Marga's Foodblog

In Argentina, where I grew up, tea time is an honored tradition carried out by grandmothers and elderly aunts everywhere. Families with children usually have a merienda, a meal that consists of a hot drink (tea, a latte, chocolate milk, hot chocolate, mate cocido) with cookies, toast or pastries, perhaps relegating tea time for weekends or for when they have guests. But practically everyone has a tea pot and a nice set of tea china waiting to be used.

When I was growing up, I had tea time at my grandmother's house twice a week or so, when I visited her. By necessity it was at a little after 5, when I got off school, though the more usual time for tea was 4 PM. Everyday tea, served in a regular pot, was served, like a merienda, with cookies and toast or scones with butter and jam. On special occasions, most commonly when we had guests, special pastries (masas finas) and delicate sandwiches (sánguches de miga) would be bought and enjoyed by all. During our last visit to Argentina, where we enjoyed tea time at the house of many relatives and friends, we literally overdosed on these - variety is not the spice of life in Argentina.

When we came to the US we continued celebrating this tradition at home but I had to drop it after I got married. It just doesn't work well with an American adult lifestyle. Mike doesn't get home from work at least until 6 PM, a time more conductive to dinner than tea. He's not a huge fan of tea either. When my little girls are a little bit older - say 5 and 7 - I may re-establish this tradition, but for now I sip my tea alone, from a tea bag (gasp!), and in the morning.

But I still like the idea of tea and on a couple of occasions I've convinced friends to join me at one of the British-inspired tea houses in the Bay Area. There are more than you think. Some of the nicest tea-rooms are, as you might expect, in San Francisco, and in particular I've been wanting to go to the Garden Court at the Palace Hotel. From the pictures, at least, the room looks fabulous. Tea there is pretty expensive, starting at $30 per person, so I've been thinking of going there for my birthday, and strongarming some of my friends to join me.