
la taza)
saucer: small plate (platito, plato de té)
handle: handgrip (asa de la taza)
crown: the symbol of a monarchy (corona)
snakes: vipers, serpents (víboras, serpientes)
guns: revolvers, weapons (revólveres)
cages: place where domestic birds are kept (jaulas)
|
|
|
|
|
MAS "SOCIEDAD"
FORO
INICIO |
|
