Cambric Tea - novellutmaningen

25. Läs en kuslig novell — Cambric Tea av Marjorie Bowen 

Published in The World's Best 100 Detective Stories, 

Vol. Two, Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1929

Marjorie skrev sin första novell när hon var 16 år — en våldsam historia som ett antal förlag tackade nej till, för det ansågs inte passande att en ung flicka skrev sådant! 

Men hon fick sin novell publicerad, och fortsatte att skriva — och skriva mycket, i ett flertal genrer, under ett antal olika pseudonymer.

"Cambric Tea" är väl inte den kusligaste berättelse jag läst — men det räckte gott och väl åt mig, som inte gillar kusligheter.

Man kallar drycken "Cambric Tea" av samma skäl som vi kallar det för silverte på svenska — den blaskiga färgen förmodas likna ett tunt ljust tyg (linne eller bomull), vilket kanske är en bättre liknelse än den svenska, med silver.

Cambric tea, sometimes called "nursery tea" was hot water and milk, was an American slang term referring to a drink of hot water, milk, and a dash of tea, sometimes sweetened. It is also described as hot water with a little milk or cream and sugar, without any tea at all. It was given to children, supposedly to give them energy, or to help them feel grown up during tea time. It was also often served to the elderly.

Cambric tea got its name from cambric fabric, which was white and thin, just like the tea. Cambric fabric gets its name from the French town of Cambrai, a textile center. Cambric tea was popular during the late 19th to early 20th centuries. It was also known as white tea, or hot water tea.

In later times, after coffee became popular, cambric tea gave way to "coffee milk" which was a similar drink with more milk and sugar than coffee. In some regions of the South, children are given coffee milk at an early age, and the amount of coffee is increased as they grow older. It is possible that Cambric tea was used in the same way, and Laura Ingalls Wilder, who mentions cambric tea in her book The Long Winter, claimed that the drink was indeed developed by temperance crusaders as a way of introducing stimulants to the young.

Cambric tea was popular at a time when cold beverages were discouraged and believed to be bad for the digestion. It was even advised to forgo any drink during mealtime, but when a drink was taken, a hot drink was considered more healthful and natural, and even plain hot water was often prescribed. As such, if any other elements were added to the hot water, they should be minimal. Such drinks, including cambric tea, were considered better choices for children, the elderly, or the ill.
cambric (n.) 
late 14c., from Kamerijk, Flemish form of Cambrai, city in northern France where the cloth was originally made, from Latin Camaracum. The modern form of the English word has elements from both versions of the name.




lästa noveller:
39. Läs en novell med en huvudperson som har ett husdjur —  "Cats", ur novellsamlingen ""Be Good to Yourself. A Book of Short Stories" (1930), av Nellie McClung (en spännande och intressant bekantskap).




37. Läs en novell med en titel som består av ett enda ord — Cheese av Ethel Lina White, 1941.





10. Läs en novell som utspelar sig på hösten — A Word for Autumn, av A. A. Milne.





28. Läs en novell med ett lyckligt slut – Aunt Maryfrån Collected Short Stories av Fred M. White