前段時間電視劇《三十而已》持續刷屏。除了曬包，貴婦們聚在一起，最經常做的就是喝喝下午茶，聊聊天~
例如，顧佳與王太太「品茶」的名場面。她一語道破low tea和high tea[1]的區別，讓強撐姿態的王太太好不尷尬。
[1] high tea 高茶，黃昏時吃的正式茶點，與簡單的晚餐相似，通常有一道熱菜（或三明治）和一壺茶，在英格蘭北部和蘇格蘭尤為流行。
不過，下午茶並不是貴婦們的專屬消費。近年來，越來越多的小姐妹也約起了下午茶，它成為展現生活格調的一種方式。
但下午茶的講究也很多，要想搞清楚下午茶的正確打開方式，我們先要區分的是「茶飲」和「茶餐」兩個概念。在英語中這兩個詞都可以用tea表示，因此容易弄混。
「茶飲」和「茶餐」
Tea the drink
茶飲
There are two forms of tea that often cause confusion in the tea world: tea the drink and tea the meal. Tea the drink is made from the Camellia Sinensis plant and from the processing of the plant white, green, oolong, and black teas are produced. The basic teas are also often blended with other plants like vanilla, mint and melon as well as flavors like Oil of Bergamot to make Earl Grey Tea.
在茶界，有兩種形式的茶時常引起混淆：一為「茶飲」，一為「茶餐」。「茶飲」是由山茶屬植物製成的，這些植物經過加工製成白茶、綠茶、烏龍茶和紅茶。這幾種基礎茶還常與香草、薄荷、甜瓜等植物以及佛手柑油等香料混合，製成伯爵茶。
The beverage is made by steeping[2] processed leaves, buds, or twigs of the tea bush in hot water for a few minutes. The processing can include oxidation, heating, drying, and the addition of other herbs, flowers, spices, and fruits.
茶飲就是將加工過的茶葉、芽頭或嫩枝浸泡到熱水中製成的飲品。茶的加工處理包括氧化、加熱、乾燥以及添加其他藥草、花卉、香料和水果。
[2] steep 浸泡。
The term 「herbal tea」 usually refers to infusions[3] of fruit or of herbs (such as rosehip, chamomile, or jiaogulan) that contain no Camellia Sinensis.
「花果茶」通常指用水果或藥草（比如玫瑰果、甘菊或絞股藍）衝泡而成的飲品，不含山茶屬植物。
[3] infusion 泡製。
Tea the meal
茶餐
Tea the meal on the other hand involves tea the drink as an important part but really is directed toward social and family gatherings where tea and food are often consumed together.
說到「茶餐」，茶飲是其重要組成部分，真正的茶餐是指邊喝茶邊用餐的社交和家庭聚會。
Generally speaking, the tea meal became most popular and refined in England but spread to English speaking countries or former English colonies as well. Tea meals are also celebrated in other countries in differing forms.
一般而言，茶餐在英國最為普及，也最為講究，但也傳播至英語國家或前英屬殖民地。其他國家也有不同形式的茶餐。
「下午茶」、「高茶」和「晚點」有什麼區別
而茶餐又分為「下午茶」、「高茶」和「晚點」，區分不同茶餐的關鍵是供應時段、餐品和場所。
Afternoon tea
下午茶
Afternoon tea (or Low tea) is a light meal typically eaten at 4:00 pm. It originated in Britain, though various places in the former British Empire also have such a meal. However, most Britons no longer eat such a meal.
「下午茶（或低茶）」特指下午4點用的簡餐。它起源於英國，而前大英帝國的不同屬地也有這種簡餐。但現在，大多數英國人都不再吃這一餐。
Traditionally, loose tea would be served in a teapot with milk and sugar. This would be accompanied by various sandwiches (customarily cucumber, egg and cress[4], tuna, ham, and smoked salmon), scones[5] (with butter, clotted cream[6] and jam) and usually cakes and pastries. Traditionally the tea and food would be served on a lounge[7] (or low) table.
