-------- ſae （ ） --№ſſae |×ſae -№ae， ſ！|×|-||-|- "….………….… |- ſae ----~--~~~~♥~~~~ |----…：……………. №， º ae-- ſae ſaerae №ae， · ſae ：： （）- | ….………….|×--- . （~~~~：-） |- ， ！ - （ ） · · · · · · · · · · - . . . . - - - ~~~~ ~~~~ № - - - ، ، ، ، ， ， ， ， ,|× ├---- |-|（…）. ，- - - - - º: --~~~ º |- （ ） （~~~~）; （ ） - （ ） （± ################### ！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！ WILLIAM L. CLEMENTS LIBRARY University of Michigan Gift of JANICE BLUESTEIN LONG ONE BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS JLSVJIXIV GIRIĶI HOH HGHAOO BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS AND DINNERS HOW TO PLAN T H E M HOW TO SERVE THEM HOW TO BEHAVE AT THEM A BOOK FOR SCHOOL AND HOME BY MARY D. CHAMBERS, B.S., A.M. Formerly Instructor of Normal Classes in Domestic Science, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn N. Y.; Professor of Domestic Economy and Head of the Department, The James Millikin University, Decatur, Illinois; Professor of Chem- tetry and Home Economics, and Head of the Departments, Rockford College, Rockford, Illinois AUTHob of Principles of Food Preparation ; A Guide to Laundry Work, Etc. ILLUSTRATED BOST ON THE BOSTON COOKING-SCHOOL MAGAZINE CO. 1926 Copyright, 1920, 1926 BY THE BOSTON COOKING-SCHOOL MAGAZINE COMPANY Fifth Printing THE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A. FOREWORD To the Teacher N the old-time teaching of Domestic Science the prep- aration of a meal was the last thing, — the crowning achievement of the student before completing her course of study. The progressive teacher now begins the work in planning and preparing meals as Soon as possible, and she spends as little time as may be in the foolish dib-dabs of individual dishes where the class period was frittered away in the making, by each girl, of one popover, or the mashing of one-half of one potato. This book is meant to be suggestive to the teacher in her class instruction in preparing meals. The section on the Balanced Meals may be used by grammar-grade classes in the qualitative construction of the daily menus; and the high-school classes should be able to plan dietaries quantitatively for larger numbers of persons. To the Student Aside from the help this book is designed to give to every girl in her class work in Domestic Science, there is another phase of it which she will find useful. In this free and democratic country there is no place where the Amer- ican girl may not hope to be received as a guest on equal terms with the highest in the land. In this book she will find many useful hints on that correct behavior at formal entertainments which when analyzed is found to be merely an expression of that true courtesy which con- V VI FOREW ORD siders the pleasure and comfort of another before one's OWIl- To the Woman in the Home Some years ago a witty and well-known writer deplored the fact that, in every block of twenty houses, twenty dinners were being cooked by twenty women, involving waste of coal and waste of energy, instead of having the twenty families go to a public dining-hall. But where is the dining-hall, hotel, or restaurant, whose meals, when partaken of three times a day for week after week, month after month, year after year, do not produce the sense of intolerable monotony and of everything tasting alike? Where are the hotel and restaurant habitués whose hearts do not hanker and whose mouths do not water for “home food and home cooking”? Then a newer school of economists arises, to tell us that the “cost of coal” standard — the money standard in anything— has to give place to the psychic standard, the wholesome pleasure that transcends its money cost. The home table, the family meals, are a source of this pleasure. The woman in the home, who thinks of everybody's tastes, who provides for everybody's needs and idiosyn- crasies, has in her hands the bestowal of much solid com- fort and happiness in the family life. We might almost go so far as to say that when the home and family meals go, the family will go too, the bond will be weakened which so curiously depends on the breaking of bread together. To the Woman in the Home then, this book is espe- cially offered for the help it is hoped it will bring her. CONTENTS THE BREAKFAST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 The Light Breakfast— Menus for Light Breakfasts—The Moderate Breakfast — Menus for Moderate Breakfasts— The Hearty Breakfast—The Formal Breakfast — Menu for a Ten O'Clock Company Breakfast — Menu for a Twelve O'Clock Company Breakfast— A Warm Weather Breakfast— A Cold Weather Breakfast — Digestible and Indigestible Foods — Menu for Breakfast when Luncheon is Uncertain — The Scientific Breakfast — The English Breakfast -- When to Go Without Breakfast — A Dietetic Study of Breakfast—Time Allowed for Cooking Break- fast—Linen for the Breakfast Table—Setting the Break- fast Table—Serving the Breakfast — Good Usage in Eating Breakfast. THE LUNCHEON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 The Business Luncheon–The Home Luncheon—Menus for Home Luncheons—The Company Luncheon—E)is- cussion of Three Kinds of Company Luncheon— Menu for a Small and Friendly Luncheon— Menu for a Formal Luncheon — Menu for an Elaborate Formal Luncheon— The Luncheon Table and Table Linen — Setting and Deco- ration of the Luncheon Table—Serving the Luncheon —Various Methods of Serving — Dessert vs. Sweet Course — Meaning of “Serve,” “Offer,” and “Remove'' – Cor- rect Behavior at Luncheon. THE DINNER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Varieties of Dinner—The Simple Family Dinner—The Sunday or Holiday Dinner—The Fish Dinner—The Dinner for a Busy Day—The Family Guest Dinner— The Home Dinner for a Small Party of Friends—The Formal Company Dinner — Menus for Formal Dinners— Discussion of the Courses of the Formal Dinner—How to Write Invitations for Breakfast, Luncheon, and Dinner —The Reply to an Invitation — The Hour for the Com- pany Dinner — Table Linen and Decoration — Tempera- ture of Dining-Room – How to Set the Cover for Dinner, Vil viii CONTENTS PAGº — Dinner Dress for Women — Number of Dinner Guests — Time for Arrival of Guests—Reception of Guests Be- fore Dinner — Announcement of Dinner — The Procession to the Dining-Room —The Seating of the Guests — Guests of Honor, and Order of Precedence in General—Where is the Head of the Table?— Who Shall Sit at the Head of the Table?— Good Usage During the Progress of the Dinner—The Opening of the Dinner— Courses Served by the Host or Hostess — Order of Serving Guests—The Soup—Rules for the Service Plate—The Fish Course —How to Use the Knife and Fork—How to Pick Up Cups, Glasses, and Bowls—How to Sit at Table— Courses Which May Not Be Refused—Concerning Second Helpings—When a Plate Should not be Passed to An- other — Conclusion of a Course — Use of Salt and Pepper — When Accidents Happen — Foods Eaten from the Fingers—The Close of the Dinner— When to Take Leave — When Not to Make Protest. COMPANY MENUS FoR HIGH DAYS AND HolidAYS . . . . 112 A New Year Dinner—Card Party Supper, Lincoln's Birth- day — Valentine Party Luncheon — Luncheon for Wash- ington's Birthday — Semi-Formal Lenten Dinner — A Fish Dinner — Easter Luncheon — Formal Breakfast for Women's Club — A Simple Wedding Breakfast — Two- Course Menus for Wedding Receptions — Fourth of July Lawn Party Luncheon — Warm Weather Breakfasts — Home Thanksgiving Dinner — Company Thanksgiving Dinner — Christmas Dinners (2). CoNCERNING GLASS, SILVER, AND CHINA . . . . . . . . . . 126 China: Sizes and Shapes—Silverware—Glassware—The Choice of Decorated China. THE BALANCED MEAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Protein and Calories — Acid- and Alkali-Producing Foods — Minerals—Vitamines—Table of Foods in Quantity to Yield One-fourth Ounce of Protein—Table of Calorific Value of One Pound Each of Common Foods—Table of Alkali-Forming Foods—Table of Foods Rich in Phospho- rus—Table of Foods Rich in Iron–Table of Foods Rich in Calcium—Table of Foods Containing Vitamine “A” — Table of Foods Containing Vitamine “B”—Sample of Balanced Menus—Table Showing Analysis of Menu. ILLUSTRATIONS HAGE Cover for Breakfast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Frontispiece How to Remove Crumbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Diagram of a Cover for Breakfast . . . . . . . . . . 19 How to Eat a Pear at Breakfast. . . . . . . . . . . . 25 The Wrong Way to Remove a Plate . . . . . . . . . 30 Diagram of a Cover for Luncheon . . . . . . . . . . 43 Uses of Finger Bowl and Dolly, etc. . . . . . . . . . . 51 Cover for Luncheon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Cover for Dinner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 The Right Way to Remove a Plate . . . . . . . . . . 58 Diagram of a Cover for a Simple Dinner . . . . . . . . 60 Diagram of a Cover for a Formal Dinner . . . . . . . 85 How to Eat Soup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 How to Use the Knife and Fork. . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Wrong Way to Take Up a Cup . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Right Way to Take Up a Cup . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 How to Hold a Tumbler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Different Sizes and Shapes of Plates . . . . . . . . . . 