By seven the kitchen was already practicing patience. Tea cozies lined up by the stove, each waiting to greet a cup and nod to the sugar bowl before settling onto exactly one teapot. The keeper of the shelf would not let two cozies share a spout.
We asked at the kiosk by the square. "I thought they were racing," said the woman who sells jam. "They are only being careful. A cozy that rushes leaves the spout still chilly, and then the first sip feels like it forgot its scarf."
A notice appeared on the sugar bowl in careful jam-print. Courtesy hours run from first kettle-hum to first pour. Cups may nod, but they do not skip the queue. Spouts that are still deciding should not be hurried.