Tea & Beauty

Here's where I'm angling to go for my next high-tea memory:
BG Restaurant at Bergdorf Goodman.

My throat hurts. Having a huge mug of English Breakfast with a spoonful of sugar, some milk and a splash of cream, since we have a carton in the fridge [H. bought it to make very good cream of mushroom soup.] For me, a little swirl of the richness takes all iced coffees and hot teas to a new level.

Measuring My Life in Teabags

• Don't put the kettle on. Never liked tea much growing up, though I should have, being half Irish. We only had Lipton teabags anyway, nothing too exotic. The most interesting thing about the very existence of tea was the image of the man on the yellow box. What was he, anyway--a steamboat captain?
• I'm a little teapot. Don't you love that children's rhyme/song?
• All the tea in China. As a child, you get a good intro to tea in Chinatown--my parents took us all there at least once. Who can forget the welcome, a waiter pouring steaming brew into little cups with no handles?
• Reading tea leaves. Moey's grandfather's second wife, a very nice lady, had a mother known as Grandma Bunny. Grandma Bunny, who was small, with jet-black hair, could read tea leaves, and often did on the deck at Moey's house during family parties when we were teens. Regrettably, I don't remember what she saw in my cup.
• High tea at the Palm Court. My friends/co-workers Marilynn and Margaret first invited me to join them at the Plaza Hotel one day after work [around 5ish, I think]. It was so lovely. Strawberries, scones with Devonshire cream, pastries served on a tiered tray, silver spoons. This was before marriage and motherhood for all of us. We just sat and talked, sipped and nibbled. After that, I went back with Sis several times, too, often with our friend, Edie. Sis was the one who gently reminded me to not put my spoon on the table, but rest it on the saucer instead. Big sisters! I think this was also where I learned that you cannot put milk and lemon into the same cup without curdling. 
• Christmas tea at the Plaza. Once Figgy was old enough, Sis and I started taking her to high tea for a holiday treat. She wore a pretty dress with a big sash in the back, cute black patent leather Mary Janes, a hairband and a smile. It was fun. That was before we switched to our annual Radio City tradition.
• Swanning around. Swanning is a new term I've adopted from Sis, for going to fancy places. She and I swanned around over the years, having high tea at Bloomingdale's Le Train Bleu once [we didn't like it as much as the Plaza] and Sis going to London with Don sometimes and having it there, and reporting back to me. She wants to do something special for my 50th birthday, take me somewhere. She has always been so generous to me. I told her today that I might just want her to take me to afternoon tea at BG Restaurant on the 7th floor at Bergdorf Goodman. The restaurant looks out over Central Park and has beautiful blue chairs. And the BG Tea Service Royale sounds promising. It's a steep $50 per person, but read on--it's not just tea, but a luxury pour, too:   

  Served Daily from 3-5pm The following assortment will be served with your choice of dammann frères teas. BG TEA SERVICE   $35 per person BG TEA SERVICE ROYALE   $50 per person accompanied by a glass of veuve clicquot yellow label brut nv

  Menu tea sandwiches freshly baked scones fruit preserves devonshire cream a variety of petite sweets

  Dammann Frères Tea Selection ANJI  white tea from the anji region exclusively harvested during one or two weeks a year BREAKFAST  a blend of sri lanka, darjeeling and assam tea GOÛT RUSSE  exclusive and unique blend of chinese tea and citrus fruits essential oils JARDIN BLEU  blend of teas from india and china, flavored with rhubarb, wild strawberry and cornflower petals EARL GREY  a subtle marriage of teas from keemun in the anhui province of china, delicate silver tips and calabria bergamot essential oil VANILLA DECAFFEINATED  sri lanka tea with vanilla aroma YELLOW LEMON  unique, original fusion of a china green sencha tea and lemongrass NUIT À VERSAILLES  green sencha basis, bergamot essential oil, kiwi, yellow peach, orange blossom, violet blossom CAMOMILE  tisane harvested june to september, notes of citron and light bitterness

• One evening in Maine. H.'s oldest brother, John, who often welcomes us to his home and lets us stay a few days, has a cabinet full of herbal teas. He likes morning and day coffee a lot, but switches to a mug or two of tea every night. When we visit there, I have a cup at night, too. I like it. John and his daughter, Leah, know how to live simply and smoothly.
• DIY tea treatments. Figgy likes homespun beauty-spa things--last week, she made hair lightener using camomile tea and had teabags over her eyes to soothe a scratched/dry cornea from her contacts. 

How about you? We can't share a cup right now, but tell me what you remember.

Good night.