Of Mum and Moo

A little while after my brother moved to London, England with his wife, he said to me that we were raised a little more "British" than he had realized. Not all that surprising if you know my Mom. Her grandfather was very British, having lived under British rule in Hong Kong and indulged in British things, and so she and her sisters were long exposed to British habits and traditions. Those habits and traditions were passed down to my brother and myself - though further diluted by her Chinese heritage and our North American environment. We knew one should never slurp soup, bang a spoon against the edge of a teacup, nor turn your plate while eating. We were taught how to hold and use a fork, knife, and spoon properly, and in which direction to eat soup in a bowl (not to mention how to finish a bowl of soup politely). Scones and crumpets were always around the house, not to mention English muffins (though I'm not sure if they're as English as French fries are French). Tea was had at approximately 4pm every day at my Mom's house, starting from when I was just an elementary school student, and that didn't change until I went to University and didn't always have the time for tea - though my Mom continued without me. Now living on my own, Afternoon Tea is a part of my life and I love to impose it on my husband and my friends whenever I have the chance.

To have Afternoon Tea - or High Tea - in Toronto, you'd be looking at making a reservation at the Four Seasons, King Edward, the Windsor Arms, the Park Hyatt, or the Royal York; even the ROM has tea times in the summer, and while these places are really an experience to have tea at, it doesn't have to be that complicated. Actually, it's quite nice to have it at home.

Here's a tea I had with my Mom this past Easter weekend:

 

 cucumber sandwiches. a chocolate cupcake, and a pot of Assam tea

cheese slices (cambert, gouda, and smoked gouda)

and of course scones (current scones)

Mmmm. I'm getting hungry again just thinking about it.

Here's another tea I had with just my husband. It was an Afternoon Tea of sandwiches - just sandwiches.

As you can see, there were a few different sandwiches on our menu: tuna, peanut butter, ham, cheese, apples, cucumbers - and they were all more or less mixed together, haha. (The peanut butter with apple chunks and/or cucumber slices weren't my idea; my husband has adventurous taste, in a sense.)

I have one more plug if you're really interested in a British Afternoon Tea experience. There's a tea shop - a genuine tea shop - called Old Curiosity in Markham, on Markham Main Street and Highway 7. It's really quaint and has a very nice authentic, British country atmosphere. Plus the scones are delicious.

(Oh: If you're wondering what is meant by "Of Mum and Moo" well it refers to my Mother and myself. I wouldn't know Afternoon Tea without her and how empty would my life be without having ever experienced it! (Haha.) And "Moo" is just a nick-name I have from my brother. "Mui" is Chinese for little sister, but he normally just calls me "Moo".)