傳統做法是將散茶衝泡在茶壺中，與牛奶和砂糖一併提供。同時還會配以各種各樣的三明治（通常會有黃瓜、水芥雞蛋、金槍魚、火腿和煙燻三文魚）、鬆餅（抹上黃油、濃縮奶油和果醬）以及一般都會有的蛋糕和油酥點心。這些茶水和食物從前都是放在客廳茶几（矮腳桌）上面。
[4] cress 水芥（常放在沙拉和三明治中食用）。
[5] scone 司康餅，也叫英式鬆餅。
[6] clotted cream 〈英〉（用文火把牛奶加熱而成的）濃縮奶油。產於英國西南部的德文郡（Devonshire）的最好，口感細膩，因而又稱「德文郡奶油」。clot（使乳脂）凝結成塊。
[7] lounge （私宅中的）起居室。
While afternoon tea used to be an everyday event, nowadays it is more likely to be a treat in a hotel, café, or tea shop, although many Britons still have a cup of tea and slice of cake or chocolate at teatime. Accordingly, many hotels now market and promote afternoon teas.
雖然下午茶在過去很日常，但如今更多在酒店、咖啡館或茶坊才能享用到。不過很多英國人還會在下午茶時間喝一杯茶、吃塊蛋糕或巧克力。於是，現在很多酒店都有下午茶的推廣促銷活動。
High tea
高茶
To the uninitiated[8] 「high tea」 may be a confusing term.
對於外行，「高茶」這個詞可能讓人摸不著頭腦。
[8] uninitiated 無專門知識（或經驗）的人。
High tea is an early evening meal, typically eaten between 5:00 and 6:00 pm. It would be eaten as a substitute for both afternoon tea and the evening meal. The term comes from the meal being eaten at the 『high』 (main) table, instead of the smaller lounge (low) table. It is now largely replaced by the later meal tea.
「高茶」指傍晚時分所用的餐點，特指下午5點至6點的用餐。高茶可以代替下午茶和晚餐。人們在「高」（主）桌上用餐，而不是在較小的客廳茶几（矮腳桌）上，「高茶」由此得名。如今，高茶基本上被晚些時候的那頓茶餐代替了。
It would usually consist of cold meats, eggs and/or fish, cakes and sandwiches. In a family, it tended to be less formal and is an informal snack (featuring sandwiches, cookies, pastry, fruit and the like) or else it is the main evening meal.
高茶一般會有盤肉、雞蛋和/或魚、蛋糕以及三明治。在家裡，高茶沒有那么正式講究，可以是隨意的小食（有三明治、曲奇、油酥點心、水果等），也可以是晚上正餐。
On farms, in rural areas or other working class environments, high tea would be the traditional, substantial meal eaten by workers immediately after nightfall, and would combine afternoon tea with the main evening meal.
而如果是在農場、農村地區或其他工薪階層出入的地方，高茶往往指工人們在傍晚食用的那頓傳統豐盛的餐點，把下午茶和晚上正餐合到了一起。
In recent years, 「high tea」 somehow became a word for exquisite afternoon tea. Such usage is incorrect. High tea is not, in traditional terms, afternoon tea.
近些年，「高茶」不知怎麼變成了「精緻下午茶」的代名詞，這樣的用法是錯誤的。傳統上，「高茶」不是「下午茶」。
Main evening meal
晚點
Tea is the main evening meal, even if the diners are not drinking tea. It is traditionally eaten at 5 o』clock in the evening, though often it is later, as late as 9pm.
Tea在英文裡也表示晚間正餐，即使用餐者並不飲茶。傳統上是在17點用餐，但通常會更晚，最晚到21點。
In many rural parts of the United Kingdom tea as a meal is synonymous with dinner in standard English. Under such usage, the midday meal is sometimes termed dinner, rather than lunch.
在英國很多農村地區，tea（茶餐）在標準英語中等同於dinner（晚餐）。依此用法，午時用的飯（midday meal）有時就被稱為dinner，而非lunch。
High tea不等於「高級下午茶」
在美國，「高茶」一詞有時會用來指茶會（一種非常正式和講究的聚會，在優雅的環境裡擺上茶水、薄切三明治和小蛋糕）。這種用法是因為人們錯把high（高）字理解成了formal（正式）的意思。
This form of tea is increasingly served in high-end US hotels, often during the winter holidays and other tourist seasons, and many big-city teahouses, where it is usually correctly described as 「afternoon tea」.
越來越多的美國高端酒店（常常在冬季的節期和其他旅遊旺季）和美國大城市的茶坊會提供高茶。在這些地方，這種茶通常被稱為「下午茶」，而這種叫法才是正確的。
來源：英語世界
作者：馬庫斯·斯託特 陳穎 [譯]
編審：Jade 丹妮
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