She invited friends to join her for an additional afternoon meal at four to five o'clock. The menu included tea and snacks such as dainty cakes and sandwiches. Fine porcelain (瓷器) was used to serve this minor feast. Afternoon tea soon became popular, and is now a symbol of the elegant British way of life. As novelist Henry James wrote, "There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."