Tea at The Ritz

We had a ladies' tea yesterday at the Ritz Carlton Doha. I was amazed at how affordable it was, considering the location. A traditional "English Ladies' Tea" is about 30QR per person. Considering the level of opulence inside - WOW. I never would have thought that this was something I could afford to do. I have to confess, before coming here to visit my parents, I just looked at tea as something that was orange, hot, and sat in a pot. I never thought of tea in the way that I thought of wine. To me, tea was always common and I never paid it that much attention. You just have it on the stove in case someone comes to visit. If you're feeling all foofy and hipper than thou, then you drink green tea and you lace it with unpronounceable flowers from Asia. If you're feeling the need to convince yourself that you're not a narcissistic suburbanite wiener then you drink organic tea that comes from some mountaintop fair trade "womyn's collective" in a 3rd World country that you'll never visit. That was about the extent of my tea-ness.

The Ritz Carlton Doha takes grand to new heights

Here, everyone drinks tea. Not only do they drink it, they hold it in the same regard that I do wine. People have multiple tea sets with glasses for specific tea leaves and they pair it off with specific food and serve it up in so many different ways. I will probably never look at tea the same way again. The ladies here collect tea cozies the way that I collect wine decanters. So it was with this sort of a crew that I embarked on my third ever proper "afternoon tea", the first being as a teenager in Victoria, BC, and the second being in Ottawa or Montreal....maybe.....I forget....it wasn't terribly memorable.

This chandelier was to the left of us 

The ladies' tea gave the Muslim ladies in my mother's circle a chance to come out and socialize. They aren't allowed to be in private homes, unaccompanied. At a place like this, they can come and socialize without a small army of husbands, brothers, or fathers lurking around.

Part of The Lobby Lounge

The Lobby Lounge of the Ritz is where we held our tea. It is GORGEOUS. I've been to some really nice hotels over the years for various functions in Canadian cities, but few have come close to the standards of the Ritz Carlton. If you ever have the opportunity to visit one and enjoy a formal tea, do so. At the R-C Doha, despite being very open, the location felt discreet and private. We were able to people watch, yet were not on display ourselves. The staff were beautifully dressed in gold and black Asian style split skirts and tunics. Like all the other serving staff I have encountered in restaurants across Qatar, they are a constant background presence; magically there when you need them, ever present but unobtrusive. If I ever make it back there I will try their Moroccan tea and a traditional Arabic tea service. I enjoyed a pot of their China Rose. I have had rose tea in the past, but the scent of the rose petals diffusing out of the pot was an absolutely divine sensory experience. The only thing that still catches me unaware is that smoking is still allowed in restaurants here, so like yesterday, our tea was booked not even realizing that the default would be a smoking section. However, while we were unable to be moved, the smoke was not really noticeable and the doorman was very nice and kept the door open to allow fresh air into our area. So the staff were resourceful in their efforts to please our party. We fussy Canadians thank you!!!

No one rushes you in Doha. There is no 20 minute kick-off to turn over your table, which is funny because dining out costs less here than in Canada. I have to remind myself not to eat like a North American, to just slooooow down, to enjoy my food, because no one is going to usher me away to prep my table for the next people standing around glaring at me from the waiting area. It just isn't like that here. Dining out in Doha is enjoyable, whether it is five star cuisine or a family restaurant that also feeds the occasional stray cat. Eating is practically a spiritual experience, not something to cross off the chore list must eat on the way home. I will miss the social restaurant atmosphere the percolates this city, it is relaxed beyond belief.