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Tea Gardens
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It was the English who developed the Tea Garden after experiencing the Dutch "tavern garden teas". The Tea Garden was to be a place of relaxation and entertainment where ladies and gents took their tea outdoors and enjoyed the company of others, orchestras, bowling greens, operatic concerts, gambling and even firework displays.

As the Tea Gardens became meeting places for the eligible men and women of England, their popularity rose. Many people met for the first time in a Tea Garden, one such example being Lord Nelson and Ms. Emma Hamilton who were later married. For the first time women were allowed to mix freely with men without any stigma being attached to them. As such, the Tea Gardens of England played a crucial role in the emergence of equality between men and women.

The now common practice of tipping originated from the English Tea Gardens. Small wooden boxes with locks were placed around the garden with the letters TIPS carved into them, which was an acronym for "To Insure Prompt Service". As the kitchens were quite often afar off a guest would drop a coin into the box so that the waiter would hurry with his tea, which meant that it arrived still hot. This was the beginnings of the tipping custom now found in cafes, bars and restaurants throughtout the world.

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