For anyone who knows me well, two totally contradictory thoughts will enter their minds upon reading the title of this post. The first of these thoughts will be, of course, that baking for, preparing for, serving and enjoying a "Ladies Tea," would be something I would do, be very good at, and enjoy. The second of these thoughts, the one I have to put on the back burner occassionally myself, is something more like, what is this feminist, women's rights advocate, Women's Studies major doing at a Ladies Tea? In light of this I have decided that this blog post should address both of these ideas (for my own sanity)-first the theory, then the goodies.
The Ladies Tea. Some may say that the Ladies Tea is the epitome of a foundation, a structure, and a process that the various waves of feminist movements have been trying to overthrow. It is a perfect example of the intentional socialization of women, from birth, to be, act, speak and live a certain way. It is the pinnacle of conformity, from the lightness of the food that was served (watching our waistlines you know) to the size of the handle on the tea cup (you know we are all dainty, small, delicate, weak and God forbid we take up too much space), to the expectation of stockings and dresses that were confining and honestly not very comfortable. Perhaps the only people at the tea who could actually use the handle the way it was meant to be used were the four little girls under the age of 10 who attended. These little girls were dressed up, pressed up, and watching every little detail that was happening around them. I am just so very grateful that these girls, I know, are exposed to many other things-an advantage little girls did not have even 25 or 30 years ago. While they did attend the ladies tea, they probably also play soccer, or go fishing and they certainly speak their minds. Probably my favorite moment of the day was when one little girl, maybe three years old, pulled her dress over her head to scratch her butt-and this was after her shoes had long since been kicked off. Thank God for little girls like that.
The redeeming quality of the Ladies Tea for me is one that is fundamentally near and dear to my heart. It is the reason I participated and the reason I had a great time. It is a core piece of the very beginnings of the women's movement in America. The Ladies Tea was a women-only space. I think the importance of historically women-only spaces has been neglected and forgotten, if not totally disregarded. The women's movement didn't start on the streets, it wasn't broadcasted on CNN or YouTube, and it wasn't debated in Congress. The women's movement started in kitchens, laundry rooms, over stringing beans and brewing coffee. It started at luncheons, over cucumber sandwiches and piping hot tea served in cups with tiny handles that the women realized they couldn't even pick up really. Yeah. Before 1920, there existed no public arena for women's voices. Forget about your Tweets, your blog and your Facebook status updates. Forget about registering to vote, filling your birth control prescription, owning your own property, going to college, working outside of your home, or pursuing a career. Without women-only spaces, where women could speak freely and feel able to share their intellect, we'd still be our husbands' property, tied to our kitchens, without an education, a voice, or a chance.
Now those of you who want to rain on my parade with your ardently held slandering of genderedness, pardon my choice of words but, you can just shove it. Without these women-only spaces, you probably wouldn't be able to, have the right or opportunity to so freely express your opinion on how they shouldn't exist.
The Ladies Tea is a part of my heritage as a feminist. While I was carrying plates of chicken salad to the pastel clad ladies in hats and stockings, I kept reminding myself that perhaps, just perhaps, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton sat at a tea like this one, sharing their thoughts on how women really ought to have the right to vote. I closed my eyes for a moment and just listened to the hum of chitter-chatter going on from table to table and tried to imagine how these little sounds, these voices, this energy spun into the modern American women's movement and all of the priveleges extended to me because of it. I have to appreciate the Ladies Tea, I don't have to like the details of the tradition, but I do have to appreciate it.
Now, for those of you who are only reading through this Women's Studies lesson for the Lemon Bars, now's your time.
Everyone LOVES these lemon bars. They have a fantastic, sweet and thick shortbread crust, and a slightly tart but translucent and gooey filling. Nothing says springtime like lemons. The freshness, the zip and zing of tanginess, the delightfully yellow color and the citrusy bite all remind me that the flowers are blooming, the trees are budding and the warm sun is returning. These to me are the essential lemon bar, the perfect example of what a lemon bar should be, and I hope you enjoy them.
Ladies Tea Lemon Bars
CRUST
2 sticks of soft butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 tsp. salt
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease, with Crisco by hand, one 9 x 13 x 2 inch glass or ceramic baking dish (don't use metal, they'll never come out of the pan).
2. Cream together the butter and the sugar until light and well blended. Mix the flour and salt together and add to the creamed butter. Press this mixture into the pan and bake for 15 minutes. Let cool for 10-15 minutes.
FILLING
4 eggs
1 1/4 cup sugar
6 TBS. flour
6 TBS. fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
1 TBS. fresh lemon zest (1 lemon)
1. Beat eggs and sugar together until pale. Add the remaining ingredients, mixing well. Pour this mixture over the pre-baked crust.
2. Bake for 25 minutes, or until they seem set (you shouldn't see liquid moving under the surface of the bars) and are golden brown on top. Cool completely in pans. Cut into squares. Makes 24 bars.
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