| 簡介：在午後時分和三五好友共享美味下午茶是人生一大享受，但你知道這項優雅傳統的由來嗎？用茶的禮節又有哪些呢？
The Great Tradition of Tea
A small table is set with beautiful
china. Painted flowers circle the edges of plates and cups.
One person helps himself to some small sandwiches from a tray,
and another picks up a white teapot and pours. “No sugar
for me,” a third person says. This is the traditional British
art of afternoon tea.
While tea isn't originally from England,
the tradition of taking tea in the afternoon with sandwiches
and cakes is. The Duchess of Bedford, a friend of Queen Victoria,
developed the practice in the early 1800s. She frequently felt
hungry between lunch and dinner. She found that a light meal of
tea, small sandwiches, and scones was just right for her. Soon,
all of her friends were joining her or having their own afternoon tea.
英式下午茶
一張小桌子上擺放了漂亮的瓷器。盤子和杯子的邊緣環繞著彩繪花朵。有個人從托盤中拿些小三明治出來吃，另一個人拿起白色的茶壺倒茶。第三個人說：「我不用加糖。」這就是傳統英式下午茶的藝術。
雖然茶最初並非源於英國，但在下午喝茶配三明治和蛋糕的傳統卻是。維多利亞女王的朋友貝德福公爵夫人在十九世紀初發展出這項習俗。她經常在午餐和晚餐間感到飢餓。她發現一份包含茶、小三明治和司康餅的輕食對她來說剛剛好。很快地，她所有的朋友都加入她或是享用他們自己的下午茶。  |