127 Teacups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Tea and Coffee Pots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Pitchers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Spoons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 Knives and Forks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS THE BREAKFAST THE breakfast is the most important meal of the day, because it is the first thing that happens every morning, and it thus strikes the note, so to speak, of the day’s harmony. - Breakfast varies more than any other meal in the number and kind of dishes served — from the cup of coffee and single Small roll, brought to your bedroom in some of the European countries, to the hotel breakfast of the United States, which consists of nearly as many dishes as a course dinner. But whatever the breakfast, it should be remembered that it is the opening adventure of the morning, and no pains should be spared to make it an agreeable one. If nothing more is desired than toast and coffee, the standard for these two should be nothing short of excellence. Indeed the fewer the dishes served for breakfast, the greater the perfection called for in these few, since where there is much variety, if one dish is poor, it can be discarded for another that is good. A survey of some typical kinds of breakfast will be found in the following pages. The Light Breakfast Delicate women, aged persons, semi-invalids, and other persons in apparently good health often suffer from a complete lack of appetite in the morning, and will eat only an apology for breakfast. Such persons seldom come 1 r N! -ms A SMALL FOLDED NAPRIN AND A SMALL PLATE ARE |USED TO REMOVE THE CRUMBS FROM THE TABLE Ns THE BREAKFAST 3 to their own in vitality until later in the day, and a very light breakfast is all they are able to digest. For them the meal should be regarded as a mere “pick-me-up,” a mild stimulant to help them over the difficult hours of the morning. Another class of persons who find a light breakfast agrees best with them are brain-workers, who go to their desks or to their mental activities immediately after the meal, without the interval of a walk or ride to business, and set their brains to work at the same time that the digestive organs are busy dealing with the just-eaten food. In this case the body may be said to be trying to serve two masters, and the work of either one will surely be slighted. Here again, the light meal, refreshing and stimulating, will be the best compromise, and the tax will not be too severe on either brain or digestion. Menus for Light Breakfasts I Orange Juice Thin Sliced Buttered Toast Coffee II Grapes Vienna Rolls Coffee Other light breakfasts may consist of a cup of café aw lait and an oven-crisped pilot cracker; or a small cup of chocolate or cocoa with pulled bread; or tea, toast, and orange marmalade; or even a glass of warm malted milk and a zwieback may be sufficient for the slight refresh- ment needed by those who find a light breakfast best adapted to them. 4. BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS But remember, whatever beverage is served, be sure it is as hot as can be sipped, for hot fluids are stimulating to heart and circulation. Where the need of such a stimu- lant is acute the person will be found beginning his meal at the wrong end — the coffee — and then working up to the more substantial dish, if indeed he does not reject everything except the coffee. The Moderate Breakfast The addition to the light breakfast of a cereal, with milk or cream; a substantial dish such as eggs, fish, or meat, with or without potatoes; and a “frill' in the shape of jam or marmalade will round out the light breakfast to the moderate breakfast, which is the one most commonly served in the home. It affords scope for individual preference, and according to his choice any- one at the table may elect the dishes to make either a light or a moderate breakfast, or one between the two. Menus for Moderate Breakfasts I Stewed Prunes with Apple Sauce Wheatena, Cream and Sugar Broiled Whitefish. Baked Potato Graham Toast Coffee. Cocoa II Grapefruit Shredded Wheat, Hot Milk Lamb Chops. Creamed Potatoes Muffins. Marmalade Coffee. Cocoa THE BREAKFAST 5 Egg dishes, such as soft-cooked, poached, scrambled, omelets of various kinds, etc., are much in favor for breakfast. Eggs are easily and quickly prepared, and can be served in so many ways that they may be eaten for most mornings of the week without tiring of them. Some persons eat a soft-cooked egg for breakfast from one end of the year to the other without desiring a change. Potatoes are seldom served when eggs form the main dish. Hashes, made from corned beef, roast beef, or fish, are the form of warmed-over most likely to be made use of for breakfast; but there is no reason why other dishes from left-overs should not sometimes be served. Creamed meats on toast, delicate sausages, light fish- balls, breakfast bacon either by itself, or served in small quantity as a relish with eggs or other dishes, all are foods well suited to the moderate breakfast. The Hearty Breakfast The hearty breakfast is suited to hearty workers, especially to those who work in the open, like farmers, gardeners, sportsmen and campers, the crews of lumber camps, or growing boys at the hungry age. It sometimes differs from the moderate breakfast only quantitatively, consisting of much the same food, served in very much larger portions. But more often the food is of a kind best adapted to vigorous digestions, and is guar- anteed to “stay by ” the breakfaster, so that he shall not be hungry until time for the next meal. At the hearty breakfast two kinds of meat are often served in combination, like chops and kidneys, liver and bacon, ham and eggs, corned beef hash with poached egg, pork and beans, etc.; or the two kinds may be served in 6 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS separate courses, such as fried fish, or tripe and onions to begin with, and a thick broiled beefsteak later in the meal. Potatoes, baked or fried, are nearly always present, or fried mush or scrapple; also two or more kinds of hot bread; and the feast is wound up with a handful of fresh- fried crullers, or a heaping plate of hot pancakes with syrup, and another large cup of coffee with cream. Coffee, all through the meal, is poured unstintedly, and all the dishes are served unstintedly. Fruit is sometimes served at the hearty breakfast; sometimes this is thought to be a waste of time. Cereal with grated cheese, or fried mush with molasses, or oatmeal in a soup plate served with thick cream is acceptable; but the hungry-as-a-hound hearty breakfaster often likes to plunge at once into the more substantial “eats" of the substantial meal. Enough has been said about this truly hearty break- fast to show that, for most of us, it is one to meet an ex- ceptional condition, and is perhaps farther from the normal type of breakfast than is the very light one. Yet, rare as this hearty breakfast is, most of us have, if not eaten one, at least experienced the joy of the looker-on in seeing one eaten; so that it is well to know what the meal is, and when it may be served with propriety. The Formal Breakfast This meal is suited to class reunions, to the closing meeting of the year for women's clubs, or to any other time when a company meal early in the day is called for. It is appropriate to both sexes, and sometimes if a dis- tinguished visitor to the town has been loaded up in ad- vance with luncheon and dinner invitations, the woman who otherwise might miss the pleasure of entertaining the much-sought-for guest will be able to Secure his com- THE BREAKFAST 7 pany at a ten o’clock breakfast. The very fact that this meal is not so often used for a means of entertainment as luncheon or dinner recommends it to many a hostess who enjoys the opportunity it offers for little touches of novelty and originality, and for its atmosphere of ease, freedom, and intimacy. A formal breakfast may be served as early as ten o'clock or a little before, and as late as twelve or half- past twelve, but not later. The meal resembles a lunch- eon, and the later the hour it is given the more marked is the resemblance; yet there are certain well-defined differ- ences—for example, the coffee is served in breakfast cups, the breads are always hot, lights are never included in the table decorations, and though a salad may be served, soup should never form part of any meal calling itself a breakfast. It is true that a light soup is sometimes found to head the menus of company breakfasts; yet the best social usage in this country regards it as out of place for a breakfast. A “small and early ’’ formal breakfast begins with the service of choice fruits in season. This is followed by either fish or eggs in some form, next comes a meat dish such as chops, kidneys, chicken or small birds, with potatoes, and a vegetable such as celery, fresh sliced tomatoes, or the like, served with a dressing of oil and vinegar. Two kinds of hot breads are served all through the fish and meat courses. While no formal sweet course is served at a ten o’clock breakfast, yet waſfles with Syrup may come on at the close, or French pancakes — the kind that are spread with jelly, rolled like a jelly roll, and dusted with powdered sugar; or there may be a strawberry shortcake with whipped cream, a shortcake of the real kind, made of a biscuit-dough; or if eggs 8 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS were not previously served, a sweet omelet may be sub- stituted for waffles or cakes. The following is a correct menu for A Ten o’Clock Company Breakfast Grapefruit stuffed with Cherries Broiled Fish. Sliced Cucumbers Savory Omelet. Potato Puffs. Fresh Tomatoes Wheat Muffins. Hot Rolls Cream Waffles with Butter and Crushed Fresh Strawberries Coffee A more elaborate breakfast will have a third course of meat, eggs, or game; a Salad served with one of the soft cheeses and crackers; and a frozen dessert. The following is a correct menu for A Twelve o’Clock Company Breakfast Orange and Malaga Grape Cocktail Fish Soufflé. Lattice Potatoes Deviled Kidneys. Mushrooms Maryland Chicken. Rice Cress with French Dressing Toasted Crackers. Cream Cheese Pineapple Parfait. Lady Fingers Coffee Olives or pimolas, radishes, and salted nuts may be used as relishes and passed between the courses. Cream and sugar are always offered with the coffee at a company breakfast, and there is no rule forbidding the serving of coffee early in the meal. In this book the moderate breakfast will be taken as the norm, the breakfast which is suited to both student THE BREAKFAST 9 and teacher, business or professional man or woman, and visiting friends — the typical breakfast of the average American home. There will be a few changes according to the season; in warm weather the juicier fruits — iced melons or the like – will be used; and the ready-to-eat cereals, or the mushes of wheat, rice, and the lighter grains rather than those from oats or corn; also, white fish, creamed chicken, or some delicate meat will form the substantial course. In cold weather the dried fruits will be welcomed for a change, and steamed figs, stewed prunes, or a cooked fresh fruit will be a good first course. The dried fruits may be cooked into the oatmeal or corn-meal mush, or the mush may be served with a baked apple fresh from the oven. More fats and more of the richer meats and fish will be used. The following menus show adaptations of the moderate breakfast to seasonal conditions. A Warm Weather Breakfast Iced