The Auxiliary Board of Bethany Village, a local retirement community, hosted an International Tasting Tea this past Thursday; and I was fortunate to have been invited to attend. The Auxiliary was organized in 1972 and conducts certain activities and projects in an effort to raise funds to procure necessary items for use at Bethany Village, such as outdoor benches, kitchen equipment, a multimedia projector, and more. This tea was one of their recent fund raising events. The tickets were $10 per person, limited to 86 attendees. It appeared to be a successful event, it ran smoothly, and looked effortless, although I know there was a lot of coordination to make this event a success. Mary Klaus, a local Patriot News reporter, spoke about the medical missionary work she has done around the world, and how she has served tea in many unusual locales, and that it has been a uniting factor for many. Her program,, "Dust off Your Dreams" was very interesting and entertaining. She had many memorable experiences to share. Following her program, it was time to sample the international teas. There were 6 tables set up around the perimeter of the room, and when you wanted to sample another tea, you would go to the labeled table which had been decorated to represent each country. We were able to taste Almond Sunset representative of Australia, English Breakfast typical in England, Harney's Paris blend symbolic of France, a Sencha Green from Japan, Raspberry Passion to illustrate Mexico, and Ginger Lemon denoting Thailand. The party began with a three tiered tray which included a bottom tier of sandwiches, a middle tier of fresh fruit skewers, and a top tier of assorted cookies, brownies, and sweets. The hostesses of the event would replenish each plate as it emptied. The assortment of sandwiches and sweets was amazing, and the amount of goodies appeared limitless. Just to mention a few of the sandwiches, there were ham & pineapple squares, cream cheese filled fruit breads, egg salad triangles, onion and olive rounds, shrimp salad sandwiches, and more. The desserts included chocolate chip cookies, layer bars, orange frosted cookies (my favorite), peanut butter cups in a cookie, brownies, and more. There were some very busy cooks preparing for this event. It was noted in the program that all of the tea and the treats that you have enjoyed today are supplied and prepared by our Auxiliary Board and Members, and they did a superb job in preparing and serving this large group of women, many wearing hats and gloves. What fun it was to be on the other side of the kitchen! Thank you Kathy for extending an invitation to me to join you in this delightful afternoon tea.
(If you wish, click on the collage to enlarge the photos.)