Afternoon traditions and the art of slowing down

Story and photos by Anna Isabel C. Sobrepeña

- 

THERE are hours between midday and evening when the rhythm of the day seems to move at a slower cadence, Either by design of human constitution to recharge or to indulge the palate with preferred company, afternoon rituals have evolved through time.

High tea in 19" century England began when workers on long shifts took breaks to maintain productivity. It was a necessity for laborers during the Industrial Revolution to replenish their energy, typically with meat pies, bread, and, naturally, the English staple of tea.

Sometime in the 1840s, the 7 Duchess of Bedford Anna Maria Russell elevated the sine qua non into a refined social tradition. Addressing her hunger pangs which occurred after the noonday meal and before the late evening dinners, she would request for a tray of light foods, Friends were invited to share her tea, bread, and cakes, and unknowingly started a trend that quickly became popular among the highborn, Such agreeable gatherings were held with the refinements of aristocracy, served ona high table, hence, the term high tea.