Cantaloupe Puffed Rice with Cream Asparagus Omelet Toast. Coffee A Cold Weather Breakfast Baked Apples with Cream Fried Mush. Honey Pork Tenderloin. Glazed Sweet Potatoes Waffles with Butter and Syrup Coffee. Cocoa Another adaptation of the family breakfast is called for when it is evident that a long time will elapse between breakfast and the next meal. This may be a regular 10 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS thing, where the day’s business allows only a brief while for lunch; or it may be some unusual exigency, as when a journey has to be taken, and there is uncertainty whether a noon meal can be counted on or not. But wherever the next meal is foreseen to be a long way off, a portion of the food for the breakfast should be of the kind that is rather slowly digested, which gives it what is called “a staying power.” Here a digression is in order for the discussion of Digestible and Indigestible Foods The term “indigestible food '' is self-contradictory, for if a substance is indigestible it is not a food. An in- digestible substance is one which leaves the body either wholly, or in great part, unchanged, like the coarse cellu- lose of certain vegetables, the seeds of fruits, etc. But the word “indigestible” is more properly applied to foods which cause distress in the alimentary tract, and in this sense it will readily be seen that foods which are indi- gestible for one person will not be so for another, and a food will be found indigestible at one time and not at another by the same person. Foods are thoughtlessly called indigestible when they are slowly, though com- pletely and without distress, digested by the average person in normal health. Such foods are hard-cooked eggs, cheese, most of the fats, the richer meats and fish. Hence the foods suited for breakfast when the next meal will be long in coming are these “indigestibles' of the milder kind — the foods which take several hours to be disposed of by the body. These, too, will be found to vary according to personal idiosyncrasy. The following menu includes foods which are likely to keep off the sensation of hunger for many hours. THE BREAKFAST 11 Menu for Breakfast when Luncheon is Uncertain Stewed Apples with Butter and Sugar Cereal with Grated Cheese Broiled Ham. Potato Omelet Rye Muffins. Plum Jam Café au Lait Liberal helpings of butter or thick cream, hard-cooked eggs, scrambled eggs, Omelets, pork chops or tenderloins, mackerel or salmon, pancakes or rich muffins, if they cause no distress, will “stay by ” the breakfaster until well into the afternoon. Even a good spoonful of sweet marmalade or jam will keep off the all-gone feeling which comes to many persons at about eleven o’clock in the school or business morning. This is an addition to the breakfast which is safe to recommend in all but excep- tional cases. The Scientific Breakfast The scientific breakfast begins with one or two very hard, dry, unsweetened rusks, or triscuit; or a slice of perfectly crisp, brittle, toasted bread; or a dish of one of the puffed grains, served after crisping in the oven, but without sugar, cream, or anything to moisten; or any starchy food so hard and dry as to compel long and thorough mastication. The well-known physician who advocates this kind of first course tells us it is designed to introduce enough of the alkaline saliva into the stomach to stimulate the secretion of its digestive fluids, which are slightly acid, and thus to prepare it to deal with the meat, eggs, or other protein food which will follow — with rolls, muffins, marmalade and butter, and coffee. Neither is the cold and cheerless beginning of this 12 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS breakfast meant to deprive us of our good warm cereal with cream and milk, for this comes after the muffins, chops, and coffee. Lastly, we are regaled on fresh fruit in Season, as much as we care to eat; and it is explained that its function, being peristaltic, properly comes at the close, rather than at the beginning of the meal. There is so much of an overturning of the old order in the scientific breakfast that it is to be feared it will not quickly come into general use; but it is unquestionably based on correct dietetic principles, and it is a meal which will grow in favor with those who form the habit of it. The English Breakfast Breakfast in the great English country houses is often, though not invariably, a self-service affair, in that the hot or cold meats, eggs, or other substantial dishes are placed on the sideboard or on side-tables, and from these everybody helps himself and carries back his filled plate to his place. As a rule the men will serve the women, sometimes the butler will carve, and servants will always see to the replenishment of the dishes on the sideboard, as well as the table dishes of toast or muffins. The hostess pours tea or coffee, or this may be poured by a servant from a side-table. The family and guests sit to table without the formality of waiting until all are assembled. When to Go Without Breakfast Those who suffer from a furred tongue and a bad taste in the mouth in the morning will do well to go without breakfast until these conditions disappear, or to break- fast on a glass of hot water and a couple of oranges. Those who sup or dine at an extremely late hour, and over-heartily, or who go to bed while food still remains THE BREAKFAST 13 undigested in the stomach, will also be benefited by the no-breakfast plan, or the substitution of a glass of hot, slightly salted water. But it is unwise for normal men and women who lead regular, healthful lives, to go with- out this important meal — though the practice of dis- pensing with breakfast has its advocates, who are fond of telling how much better they feel since they cut out the meal and how much housework it has saved. The sophistical argument is made use of that the body, after the rest of the night and the recuperation of sleep, is not in need of food; but the fact is lost sight of that the machinery of the body, the heart, lungs, etc., have been constantly employed during sleep, and food is needed in the morning to supply fuel for their energies, just as fuel is needed to replenish the house furnace. Further, it is well known to be a severe tax on the eyes to use them for writing, reading, sewing, or similar work before the morning fast is broken. More important still is it that children should have an appetizing, sufficient, and un- hurried breakfast before they go to school, or before any work at home is required of them. All early risers, who engage in work or exercise long before the hour for the family breakfast, should have something like crackers and milk, a cup of cocoa, or a glass of warm milk as soon as they are dressed. In line with this let us quote a sen- tence from the instructions of a famous general, who writes as follows to his commanding officers: “ The Commanding Officer should see that his officers and men have something to eat and drink before they begin their work, no matter how early; e. g., a cup of hot coffee and a biscuit before the regular breakfast.” If this was found necessary for hardy soldiers, it is even more needful for civilians. 14 BREAKFASTs, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS A Dietetic Study of Breakfast A glance at breakfast menus in general will show that hot foods are favored. The cereal is hot, or the ready-to- eat kinds are reheated in the oven if they are to be served at their best. The meats are always hot, the beverage is hot. This is not so much a following of fashion as a re- sponse to the demand of the body for the stimulating effect of hot foods to promote circulation at the begin- ning of the day, a time when the physical energies are with many persons yet half-dormant. Hot breads are often looked on with disfavor, yet one of the recognized authorities on dietetics, himself a physi- cian, tells us that if hot breads are thoroughly well masti- cated there can be no possible objection to their use, since in no way do they differ chemically from cold breads. They are, however, especially when made from fine, white flour, very much more difficult to masticate than are the cold and crumby kinds. Hot graham or whole- wheat breads are more friable and easier to insalivate. The complete and thorough mastication and conse- Quent insalivation of starchy foods is one of the surest Safeguards against what is known as amylaceous indi- gestion. This is one of the commonest forms of indiges– tion; it proceeds from the hasty, half-chewed swallowing of starchy foods, and the best way to avoid or get rid of it is to form the habit of complete mastication of bread- stuffs. Toast is partly pre-digested from the formation of dextrin on the outside. Similarly, the crust of bread is more easily digested than the crumb, and the hard, crusty roll more easily than the soft one. The breakfast cereal, all but the ready-to-eat kinds, should be cooked from two to six hours. Mushes and THE BREAKFAST 15 porridges are swallowed without chewing, and the long cooking is something of an equivalent for mastication, in that the first stage of digestion is initiated to a greater or less extent by prolonged cooking. In some families the choice is offered of either fruit or cereal. Both should form part of the breakfast, for neither is properly a substitute for the other. They may be served in combination, as oatmeal or any other grain with dried fruit cooked with it; or a baked apple may be surrounded with warm mush; or the ready-to-eat cereals may be served with fresh berries or sliced peaches piled on top. Anyone who wishes to make a light breakfast, or who does not care for the fruit or the cereal, is free to refuse one or the other, or both; but no hostess is free to offer the choice of either, thus implying that whichever is taken the other must be foregone. Many times do we hear condemnation of the use of meat three times a day. Censure of this practice is just if the total amount of meat eaten during the day is ex- cessive, as it is likely to be if served in unlimited quanti- ties at all three meals. Meat, however, has a value in the diet quite distinct from its value as one of the protein foods; it has what a diet specialist calls its condimental value. It is a food whose flavor gives relish to other foods, stimulates appetite, and promotes digestion. A very little meat — the mere meat-flavor – will do this, but the trouble about its unrestricted