At Lewis & Clark Young Marines, we don’t just do push ups and close order drills! Our annual Mother-Daughter Afternoon Tea is a chance for our female Young Marines, their mothers and our female Staff to dress up, “take tea” and bond.
Our Female Staff Adviser, Miss Holly Lewis and our Supply Officer, Mrs. Diane Martin went to great lengths to ensure the Afternoon Tea was as authentic as possible. The tables were covered with proper table cloths and place settings of English bone china from their own collections. Each Young Marine was allowed to keep their cup and saucer as a memento of the event.
There were three flavors of tea on each table, traditional English Breakfast, Lady Grey and Orange Cinnamon.
The menu was as close to authentic as one could get in the States. It started with raspberry sorbet to cleanse the palate and followed with three different sandwiches; traditional cucumber, cheese and tomato, and turkey apple spinach. There were pigs in a blanket, mini quiche, two types of scones; plain drop scone and a pumpkin scone with lemon curd, strawberry jam, and double devonshire cream. Desert consisted of mini carrot cake cupcakes, mini pumpkin pies, timtams and jimmy jams.
Our Young Marines were encouraged to try a little bit of everything, even if it seemed unfamiliar. They were really very brave.
Mrs. Martin gave us some information on the history of Afternoon Tea and how it all came about. We learned it is actually considered to be quite rude to drink tea with your pinky extended.
We learned interesting history, we practiced our best manners and learned some new ones, daughters honored mothers and mothers honored daughters. We all got to know each other a little better. It was a very nice Afternoon Tea indeed.