I remember accompanying my friend on a business trip to New York City in 2001. I had not been to Manhattan since I was a child. I was amazed how it had changed and it was so clean. During the morning Jake was at his convention and we would meet later mid afternoon. One afternoon we went to The Plaza for high tea in the Palm Court. It was truly an experience, he said, I just had to see. The waiters were elegantly dressed and walked like they were actually floating slightly above the floor; there was a musician playing the violin in the middle of the court. It was quite impressive. It was like walking into a 1950’s movie…well, for me anyway.
We sat on the elegant chairs and waited to be served. We had arrived a bit late however and no one was in a mad rush to serve us. I enjoyed listening to the music and observing people who seemed accustomed to this kind of attention. I wonder if my wide eyes and open mouth threw them off…the waiters, I mean. Oh well, at $25 a person for a slice of cake and a cuppa we decided since it was almost five o’clock, we would go up to The Rose Club for happy hour and I had the best Manhattan I had ever had. The patrons were certainly more sociable. And that was my experience with High Tea at The Plaza.
noble patrons
sip tea from fine china,
violin serenades
© Tournesol’15
Tournesol dans un Jardin 
Nice haiku
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Thank you Celestine:)
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There is humour among the china in that haibun!
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I’m so glad you caught that:)
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discovering the
best thing to serve at high tea
a high bun of course
nicely done
jzb
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I remember taking my mother for high tea in Victoria, BC in the 70’s. That was my one and only experience like that!
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Oh I can imagine. I went only once for a brief media tour in Victoria for work, but I found the city so clean and so quiet at 11p.m.:) It is a haven for many people to retire although not in my budget:)
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Wow … so hoity toity … somewhere along the lines seems that high tea and low tea got their lines crossed … I read that, traditionally, high tea was the working man’s 5:00 supper, with meat and pies etc … whereas the low tea was the hoity toity affair with cakes and dainties etc. When this was traditional I’ve no idea though. I loved your story and that haiku is a little gem!
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Yes, that was my understanding too…gosh I have watched so many BBC police series and movies in the past 2 months….and from books I have read, I did understand this. High Tea would be our traditional supper here…I know many who eat between 5 and 6 which just makes me nibble all evening:)
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In my family we used to eat at that hour … though we’ve nothing to do with the British being German origin .. think it must be a Nordic tradition since the sun goes down so early … or maybe not 😉 .
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