use is that this same highly relished flavor also incites the appetite for more than we need, and frequently for more than is good for us. If we had enough strength of mind and self-control to divide the daily meat ration into two parts: one to be reserved for dinner; the other to be subdivided into por- 16 BREAKFASTs, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS tions for breakfast and luncheon, this would be a more excellent way than to go without meat for two meals, and to eat the whole of the day's allowance at the re- maining meal. Time Allowed for Cooking Breakfast Examination of the dishes listed for the usual breakfast menus shows that they are of the quickly prepared and quickly cooked kind — with the possible exception of the cereal. This should be cooked the day before, or during the night in the fireless cooker. Provided the housekeeper has a gas range, or a good oil stove and oven, one half-hour from the time she enters the kitchen until the meal is on the table ought to be sufficient time to allow for the cooking proper. Much of the preparation should be done the evening before, to save rush and stress in the morning. Meat for hash may be chopped and seasoned, all ready for the pan. Flour for warm breads may be measured, the other dry materials added, and the whole kept covered in the mixing bowl. Even the muffin tins may be greased, or the griddle set over the burner. Every housekeeper can think out for herself devices for shortening the time between rising and breakfasting in the morning. Linen for the Breakfast Table A round table is the prettiest for breakfast, but a Square or an oblong table may be used quite as well. The silence cloth of thick cotton felt, or the large mat of asbestos cloth or felt, made to fit the table, is always put under the tablecloth. Though called the “silence ’’ cloth, its chief function is that of a non-conductor, to pro- tect the polished surface of the table from being injured THE BREAKFAST 17 by hot dishes. Fine, heavy double damask table linen is no longer in vogue for the family breakfast, but simple tablecloths of heavy muslin, or of plain, unbleached linen, or of daintily tinted linen — gray, azure, sage green, pink, or even of Venetian or Pompeian red — with scalloped or hemstitched edges, are much in vogue. There seems to be an unwritten law that a solid color of any kind, with scalloping in a contrasting color or in white, is admissible for either breakfast or luncheon; but that a two-colored fabric is not to be thought of, still less a checked one. An exception is made for the Japanese cloths of heavy crêpe, with printed designs in deep blue. These are entirely in good form, they are easy to launder, and will give good wear. Either white table napkins, or napkins to match the cloth, may be used according to preference. The breakfast cloth may come exactly to the edge of the table, or it may hang a few inches below it. Breakfast napkins should be Smaller than dinner napkins, and may be from fifteen to twenty inches square. For home and family use a napkin of twenty-two to twenty-five inches square is often used for all the meals. Quite small doilies, fringed or scalloped, are sometimes placed under the fruit plates to be used when peaches or other juicy fruit is served. Where the rest of the table linen is white, it is allowable to have colored fruit doilies, and red is often chosen, so that fruit stains may not be too much in evi- dence. With the blue-and-white Japanese cloths, the doilies may either match, or be solid blue. With other colors they match the cloth, or they may be plain white, or white with colored embroidery. For home and family use the sensible custom is sanctioned of using small paper napkins, folded square, with the fruit course. 18 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS The pretty fashion of setting the breakfast table with- out a cloth, using runners and doilies instead, is decora- tive and attractive, provided there is no danger to the table surface from hot dishes. This can be guarded against by placing mats under the doilies or the runner where the cereal and meat dishes are set, or cereal and meats can be served from a side-table. Two doilies at each place, one for the breakfast plate, and a smaller one for the water glass, are all that will be needed, and the temptation to use more than this must be resisted if you would avoid a scrappy effect. Setting the Breakfast Table Each person should be allowed a full two feet of space along the table edge, and of this two feet of lateral space, twenty inches are allowed for the cover, though the cover at breakfast seldom calls for so much, unless it is a com- pany meal. - The cover is a word used to signify the place set for each person at the table; that is, the articles which are furnished for each one's use, such as plate, napkin, silver, and glass. The word is used in a certain figurative sense too, the phrase “a dinner of twelve covers ” meaning a dinner for twelve guests. The breakfast plate occupies the center of the cover. This is a plate of smaller size than the dinner plate, being not less than seven inches in diameter. Care must be taken that the monogram or design, if either appears on the plate, shall be turned in the right direction. The rim of the breakfast plate should be one inch from the edge of the table. The breakfast knife and fork are of smaller size than those used for dinner. The fork, tines up, is set to the THE BEEAKFAST - |9 left of the plate; the knife, with its sharp edge towards the plate, is set at the right. The cereal spoon, concave side up, goes next to the knife at the right side, or it may be placed above the plate (see diagram), but the first position is preferable. DIAGRAM OF A COVER FOR BREAKFAST Key to Diagram of a Cover for Breakfast 1. Breakfast plate 8. Teaspoon 2. Fruit plate 9. Orange spoon 3. Fruit knife 10. Breakfast napkin 4. Fruit doily 11. Bread-and-butter plate 5. Breakfast knife 12. Butter spreader 6. Breakfast fork 13. Water tumbler 7. Cereal spoon #. } Individual salt and pepper NOTE: The teaspoon for the coffee is now preferably placed in the saucer when the coffee is poured. The cereal spoon is described on page 130 under the name “ dessert spoon,” for it is catalogued in this way by the silversmiths, but it is the correct spoon for use with all kinds of breakfast cereals, and it is a sign of ignorance of good usage to eat one’s cereal with a teaspoon — a fact which girls in school, or even in college, are not always 20 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS aware of. The cereal spoon and the breakfast knife and fork are placed with the handles one-half inch from the edge of the table, and close to one another, the distance between them being not greater than one-half inch, and preferably less than this. The water glass goes at the point of the breakfast knife, almost touching it. Tumblers are used for drink- ing-water at breakfast, goblets at dinner or luncheon. The bread-and-butter plate is set at the left, in very nearly the same relation to the fork that the water glass bears to the knife. The butter spreader is laid diagonally across the bread-and-butter plate, with the handle towards the right. The butter, formed into a neat cube or square — or better, a dainty ball or roll — is put on the farther side of the plate, leaving the part of the plate nearest the guest free for the roll or muffin. To put the butter ball at the nearer side is one of the common mistakes; in this way it is less convenient for the guest. The small “chips ''. formerly used for butter are not now thought to be in Correct taste. The fruit plate is placed on the breakfast plate. It may be of china to match the breakfast set, or of the well- known ware of solid green, or it may be of glass. The fruit knife and fruit spoon are put on the fruit plate. For convenience the fruit is usually placed on the plate before the family assembles for breakfast, but it is often arranged in a handsome basket or dish in the center of the table, where it serves as a decoration. This is always the preferred mode of serving mixed fruits, and the dish is passed to each person after he is seated. The fruit doily, which is usually not more than four or five inches square, is spread flat on the breakfast plate, under the fruit plate, or a paper napkin, folded square, THE BREAKFAST 21 may, as already stated, be substituted for a linen doily. In some hotels and restaurants it is the custom to place a lace-paper doily, with a stiff, glazed center, directly on the fruit plate, under oranges, melons, grapefruit, or any other fruit eaten from its “shell.” This custom is not sanctioned for the home by women of fine taste: first, because it savors too much of hotel or restaurant fashions; second, because the use of paper to simulate a lace-edged linen doily is not thought correct — imitations being in questionable taste; third, because this doily under the fruit serves no useful purpose, since it is unfit to use to wipe the fingers, and it is only an embarrassment to the guest. The finger bowl, which may be of small size for break- fast, and of plain glass, is placed on either a plate or on an embroidered doily in front of the breakfast plate, or, if this place is occupied by individual salts and peppers, it is put a little above and to the left of the bread-and- butter plate. (See illustration, page 19.) Individual salts and peppers go just beyond the break- fast plate; where one pair is allowed for two persons they are set between the covers. The breakfast napkin may be folded in oblong shape and placed with one of its long edges towards the plate; or it may be folded three-cornerwise, with either the long edge or the corner opposite to it nearest the plate; or it may be folded square. The square fold is employed only if the napkin is large enough to be used for dinner as well as breakfast. The place for the napkin is outside the fork, to the left of the plate, except where the fruit course is omitted, or served as part of the cereal. (See page 15.) In this case the napkin may or may not be placed on the breakfast plate. - 22 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS Napkin rings are not used at any meal at tables where the best usage is practiced. The table decorations for breakfast may be the hand- some dish of fruit already mentioned, or they may be cut flowers, or a very simple jardinière. The cut flowers for breakfast