High Tea vs Late Supper Etiquette

High tea is more substantial in all matters of food and drink than afternoon tea... While some unscrupulous restaurants try to make afternoon tea sound more ‘high society’ by calling it ‘high tea,’ the word ‘high’ is actually related to ‘it's high time we had something to eat.’ As social events go, high tea is lower on the scale than afternoon tea, because the chances of being fed dinner are small on a day you are given high tea. In that respect it is like the ‘cocktail-buffet,’ than which there are few lower social events. – From Judith Martin’s, Miss Manners’ Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior, 1985

According to “A Hostess,” the chief point of “high tea” as against a late dinner, is that everything is in the room at once, which reduces the difficulty of serving. For an impromptu affair, one hot and one cold dish, with cake and fruit, are ample. This menu is easily enlarged to include chicken pie, mayonnaise of lobster, creamed oysters, salad with French dressing, café frappé, claret cup, etc..., as one desires. – The New York Times, 1893

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