My Country, 'Tis of Tea — Indiana

Ever wonder why Indiana is known as the Hoosier State? Well, you’ll have to keep wondering, because apparently the exact origin of the term “hoosier” has been lost to time. According to the Indiana Historical Society, "No one seems to know how the word ‘Hoosier' came to be. Some people think it was meant to mock Indiana as a rough, backwoods and backwards place. Others think that early settlers used the term with pride to describe themselves as a hearty, courageous group.” I was amused to learn that one legend—which is false, alas—is that the question “Who’s your (relative)?” was shortened to just “Hoosier.” Ha! So while we may never know what Hoosier really means, I can tell you that Indiana has a few teatime connections that are indeed known!

• Certainly one of the most legendary tearooms ever to operate in Indiana was the tearoom at L.S. Ayres department store in Indianapolis. The tearoom was in business from 1905-1990, and when it closed, the tearoom reopened at the Indiana State Museum. The tearoom appears in this photo as it looked around the time of its opening (photo courtesy of the Indiana Historical Society). Now I pass right through downtown Indianapolis on my way to see my stepdaughter and her family in Wisconsin each year, but I’d never been able to time things just right to pay a visit to the recreated L.S. Ayres tearoom. I've apparently waited too late, as now it's available only to groups of 15 or more by reservation, and I can't think of a good reason to get 14 friends to go to Indianapolis with me! Fortunately, a cookbook of the tearoom’s famous recipes was published, with copies still available regularly on eBay, and I have made and enjoyed the famous Chicken Velvet Soup. 

• Many tea lovers like old glassware, and plenty of it hails from Indiana. Ever heard of Indiana Glass Company of Dunkirk, Indiana? The company traces its beginnings to 1897 and produced a glassware pattern called Avocado, considered by some to be the first real pattern of Depression glass. You may also have heard of Cracked Ice, Pyramid, Horseshoe, Pineapple and Floral, Old English, and Sandwich patterns. My favorite Indiana Glass pattern, though, is without a doubt the Art Deco Tea Room pattern, the teacup and saucer of which are shown here. If you’d like to learn more about Indiana Glass, there are lots of articles online, and I found this website most helpful with its extensive history and listings.

• Finally, I learned that like most states, Indiana has an active tea community and is regularly hosting teas at lovely and often historic venues around the state. If any Hoosiers happen to be reading, I came across a notice about a May 7 Mother’s Day Tea in Indianapolis, an event sponsored by the Hoosier Chapter of the Victorian Society of America. Now doesn’t that sound like fun? The tea will be held from 1-3 p.m. that Saturday at the James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home in Indianapolis. Speaker Doreen Squire Ficara will speak on the Authentic English Tea, will display her own English silver tea pieces, and some lucky guest will win a piece of English silver. Email HoosierVSA@gmail.com for more information.