decoration ought not to be of the hot- house or out-of-season kind, or of a costly description. Best of all is a pretty arrangement of wild flowers, es- pecially for country or suburban dwellers. The best arrangement of flowers for breakfast is in low, flat masses, or in the form of a small bouquet at each person’s place. Many of these little points may seem “fussy " to any- one who does not know that table setting is a matter of great exactness besides being a fine art. A beautifully ap- pointed and well-set table is something every woman should be justly proud of, and it is something that needs careful study on the part of the hostess, since few wait- resses have either the training or the taste required for this work in all its niceties. Unless a woman herself gives the last touches to her table she can never be quite sure that it is set in such a way as to do her credit. Serving the Breakfast Before the family assembles the water glasses are filled with fresh cold, or iced, water to within not more than an inch of the top. The finger bowls are half-filled with water of the temperature of the room. The butter is placed on the bread-and-butter plates; it should be the right consistency for spreading, not too hard nor too soft. The individual service of fruit is placed on the fruit plates, and if anyone drinks milk a glass should be filled and put beside the water glass to the right. After the fruit course is finished the fruit plate is re- THE BREAKFAST 23 moved, and at a formal breakfast the finger bowl is also removed, to be refilled with fresh water, and brought on again at the close of the meal. For the home and family breakfast there is no harm in allowing the finger bowl to remain on the table from its first use to its last. The cereal is next brought on in a covered dish, and is helped by either the master or the mistress of the house. Cream and sugar are passed, or there may be individual cream pitchers, or one between two persons. This multi- plication of individual dishes is, however, not to be recommended, for it makes much unnecessary work. Shredded wheat is not served from a large dish, being awkward to manage; it is served to each person in the in- dividual cereal dish. This, and all the flaked and puffed grains, should be heated to crispness in the oven before being brought to the table, and served on slightly warmed dishes. The individual cereal dish is a rather deep, saucer- shaped one, with a slightly flaring edge; or sometimes a small, shallow bowl is used. It is incorrect to serve the cereal on ordinary breakfast saucers; it is worse than in- correct, it is a decided mark of ignorance, to serve it in the small oval sauce or “side ’ dishes. These are no longer considered good form for any use — they belong to the days of the butter “chips" — but to serve the breakfast cereal in them has always been inexcusable. The meat, fish, or other substantial dish is placed before the master of the house after the cereal course is removed, and is helped by him, with its accompanying vegetable (if there is one) on the individual breakfast plates. These may be passed by the waitress, or by those seated at the table. The simplest method is for the master of the house to place the first helping on the breakfast 24 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS plate in front of him, which is then exchanged for that of the person first helped, and so on. The warm rolls, biscuits, or muffins are piled on a round dish, or in a muffin dish. A folded napkin is laid under them at the bottom of the dish, and another laid over them, to keep them warm without having them ab- sorb their own steam and become soggy. This is hardly necessary when the family is small, but it is a dainty fashion. Dry toast is placed in a toast-rack; it is spoiled in a very short time if the slices are piled over one an- other; buttered toast, waffles, or pancakes are either piled in a covered dish or served fresh from the kitchen in individual portions. - Coffee is always poured by the mistress of the house, and when the family is small the cups and saucers, etc., are arranged before her place when the table is set. Each cup should be in its own saucer, and the spoon should be placed in the saucer, parallel with the handle of the cup. This position of the spoon is one of the small points apt to be lost sight of. When the substantial course and the hot breads have been placed on the table, the coffeepot is brought in and put on a tile or stand within convenient reach of the mistress. Where many have to be served, the whole coffee service is brought in on a tray, and placed before the hostess at the right time. Needless to say that cups and saucers should not under any cir- cumstances be piled one over the other. Cream and sugar should be put into the cups, for those who use these additions to their coffee, before the coffee is poured. This, to a sensitive palate, makes quite a little difference in the flavor of the coffee. THE BREAKFAST 25 Good Usage in Eating Breakfast No formality is observed on entering the ordinary breakfast room. The hostess usually precedes, and if guests are present she will indicate their places. If grace is said, nobody unfolds his napkin until it is finished, nor replaces his napkin on the table until after the last grace HOW TO EAT A PEAR AT BREAKFAST is said. The rules for correct behavior at a formal break- fast follow those for the formal luncheon (see page 55); and the general rules for polite behavior at the table, those which hold good for all the meals, will be given on pages 94 to 111. In this chapter only a few special points, applicable to breakfast in the well-conducted home, will be considered. While fruit is usually eaten for the first course, it is often saved for the end of the breakfast by those who 26 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS prefer to eat it last. This preference for postponing the fruit to the end of the meal is becoming recognized to such an extent that a thoughtful hostess, especially if trained in dietetics, will inquire the wishes of the guest in this respect as naturally as she will inquire whether cream and sugar are desired with the coffee. But where no such inquiry is made, and where everybody else eats fruit first, it is in better accord with good breeding to do as the others do. At the family table, or at the house of intimate friends, it is perfectly correct to eat the fruit first or last as the individual wishes. A cardinal rule for eating, inviolable for every meal, and for every time that food is taken into the mouth, is that it must not be bitten, if the marks of the teeth would show on the part that remains. The fruit course is the most difficult to manage with regard to this rule, or to dainty eating in general. Apples, pears, or other firm-fleshed fruit may be cut into quarters, the cores removed, each quarter pared lengthwise, and then cut crosswise into little bits, one at a time, and these eaten by raising the section to the mouth with the fingers, until the whole is finished. Peaches may often be eaten in this way, but if very juicy they will be pared, quar- tered, and each quarter divided on the plate with the fruit fork. It is still admissible to cut up the whole of a peach or any other fruit, and then begin to eat it, but the custom is gradually giving place to a more excellent way. Why, it is asked, should we be allowed to cut up the whole of a banana, and then settle down to eat it, when we are not allowed to cut up the whole of a chop, a piece of toast, or a biscuit? Hence, to cut one at a time the pieces to be eaten is now the better usage. Thus the up-to-date breakfaster eats her pear by first cutting a circular par- THE BREAKFAST 27 ing from the blossom end, while holding it by the stem end; she then frees the flesh from the core, divides it into small pieces, and takes these into her mouth by rais- ing the fruit to her lips. (See illustration, page 25.) The core and the stem are all that remain when she has finished. Bananas may be eaten in much the same way. Grapes should be picked up singly, and eaten from behind the half-closed hand, so that seeds and skin may fall into the palm, and be unobtrusively placed on the plate. Or the pulp may be Squeezed into the mouth from the skin, and the Seeds gotten rid of later. There should be no need to say that the process of discharging the seeds should be inconspicuous. Small, juicy plums may be eaten the same as grapes. Strawberries are more correctly eaten with a fork, unless served with cream, when a spoon has to be used. If the strawberries are unhulled, each one is eaten from the fingers, holding it by its stem. For this way of serving strawberries powdered sugar is heaped in the center of the fruit plate, and they are dipped into it one at a time before eating. Small berries are the easiest of all to manage; they are eaten with a teaspoon. The citrus fruits, oranges, grapefruit, should be cut across into halves, each carpel carefully separated from the integument enclosing it, and when all the pulp has thus been freed the thin membranes, the juicy little chunks are eaten by scooping each one out with the point of the orange spoon or the teaspoon. In the case of grape- fruit this separation of the pulp from its enclosing mem- branes is done before the fruit is brought to the table. In Some restaurants, hotels, and dining cars, this neat piece of dissection is done in such a rough-and-ready, labor- Saving fashion as to make it impossible to eat the fruit without swallowing tough, indigestible membrane, or 28 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS having to reject it from the mouth. Such a method of preparing the fruit should not be tolerated in the home. One of the old-world ways to eat the cereal or porridge was to serve with it individual bowls of creamy milk. A Small portion of the hot porridge was then taken up on the cereal spoon, this was dipped into the milk bowl, and the two eaten together. The portion of porridge was taken up on the side of the spoon nearest the person, and the milk was dipped up from the farther side. The dainty eater did not allow the side of the spoon that touched the lips to go into the milk. This method of eating the break- fast porridge is used in Canada, in Great Britain, and here and there by individual families in the United States. But the general fashion in this country is to pour the milk or cream over the cereal in its own