Only Thirty: Why was Mrs. Wang laughed at at Mrs. Fu’s afternoon tea?

In "Thirty Only", the heroine Gu Jia successfully entered Mrs. Wang's social circle through her own efforts, a noble lady with an original Monet hanging in the living room.

In the eyes of ordinary people, Gu Jia is already considered a successful social elite. He graduated from Shanghai International Studies University with excellent grades and outstanding appearance. After working in a foreign-funded enterprise for two years, he went overseas. After starting a business and working hard with her current husband, ***, she transitioned to become a full-time housewife. But there is still a huge gap between the social elites in the eyes of ordinary people and the elites at the top of the pyramid in the real sense. Even cakes are only given to wives for afternoon tea.

It was also during the afternoon tea organized by Mrs. Wang that the shrewd Gu Jia discovered that even if he was as rich as Mrs. Wang, he would still be laughed at by his girlfriends. The reason was simply because She and her husband were nouveau riche thanks to the boom in real estate in the past decade.

Perhaps life is changing too fast. Although Mrs. Wang has reached the extreme level of a wealthy person materially, she has shortcomings in inner cultivation and knowledge. Gu Jia directly pointed out that Mrs. Wang’s So I was laughed at by my girlfriends because I chose the wrong table for afternoon tea, which completely went against British afternoon tea culture. So let’s talk about British afternoon tea. The protagonists of afternoon tea: tea and porcelain. In the early years, Britain was like other countries. Even the aristocrats only lived a life above subsistence. This can be seen from the lackluster food culture in Britain.

It was not until the middle of the 18th century that a large number of aristocrats and middle classes were born in Britain. These people began to have money and leisure, thus laying the foundation for the birth of afternoon tea culture. Most people attribute the prosperity of the British to the Industrial Revolution, but in fact there is a more important reason, and that is the British plunder of a large number of overseas colonies. Rich ladies chat and laugh and feast at afternoon tea, but behind the scenes are planting The hard work of slaves in the garden.

To get back to the subject, afternoon tea culture has a lot to do with China, because tea, the protagonist of afternoon tea, comes from China, and for a long time, China was the only supplier of tea in the world. It was not until the British secretly brought tea saplings to India in the 18th century that the amount of tea imported from China in Europe gradually decreased. Instead, tea leaves from India, Sri Lanka and other places are used. Because these countries are closer to the equator than China, the black tea produced is more mellow and flavorful.

Porcelain, another protagonist of afternoon tea, still comes from China. Although Europeans have never stopped studying the secrets of porcelain manufacturing, they have been unsuccessful until the British stole it from Jingdezhen through commercial espionage. The core trade secret of porcelain - the raw material is kaolin.

As the saying goes, it is better to learn from the past than to learn from the past. The stolen trade secrets allowed the British to save a lot of research and development energy, and then they could better develop on the original basis. European bone china and Sri Lankan black tea both occupy a considerable share of the world's high-end brands. However, as the origin of these products, China has few big brands that can enter the international market. The essence of afternoon tea: aristocratic life with money and leisure. When the productivity of a society is limited, the material wealth that everyone can enjoy will naturally be limited. The most direct manifestation is that people only eat two meals a day, or even one. meal.

This is true in both China and the West. The Chinese really started eating three meals a day in the Song Dynasty when the economy was developed, while the British changed their habit of having two meals a day after the industrial revolution and the rapid economic development. It takes place in the context of the development of the times. Of course, the British did not directly add a meal, but adopted a more euphemistic approach and added an afternoon tea at around 4 p.m. Although it was tea in name, it was actually almost the same as eating. Although it is also afternoon tea, it is a completely different concept for the lower class people and the ladies of the upper class.

For the people at the bottom, after finishing a day's work, they hope to have a good meal, so the table is filled with various meats (beef, pickled salmon, etc.) and pies, so rich and Large-sized food naturally has to be placed on a large table, so this type of afternoon tea is called High Tea.

As for the upper class, as they have gradually moved away from the pursuit of basic materials and instead emphasized taste and style, this type of afternoon tea is often accompanied by couches, sofas, exquisite bone china, and short coffee tables. The food is also all kinds of delicious Dessert, this afternoon tea is called low tea.

So although Mrs. Wang in "Thirty Only" bought the highest-end furniture and porcelain, she used a high-top table, which is equivalent to afternoon tea in the upper class and is used by the poor. It's no wonder her best friends laughed at her. This was exactly what Gu Jia pointed out. Let’s talk about other things about afternoon tea

Afternoon tea, which originated from the British upper class, has another important meaning, that is, it is a social place for ladies. You must know that in the early days of the Industrial Revolution, women could choose Social interaction is extremely limited, which is similar to ancient Chinese women's "never leaving the front door, never stepping out of the second door". Even if they occasionally go to listen to opera, it is too restrictive. If they want to chat and gossip, they can't even think about it.

So afternoon tea has been the most popular social place for ladies for a long time. This is still the case today. Later, many high-end hotels and luxury shopping malls took advantage of it and specially opened it. It is a place specially designed for ladies to have afternoon tea, in order to attract potential customers to spend. The Ritz Hotel, founded in 1906, is famous for its afternoon tea.

Finally, let me share with you some basic etiquette that you need to pay attention to when participating in social afternoon tea: 1. Desserts and tea should be eaten together. Take a small bite of dessert and a sip of tea to show your elegance; 2. Personal belongings Put it away in advance, especially do not leave keys, mobile phones, etc. on the table; 3. Put the spoon on the plate after use, do not leave it in the cup; 4. Understand but do not say your personal likes and dislikes about food (remember that you are (to socialize); 5. If you want to eat scones, remember to spread butter first and then jam; 6. After eating, do not move the plate 1 inch from the edge of the table; 7. Unless you decide to leave, otherwise Don't put napkins on the table.

Life is like a play, and play is like life. The so-called social interaction is actually a stage for competing acting skills. Only when masters compete and appreciate each other can further communication be facilitated. Therefore, in the eyes of many people, the so-called social interaction in the upper class It’s quite tiring, but if you want to wear the crown, you will have to bear the consequences. It is impossible to enjoy money and power without paying the price. The story of afternoon tea ends here. If it is not necessary, it is more comfortable to spend the afternoon with your family.