The 3 tea cups and saucers shown below were crafted in the Orient circa 1830.  They are made of indigenous kaolin and painted with natural dyes derived from the soils of the painted mountains of Japan. 
 Each cup depicts life under communist rule where someone watches over everyday life. Even something as benign as taking tea would have been an opportunity for cloistered guests to exchange information in a social setting. Just as today, gathering for tea was a time where lots of polite chatter occurred with exchanges of information. 
Last weekend at The Palmetto Collegiate Institute in Lexington we gathered for tea to celebrate a special girl’s graduation from college.  Her grandmother, mother, great aunt, friends and relatives enjoyed a time away from life’s rigors. It was wonderful to sit in a beautiful room and listen to the rain drip from eaves more than 100 years old. 
Even the covid precautions we took did not dampen our convivial spirits. 
We can all enjoy the tea ritual today. I know many of you reading this enjoy the calm of simply sipping warm tea from a beautiful porcelain cup. I personally love the sound of the cup as it is placed in the saucer and the hypnotic sound of the spoon as it sings around the edge of the cup as the hot liquid cools before drinking.
Many rules go with taking tea but, for me, I will enjoy time away from real life no matter the circumstance. Tea with like-minded friends makes it more enjoyable. 
Growing up in Charleston, I know by heart the ritual of an old Southern tea. Our friends lived about a block from the tea plantation so we were always enjoyed the best tea possible – fresh, aromatic, with the scent of outdoors.  We had small porcelain plates painted with flowers and ribbons by Limoges.  Each plate would hold sweet treats, the most memorable being lemon pound cake, benne seed cookies and Silver Dollar Minced Shrimp Bites. 
Seeing the tea cups cloistered existence under communist rule makes me grateful to be an American where having tea was truly pleasurable without a political agenda. 
Silver Dollar Shrimp Bites
To make a memorable small sandwich for your tea table or party platter, this recipe is easy and everyone loves them.
Clean and devein 12 large shrimp, cook in acidulated water no longer than 5 minutes. Allow them to completely cool.
Mince as if mincing garlic and add:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Dukes Mayonnaise
1 tsp salt
1 tbs chopped fresh dill or 1 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbs capers juice
Combine and refrigerate a few hours.
Spread white loaf bread with shrimp and top with another slice of bread.
With a small, fluted metal cookie cutter the size of a silver dollar, cut 2 of 3 sandwiches from each large sandwich.
To store before your tea, place them between layers of damp paper towels and refrigerate in an airtight container.
Enjoy with a cup of orange-flavored tea.