Tea

Whether you're an armchair traveler, or you have the opportunity to visit other places beyond your immediate environment, travel gives us the opportunity to expand our minds and recognize the various ways that others are living and experiencing the world. Mark Twain encapsulated this point when he said, "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the Earth all one's lifetime.

Young Chang Conductor Alan Remington suddenly remembers that he hasn't brewed the coffee. Between fielding questions from musicians and warming up the orchestra before rehearsal this week, he steps off the conductor's podium and shuffles toward the snack table in the left wing of Orange Coast College's Robert B. Moore Theatre. His hair's a mess. His light gray corduroy pullover looks hastily thrown on and his brown slacks hang baggy. Conductor's wand in hand, the 73-year-old Remington arrives at the table and plugs the coffee thermos in. The table, it turns out, offers more than just coffee.

For Athos Fiori, coffee isn’t just a hot drink to sip over the morning paper — it’s a ritual, an art and a part of culture. The manager and founder of Buon Giorno Coffee, which opened last year in Costa Mesa, grew up in Italy and brought his expertise with him when he moved to the United States two decades ago. His business at 474 E. 17th St. offers imported coffee and plenty of Italian-style sandwiches and pastries — though the most eye-catching part of the shop may be the bright yellow orange juice-squeezing machine behind the counter.

The Newport Mesa Tea Party announced Tuesday that it objects to the possibility of an overarching agreement between the Coast Community College District and local unions that could govern hiring on almost $700 million in construction work. The district's board of trustees on Wednesday will consider drafting a project labor agreement, or PLA, that would pre-negotiate hiring terms with local unions for $698 of infrastructure bonds voters approved under Measure M. "The Tea Party stands for free markets," Tom Pollitt, Newport Mesa Tea Party Patriots founder, said in a prepared statement.

Young Chang The words "high noon tea" may sound high brow and frou frou and way too old school for anyone in this millennium, but you'd be surprised to learn who's doing it and where they're finding it. Each of our cities has a tea room. Costa Mesa's is called Tea & Sympathy and Newport Beach's little corner is Teddy Bears and Teacups. The majority of the clientele at both venues is female, between ages 6 and 96, but you do see the occasional male.

Danette Goulet COSTA MESA--A new program at Sonora Elementary School has children eager to write their next story. Among them is 7-year-old Christine Batocabe, who stood before parents, teachers and peers Wednesday afternoon and in a shy but clear voice read her rendition of how Rudolph got his red nose. "My favorite thing is to write about Santa and his reindeer," she confided. Each month, a student from every classroom at Sonora is named author of the month.

Richard Dunn Pack the sunscreen and water bottles. The heat is on for Tea Cup Classic V. The venerable 18-hole championship for women's club champions in the Daily Pilot circulation -- July 27 at Newport Beach Country Club with a 1 p.m. tea time -- could be the most competitive ever played in the 5-year-old event. And that includes last year's playoff between eventual winner Marianne Towersey (Santa Ana Country Club) and Debbie Albright (Newport Beach)

RICHARD DUNN Clear the path. Rev up the mowers. Grab a rake. This golf course will never be the same. For the first time known to mankind in the Newport-Mesa community, the best of both worlds have joined forces in the revamped Jones Cup. Circle Aug. 18 on your calendar. Newport Beach Country Club. Tee time, 1 p.m. With the official ending of the Tea Cup Classic after seven years -- tissue, anyone? (since yours truly started the event in 1997)

Amy R. Spurgeon BALBOA ISLAND -- It was definitely a party for girls. Every one of the 10 little girls, all dressed in silk and chiffon and boasting overstuffed hats with feathers and lace, agreed. "It's a girls' party," one little girl said. "Boys would have a basketball party." But no boys were present for their birthday "teacup" party Thursday afternoon at Teddy Bears & Tea Cups, a new retail shop on Marine Avenue. "Isn't this every little girl's dream," said Susan Horsager, mother of 6-year-old birthday girl Haley Horsager.

Noaki Schwartz Tiffany sat thoughtfully, black hair contrasting with the white carpet, watching as a train of silk skirts and heels swept past him. Carrying colorfully wrapped gifts, the women took off their white gloves and hats and sat down to gilded tea cups and leopard-print napkins. With grand, sweeping gestures, Tiffany's mother, Erika Faust, offered chilled white wine and began to introduce the 11 guests invited to the christening. The cooing and chatting stopped as the group paused to watch Tiffany cleaning himself, completely unaware that the event was a rare treat for a cat. "Bless Erika," said former Newport mayor Ruth Plummer when she received the unusual invitation.