dish. No food, liquid or solid, should be sipped or eaten from the point of a spoon, whether teaspoon or dessert spoon. Everything is eaten from the side of the spoon only. The spoon should never be left in the coffee cup, or in a scooped-out melon, but should be removed and placed on the saucer or the fruit plate. The spoon may be left in the cereal dish. For other points of good behavior at the table, see pages 94 to 111. THE LUNCHEON THE question has been asked whether the word “lunch” or “luncheon” is the more correct. According to the most recent authorities “lunch’’ is an abbreviation of “luncheon,” and as such its use is condemned by precise and exact speakers, who believe abbreviations are de- basing to the language. Such persons a few generations ago used to be shocked if anyone said “cab” instead of “cabriolet,” yet in this age no one would know what we meant if we called for a cabriolet instead of a cab. We are accustomed to applying the word lunch or luncheon to any meal, not a dinner, which comes at noon. If dinner is served at noon, as it so often is on Sundays in the average American home, the last meal of the day is then called “supper.” Yet in some parts of the country the word luncheon is used for the late meal when there is an early dinner, and we may find ourselves invited to “Sunday lunch at six o'clock.” Where the three regular meals are named breakfast, dinner, and supper, we are sometimes told that anyone who wishes can have a lunch or two in between, meaning a cup of coffee and a sand- wich, or a bit of cake or fruit. Thus in common parlance the word “lunch" is used in a homey and familiar sense, or to mean a light and informal refreshment, such as some- thing to go into a lunch box, or a “snack” at a soda fountain, or a slight and scrappy meal at home; while a more formal and elaborate company meal is never called anything but “luncheon.” In this book the word “luncheon’’ will be applied to the noon meal of the week day. 29 $4 S | 㺠& ,” { TN x^4 THE WRONG WAY TO REMOVE (The hand nearest the person seated is used.) THE LUNCHEON 31 VARIETIES OF LUNCHEON Like breakfasts, there are many kinds of luncheon, but most of the varieties of this meal may be grouped under three heads: the business luncheon; the home luncheon; and the company luncheon. The Business Luncheon Too often this means a hearty noon meal, following a hurried breakfast. This full meal at noon, eaten in the noise and rush of a “Quick Lunch” restaurant or cafe- teria, between a dash from the office or store and another dash back, is not conducive to either health or efficiency. A dish of milk toast and a few figs; or a cream soup and a salad; or a baked potato with a stuffing of grated cheese and a little fresh fruit for top-off; or a glass of egg malted milk and a cracker; or a bottle of kumiss or other form of fermented milk with a crusty roll; or any preferred com- bination of one or two simple, nutritious, and easily assimilated foods in such amount as to satisfy hunger without taxing digestion, would be a better kind of lunch- eon to fit in between a moderate breakfast, unhurriedly enjoyed, and a good home dinner when the cares of the day are done with. Somebody has said that the business man's lunch is responsible for the business man’s early physical break- down, and that unless this meal can be followed by a full thirty minutes of rest and idleness, it had better be cut out of the day's schedule. But any of the substitutes suggested above might take the place of the heartier and hastily bolted meal with much advantage to all persons in business or professional life — or in school, shop, or 32 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS office — who have only a brief time for luncheon, and who have to work with body or brain immediately after eat- ing it. The Home Luncheon Where most of the family are absent at school or work, the housekeeper naturally plans for a labor-saving luncheon. There may or may not be a soup, there will likely be cold meat, warmed-over potatoes, a dish of canned fruit, bread and butter, cake and tea. This menu will be repeated without variation other than cold mutton one day and cold beef the next, canned pears one day and canned peaches another, until the meal is often a depress- ing one, and is shirked whenever possible. Yet the home luncheon can be planned to be both labor-saving and appetizing. A good, nutritious Soup, a salad, and a well-relished dessert, with the usual accesso- ries of breadstuffs, etc., should furnish a delicious lunch- eon. Any of the one-piece dishes, where meat and vegetables are cooked together, and a dessert of fruit, ought to make a palatable meal; or one of the egg dishes, with one or more uncooked vegetables, and an easily pre- pared dessert, would be another good lunch for the home. In planning these luncheons three chief points should be kept in mind: (1) Select, so far as possible, vegetables and fruits which may be served without cooking. For most of us they are wholesomer uncooked, and to serve them in this way saves time and work. (2) Beforehanded enough to double your recipe for breakfast muffins or biscuit — perhaps you can sometimes bake part of it in a different form, to be used at the luncheon of the meat day but one, when it can reappear either after heating in the oven for a few minutes, or transformed into a shortcake, or in any disguise which will make it like an old friend with THE LUNCHEON 33 a new face. (3) Look up recipes that take only a short time to prepare, and that can be cooked in the fireless, or by some slow and sure method where the dish takes care of itself, and will not be greatly hurt by a little more or a little less time in cooking. The following menus are all easy to prepare, and illus- trate the observance of the points above mentioned. Menus for Home Luncheons I Baked Bean and Tomato Soup Apple, Nut, and Celery Salad Raisin Bread. Butter Fruit Shortcake Tea or Cocoa The Baked Bean and Tomato Soup is made as follows: Soften two tablespoonfuls of butter or butter substitute in a saucepan, and stir into it two tablespoonfuls of flour, one-quarter teaspoonful of mustard, one teaspoonful of salt, one-fourth teaspoonful of pepper, and two teaspoon- fuls of sugar. When well mixed add two cups of canned tomato sifted through a colander, two cups of water or stock, and one or two cups of baked beans rubbed through a colander with a wooden pestle. Stir all over the fire until the mixture boils, then serve in deep tureen with croutons. This soup is a meal in itself. The fruit shortcake is a baking powder cake made from part of the breakfast biscuit-dough of the day before yes- terday, split open, sprinkled with water, spread on the in- side with preserved or chopped fresh fruit, put into a slow oven to get warm while the rest of the meal is being eaten, and then brought on with a garnish of whipped cream, or 34 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS with some of the juice from the preserved fruit poured over it. The cocoa is made from a cocoa syrup which can be pre- pared in moderate quantity by cooking together one cup of cocoa, two and one-half cups of sugar, and four cups of water for an hour and a half. This may be done after the first half hour in a double boiler. Cool quickly, and when Quite cold keep in the refrigerator. Two tablespoonfuls of this added to three-fourths of a cup of hot milk will make one serving of cocoa. II Potato and Liver Pie Water Cress Graham Muffins. Butter Baked Apples Tea or Cocoa The Potato and Liver Pie is made by slicing six cold boiled potatoes, and arranging them in alternate layers in a baking dish with one pound of uncooked liver, cut in slices. Each layer of the liver should be seasoned with one-fourth teaspoonful of pepper and one-half teaspoon- ful of salt, mixed and sifted over the meat. Each layer of potato is seasoned with two teaspoonfuls of minced onion and one-half ounce of breakfast bacon, chopped. The top layer should be of plain sliced potatoes. Pour over the whole one cup of water or stock; cover, and bake for an hour in a moderate oven. Remove cover at the end of the hour to brown the potatoes. The graham muffins are left-overs from a recent break- fast, and are merely reheated. The apples go into the oven shortly before the pie comes out. The cocoa is from syrup as before. THE LUNCHEON 35 III Creamed Eggs on Toast Celery, Orange, and Lettuce Salad Whole-Wheat Rolls. Butter “Rummage” Tea or Cocoa Hard-cooked eggs, chopped into a well-seasoned white sauce, and poured over slices of toast, is an easily prepared dish. The eggs could be cooked with the potatoes or other vegetables of the night before; and the white sauce made in extra quantity when making some other creamed dish on a previous day. The creamed eggs might some- times be daintily served in scooped-out crusty rolls, and the crumb saved for bread puddings or stuffings. • “Rummage” is a delicious dessert that can be made every week in the ordinary home. Go through your pantry or storeroom on a rummage quest, and put to— gether spoonfuls of left-over apple sauce, drainings of preserve jars, odd figs or dates or raisins, too few in number to use in any formal recipe, also scraps of hard dried-out cheese, scraps of dried-out cake or cookies, bits of custard or pie — in fact, fragments of anything edible you find except meats and vegetables. Mix all these in a pretty bowl or serving dish, moisten the whole with water, or a mixture of water with sugar, molasses, syrup, or fruit juice according as the results of your rummage call for more or less sweetening, and set the dish in the steamer until the contents are hot through. ‘‘Rummage” can be made fit for a company dessert by covering the top with a mixture of finely sifted crumbs and granulated sugar, heating in the oven until this makes a rich brown crust, and decorating here and there with spoonfuls of whipped CI’ê8,YO. 36 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS The Company Luncheon The company luncheon includes at least three distinct kinds. There is first the little home luncheon, small and early, but of extra good quality, to which the hostess in- vites a friend or two, and which she can serve without a maid. Next, there is a more elaborate luncheon, with a few extra courses, which calls for the services of a trained waitress, if not a skilful cook, besides whatever help the mistress herself may give in the preparation of the