The last time I went out for high tea was in Portland, Oregon a few years ago. A charming British waitress seated me on a sunny garden patio and brought me a pot of Earl Grey and a scone with clotted cream. The setting seemed so relaxing, so quaint, so European . . . until I overheard the waitress screeching into the phone in an accent no more British than Madonna... - excerpt from Article by Anya Hoffman.