You've Got To Taste This

This afternoon, I met my Mom and Grandma for lunch at The Spiced Pear Tearoom in Birmingham, Alabama.  The Spiced Pear is a lovely ladies' lunch spot located in a cute cottage style home, complete with pink shutters. The quiche was delicious, the tea flavorful (Carmen Miranda=pina colada, more or less), and the atmosphere, a just-right mix of charming and fun.

Indulging our hankering for sweets with a spot of calorie-free and delicious tea, our trio of ladies enjoyed a perfectly pleasant afternoon lunch break, which reminded me of the last time I'd had afternoon tea.

My Mom was big on taking our family to see parts of the world that were foreign to my native Florence, Alabama roots. On one occasion, we spent a week in Vancouver, venturing out to Victoria Island one day for, you guessed it, high tea.

The foursome on that trip included my parents, my brother, and myself.  As you might guess, my Dad and brother had minimal interest in high tea, and really had no idea what it was.  After enjoying tea and delicate sandwiches loaded with cucumber and spread, my brother asked Mom, "When are we getting lunch?"  Needless to say, at $25 a person, this was lunch.

That tearoom may have been too much for the rookies that my brother and I were back then, but it seems that in recent years, tearooms have been popping up in historic downtown areas, offering a location for Red Hat society meetings, showers, birthday parties, and even etiquette lessons.

Tell me, do you take your tea more often these days?  I only wish I'd gotten a pot with a little caffeine in it.  It's time for my afternoon nap!