dishes. Third, there is the highly formal company luncheon, long drawn out, and, many think, over-elaborated. This should never be attempted without the services of a trained corps of household help. The company luncheon may be served at any time from half-past twelve to two o'clock, and the more formal the luncheon the more it inclines to the later hour. A formal luncheon differs only a little from a formal dinner, but the slight differences between luncheon and dinner are quite as marked as those between breakfast and luncheon. At luncheon the soup may be either hot or cold, like a cold fruit soup, or an iced or jellied bouillon. But whether hot or cold, and no matter what the variety of soup, it is for luncheon preferably served in bouillon cups, and eaten with bouillon spoons. The chief meat dish for luncheon is of the kind which may serve for a dinner entrée, that is, something such as a fillet of beef, a fricandeau of veal, a planked steak or fowl, or an elabo- rate made-dish, rather than the great joints or roasting pieces which are used for the main course of a dinner — though a roast joint often forms part of a luncheon in England. At luncheon chocolate may be substituted for coffee, or a choice may be offered of chocolate, coffee, THE LUNCHEON 37 or tea. The table setting for luncheon is of a much more frilly and fanciful kind than for dinner, but lights are not used for decoration unless there is need of them for illumination. Women wear hats to luncheon, as they do at breakfast, and either handsome tailored suits or pretty dresses which are not dinner dresses. Gloves may either be worn or carried in the hand to the table. An English gentle- woman, who was companion for many years to a European princess, told the writer that the princess, on even very formal occasions, never put on her gloves for a luncheon; she carried them in her hand, through motives of economy, an excellent lesson for American princesses. Discussion of the Three Kinds of Company Luncheon For the small and homey luncheon, where the hostess may have also to be cook and waitress, all that is needed to compose a dainty and appetizing meal is a Soup, a meat dish with one vegetable besides potatoes, a sweet dish, and a hot beverage. A salad may or may not be added. If the soup and the sweet are served cold, and can be prepared either the day before or early in the morning of the day she entertains, the labor of immediate prepara- tion will be very much lessened for the hostess. Some– times the hostess cooks one or more dishes at the table, in a chafing-dish, and this adds to the enjoyment of the party. The following is a typical menu for A Small and Friendly Luncheon Orange Soup. Bread Sticks Crown Roast of Lamb Green Peas. Riced Potatoes Tutti-Frutti Water Ice Cake. Coffee 38 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS To make the Orange Soup there will be needed the juice of six oranges, the juice of one lemon, four cups of water, and three tablespoonfuls of arrowroot. Heat the water, and when boiling stir into it the arrowroot, first blended to a smooth paste with three or four table- spoonfuls of cold water. When the mixture has thick- ened, add the orange and lemon juice, let heat a little, but not boil, sweeten very slightly, and serve at once or chill before serving. The arrowroot thickening is trans- parent, and the soup will be a clear, light, yellow color. The Crown Roast of Lamb is not more costly than plain lamb chops, while it is very much prettier and daintier, and is really easier to prepare than it is to broil Separate chops. The following recipe for the Tutti-Frutti Water Ice is especially delicious. Mix together one-half cup of lemon juice, one cup of orange juice, two cups (or a pint can) of shredded pineapple, two cups of sugar, and a quart of water, and freeze. The mixture may be made and allowed to stand several hours before freezing. The second and more elaborate kind of luncheon may begin with either fruit or shellfish; then a soup served in bouillon cups, with either bread sticks or croutons; a fish course, which may be crustacea, especially if fruit was substituted for shellfish in the first course. After the fish will come the chief meat course; then the salad; a sweet course of pudding, jelly, or a frozen dish; the luncheon to conclude with bonbons, fruit, and coffee. This is the most general sequence of courses for the formal company luncheon, and is elaborate enough for almost any occa- sion. For an example, note the following THE LUNCHEON 39 Menu for a Formal Luncheon Oysters on the Half-Shell Tomato Bisque. Croutons Broiled Lobster. Cucumber Sauce Fricandeau of Weal, bordered with Duchess Potatoes and Spinach Orange and Endive Salad Strawberry Bavarian Cream Coffee The highly elaborate luncheon will begin with either choice fruit, or oysters or clams, or a salpicon or canapés. (See page 68.) This will be followed by a soup of some kind; then fish, followed by an entrée; then the meat course with one or two vegetables; then a frozen punch, which precedes the game course which is served with the salad; then the Sweet course; and lastly, bonbons, fruit, and coffee. The following menu shows all the courses of An Elaborate Formal Luncheon Fruit Cocktail Oysters Clam Bouillon, garnished with Whipped Cream Olives. Broiled Smelts. Hollandaise Sauce. Celery Timbales of Chicken and Spaghetti Grenadines of Beef, larded. Mushroom Sauce Candied Sweet Potatoes. Devilled Tomatoes Sweet Cider Frappé Broiled Squab. Romaine Salad Pineapple Mousse. Sponge Fingers Bonbons Salted Pecans Cluster Raisins Coffee The Luncheon Table and Table Linen A round table for a small company is the prettiest and seems the most sociable, but where more than six or eight 40 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS are to be seated the greater diameter of a sufficiently large round table is likely to remove opposite guests to too great a distance. Square, oblong, or oval tables are all appropriate, or the oblong table with rounded ends, which is one of the newest styles. For a large, formal luncheon the banquet arrangement of tables is very good; or the party may be broken up into several Small tables, each seating from four to six, with a special table at the head of the room or the center for the hostess and the most distinguished guests. A progressive form of enter- tainment may be used where there are many Small, separate tables. In this the hostess and the distinguished guests eat the first course together, and then each one picks up her napkin and her water glass, and takes the place of one of the heads of a little table, who in her turn goes to the seat vacated by the one who changes place with her. A similar progressive exchange is made at the close of each course, and this not only gives everybody a chance to meet the most distinguished members of the party; it also takes off the edge of stiffness, and makes for gaiety. Such a “change partners” business would be unthinkable at a formal dinner, but almost anything that promotes amusement and pleasure is permitted at luncheon. If a tablecloth is used it may either come exactly to the edge of the table, or it may hang from four to six inches over the edge. Except for a company luncheon the tablecloths may be the same as those used at breakfast. For company, the cloth may be of fine plain white damask, or it may have a stenciled border, or be decorated with colored embroidery, or, where cost is not a deterrent, it may be trimmed with edging and insertion of heavy lace. Very often a drawn-work cloth, or one trimmed with THE LUN CHEON 4] lace inserts, is spread over a cloth of colored linen, Satin, or silk. This again would not be approved of for the con- servative formal dinner, but all kinds of “frills” are ad- missible at luncheon. Perhaps, with all the freedom of choice allowed, and sometimes unwisely taken advantage of, nothing is prettier for the luncheon table than to set it with handsome lace-edged doilies and runners. These, over mahogany or other fine wood, are highly effective and beautiful. The napkins for luncheon are, as a rule, the same size as breakfast napkins, or they may be a little Smaller, thirteen inches square. At a large and formal luncheon the larger-sized napkin, of twenty or twenty-five inches, is often used, folded either square or oblong. Fancy folding of napkins, especially the many varieties of creasing the napkin and arranging it in the water glass, is decidedly disapproved of, but a simple, half-fancy fold to hold the bread or roll is still allowable at luncheon, though never at dinner. Paper napkins, for use with fruit, are admissible in the home, but they are tabooed at even the smallest and friendliest of company luncheons. The fruit doily at luncheon is placed on the plate under the finger bowl, and it used to be slipped out from there to wipe the fingers. This custom no longer holds; the doily is now either so elaborately embroidered in colored silks, or is made all of fine lace except a spot in the center no bigger than a dollar, that it must be considered more for ornament than use; its original function seems to have been forgotten, and the only excuse offered for its pres- ence is that it keeps the finger bowl from making a noise on the plate. 42 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS Setting and Decoration of the Luncheon Table The space allowed for each person and the space for each cover is the same as that for breakfast (see page 18). The luncheon plate is a small dinner size, about eight inches in diameter. As at breakfast, the rim of the plate is one inch, the handles of the knives, forks, and spoons one-half inch from the edge of the table, and in a straight line. But where there are bouillon spoons, or short- handled oyster forks, it is allowable to arrange these in a graduated form (see illustration, page 30), and it is also allowable to arrange the silver at each side of the plate in such a way that the handles are alternately one inch and one and one-half inches from the table edge. (See illus- tration, page 30.) For the luncheon the menu for which is giver on page 39 there is placed at each cover a knife and fork for the fish course, a knife and fork for the meat course, a fork for the salad, and a bouillon spoon. The place for knives is invariably at the right of the plate, and that for forks at the left, with the single exception of the oyster fork, which is placed either at the right, or on the oyster plate. It is thought better taste, especially at luncheon, to place only three pieces of silver at each side of the plate, and these pieces should be so arranged that the one on the outside, that is, farthest from the plate and nearest to the hand of the guest, is the first to be used. Thus, in the cover for this luncheon, the salad fork, the last to be used, goes nearest the plate at the left side; just outside it comes the fork for the chief meat course, and outside this the fork for the lobster, the first one needed, for the oyster fork will be brought in on the oyster plate. At the right hand the last knife needed, that for the meat course, THE LUNCHEON 43 is placed nearest the plate; next outside it is the knife for the fish, and then the bouillon spoon. The water glass, which for luncheon is preferably DIAGRAM OF A COVER FOR LUNCEIBON Key to Diagram of a Cover for Luncheon 1. Luncheon plate 8. Meat fork 2. e. 9. Luncheon napkin 3. } Bouillon cup and saucer 10. Bread-and-butter plate 4. Dessert spoon • 11. Butter spreader 5. Meat, knife 12. Water goblet 6. Bouillon spoon 13. 