IT'S QUINTESSENTIAL

By evening I am usually pepped to the eye-brows.
The day starts with one and a half to two cups of coffee, followed by a small cup of Jasmine tea before I leave the house.
Two cups of plain black tea before lunch.
Coffee after, then two to four more cups of tea before I leave the office.
I'm more awake at the end of the working day than when it started.
Slightly crazier too.

It's always time for tea.

During our vacations in England the highlight of a day motoring across Devonshire and Cornwall was stopping somewhere for tea around four o'clock.
Strong tea. Scones. Clotted cream. Preserves.
Dundee cake. Shortbread cookies.
Just enough to replenish the spirit.
Followed by another splash of tea.
And a pipe filled with good tobacco.


Given that English dinners could be questionable, this was often the perfect way to preamble a long summer twilight. If the local cuisine proved iffy, well, no big loss.
Another pipefull, and perhaps more tea when we got back to the hotel.

You understand, of course, that as the only pipesmoker among the four of us, my task was to make up for the slackers.


A PERFECT TIME FOR STIMULATION

Unless one is planning to stay up all night, coffee and tea should cease flowing by early evening at the latest. Otherwise you find yourself on Facebook till three in the morning, hitting 'like' or watching videos of a Japanese cat. A stupid Japanese cat.

Here in San Francisco, afternoon tea, if it can be found, is a rather pretentiously overpriced luxury.
But all it needs is good Assam or Ceylon, and something nice to eat.
Scones are extremely similar to baking-powder biscuits.
Preserves can be found in the supermarket.
Clotted cream, which is hard to find, can be replaced with butter.
Besides, unless you are catering to American tourists, what do you do with the ninety percent remaining in the tub of clotty?
Butter.

Dundee cake is NOT essential, and can validly be replaced by almost any other cake-like object.

A comfy room, and a throw-rug during summer.
Staying warm in San Francisco is important.


I have a collection of nice plates I have not used in years. If a good reason presents itself, they will serve biscuits and a small selection of cookies.
There will be cups and saucers.
And strong black tea.
Milk, sugar.

Until then, I'll just smoke my pipe a lot.
And dream of teatime.



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