Women's day was "celebrated" in my office yesterday. I do not believe in "kondadifying" such specially dedicated "days", but one particular item in the agenda, kindled my interest. It was called "High tea".
Always a big fan of quaint English terminologies, I googled it up. Google told me that Wikipedia knew what the term meant.
Wikipedia said
High tea (also known as meat tea) is an early evening meal, typically eaten between 5pm and 6pm. It is now largely followed by a later lighter evening meal.
High tea would usually consist of cold meats, eggs or fish, cakes and sandwiches.
In its origin, the term “high tea” was used as a way to distinguish it from “low tea” or afternoon tea. The words 'low' and 'high' refer to the tables from which either tea meal was eaten. Low tea was served in a sitting room where low tables (like a coffee table) were placed near sofas or chairs generally. The word high referred to a table, this one in a dining room table, and it would be loaded with substantial dinner dishes - meats, cheese, breads, perhaps the classic shepherd's pie or steak and kidney pie.
P.S: I love it when the literal meaning is the actual meaning, while people try to bring out all sorts of hidden symbology. This tendency must henceforth be called "The Dan Brown Syndrome".
But, Wikipedia, you got it wrong, didn't you? You do not know my HR team's definition of the term. You are not even close. If Ross(F.R.I.E.N.D.S) were around, he would say, "Too far, wiki, too far!"
Why in our event yesterday, most people slipped out clandestinely for tea, when speakers were furiously debating on what was apparently a serious topic.
We paid for our tea, and had to drink it in the corridor or the crowded cafeteria tables - certainly not filled with the mouthwatering(for many) assortment of victuals mentioned in your page.
While sipping our "high tea", me and my friends tried guessing the plausible interpretations of the term. Maybe, the HR people thought that we would slink off to the topmost floor, in an attempt to be as far away from the event as possible - "high" tea. Maybe, they knew we would sigh with relief and exclaim with joy when we finally escaped from the "celebration" and laid our hands on the cup of steaming tea - "Hiiieee Tea!!!"
8 comments:
oh, it is a great post! I really like it!^_^
Google madam :P
then low tea .. morning time one ? :P
Joke apart Really liked the post !! :).
Thanks folks.
@Nirmal: Afternoon tea also known as low tea, is a light meal typically eaten between 3pm and 5pm. Also, Low tea was served in a sitting room where low tables - This is in the same Wikipedia page :D
Nice post sound.. pot breaker,chinese whispers mathiri i was expecting a hidden meaning out of it ! unga office la elarume romba ukanthu yosikira mathiri iruke :p
@Jallu: nandri hai. ukandu ila...corridor ninnundu...tea kudichunde yosipom. HR kuda ;)
Double like! :))
@Subhatra: Thanx de :)
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