7. Salad fork 14. } Individual salt and pepper This cover might serve for a company luncheon of the “Small and early ” type. Note that the bread-and-butter plate is laid, also the dessert spoon. This last is properly not put on the table until just before the sweet course is served, except at a homey luncheon where there may not be a trained waitress. & goblet-shaped, is put at the point of the knife nearest the plate. Where much formality is affected it is not thought correct to place a bread-and-butter plate at the cover for luncheon. In this case, by way of a concession to the 44 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS weaker brethren, a little dish containing butter balls is unobtrusively offered by the waitress after the meat course is served, and the guest who accepts one is supposed to put it on the edge of his meat plate. This inconven- ient method of apparently not serving while yet serving butter for luncheon is becoming less and less the custom, and the hostess now courageously takes her stand on one side or the other, and decides whether she will be fashion- able and formal and deny butter to everybody; or whether she will sacrifice smartness to make her guests comfort- able, and have a regular bread-and-butter plate at each cover, as illustrated on pages 53 and 43. If fruit is served at the beginning of a luncheon, except when in the form of a fruit cup, or a cocktail, the finger bowl is placed as it is at breakfast. Otherwise it is brought on at the end. (See next section.) Silver for the pudding or other sweet course may be placed in front of the luncheon plate, for this saves trouble in the case of an inexperienced waitress. Individual fancy dishes of salted nuts may also be placed in front of the plate. The centerpiece of flowers, on a handsome doily, should be artistically arranged either in a low mass or a moderately high one, not so high as to obstruct the view across the table; or in sprays in quite tall vases, so tall that they do not interfere with anybody's view of anybody else. This last arrangement is the most diffi- cult to make with just the right effect, and is usually combined with a low, flat mass of blossoms in the center of the table. A round or an oval mirror bordered with a wreath of foliage or flowers, or with flowers reflected in it from a low dish in the center, is effective, but somewhat artificial. Flowers frozen in a block of ice, standing in a large glass dish in the center of the table, is another de- THE LUNCHEON 45 vice, more ingenious than agreeable, since it savors of a straining after effect. A miniature Japanese garden, an imitation rockwork, a Jack Horner pie, spun-sugar baskets, and countless other forms of decoration are used for the center of the luncheon table. Instead of lights at the luncheon table, slender glasses, each holding a single rose, or a carnation, or a lovely blossom of any kind, are put at each guest's place, or where candles would be placed at dinner. Care should be taken not to overdo this matter of decoration of the luncheon table, for very often it is so heaped up with pretty favors for each guest, with oddi- ties in the shape of curious ornaments, with ribbon sashes and bows, that the luncheon can hardly be seen through its excessive adornment. It should not be necessary to say that the hostess of good taste will avoid such extremes. “Favors” at luncheon are placed at the left of the cover. Serving the Luncheon Before luncheon is announced the hors-d'oeuvres are put on the table. Hors-d'oeuvres mean the dishes outside of the regular courses, that is, certain odds and ends of pretty things to eat, placed on the table in fancy dishes. These “eats” are always a selection of finger foods, such as radishes, olives, small strips of curled celery, pieces of crystallized ginger, candied peel, glacéd or Salted nuts, bonbons, etc. From two to four small decorative dishes containing your choice of hors-d'oeuvres are arranged on the table, somewhere near the corners, or flanking the centerpiece. These may be passed by the guests to one another between the courses, or a waitress will put one of the dishes in turn on a small salver and offer it at the proper time. It is well to have part of the hors-d'oeuvres 46 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS suitable to serve early in the meal, like celery, radishes or olives, and part suitable to be served later on, such as candied peel or glacéd nuts. Hors-d'oeuvres should not be confounded with the dishes of pickles or jelly which are offered as an accompaniment to the regular courses; they are on the contrary eaten between courses. Rolls and butter are placed on the bread-and-butter plates, as for breakfast; or if butter is withheld a roll or a piece of bread is placed between the folds of each napkin. Bread is cut in little chunky pieces three or four inches long, and one and one-half inches Square, without crust. It is laid under a fold of the napkin to keep the surface from drying out, but in such a way that its presence is evident, so that the guest will not be likely to let it drop on the floor in picking up the napkin, as is not unlikely to happen if the bread is subtly concealed. A fancy folded napkin is permitted to enclose a crusty luncheon roll, or it too may be put under a napkin fold like the bread. The water glasses are filled as for breakfast; and at the very last moment, just before luncheon is announced, the first course of the meal is placed at each cover. This may be the little frilly beginning of fruit, or the oysters, or the bouillon or cold soup. A jellied bouillon is made very attractive by putting each portion through a potato ricer into the bouillon cups. If the luncheon should open with a hot Soup, it is customary to have it also al- ready served before the guests take their places, but the hostess who has a heart for their comfort will not do this, for the soup is sure to be lukewarm before it is eaten. To announce that luncheon is ready, a servant will go to the door of the room where the guests are assembled, and either silently bow to the mistress of the house, or address her, saying, “Luncheon is served.” There is not, THE LUNCHEON 47 at even the most formal luncheon, the pairing-off of the guests for the processional of entering the dining-room; the hostess leads with the guest of honor, the other ladies follow, and if men are present they go in last. At a large luncheon the guests find their places by means of place cards, with or without the help of voluntary assistants, but at a small luncheon the hostess indicates where each one is to sit. One waitress to every six guests is the usual rule, though where the serving is complicated and where there is abundance of help, one waitress is assigned to every four guests. The first frilly little course of, let us say, a fruit cup, will be served in either a slender-stemmed glass, or in a sherbet cup, or it may be served in some odd and pretty piece of china. This will be placed on a doily on a small plate, which will be set on the luncheon plate proper. One-half melon, cantaloupe, or grapefruit is often served for the opening course of a luncheon. The spoon or fork to use with this course will lie on the doily beside the glass or cup. When this course is finished the whole thing is removed, leaving the luncheon plate bare. Oysters or clams, three, four, or six to each person, will next be brought in, arranged on a plate, with one- fourth or one-eighth of a lemon, cut lengthwise, in the center. Sometimes finely shaved ice is pressed into a Small cup, and turned out in mound shape in the center of each oyster plate. There may be a decoration of sprigs of cress, and wee three-cornered sandwiches of brown bread and butter may be offered; or a cold piquant Sauce may be passed, or a spoonful of the sauce may oc- cupy the center of the oyster plate instead of lemon or ice. When this course is finished the waitress removes 48 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS plate and all as before, leaving the original luncheon plate in place. The bouillon cup, in its saucer, is then placed on the luncheon plate. Bread sticks, or any suitable accom- paniment, may be offered. Croutons are usually dropped into the Soup just before serving. A very dainty and particular hostess will see that this is done so shortly before the Soup is brought on that the croutons will not be soggy or soup-soaked; they should retain their crisp- ness, at least in part, before they are eaten. The rule for the removal of the luncheon plate with the course which has been placed upon it is, that it is not removed until the first hot course of the meal has been served, but whether the Soup is warm or cold the luncheon plate may be removed when the soup course is finished. Various Methods of Serving At a small luncheon the hostess may help any or all of the courses from her place at the head of the table. For the first helping of any course served in this way, the waitress fetches two plates from the sideboard; one she places before the hostess, the other she retains on her small salver until the first is filled, when she deftly ex- changes for it the empty plate. After Serving the course to the first guest the waitress fetches another empty plate for exchange as before, and so on. The serving salver is covered with a small doily, to avoid noise. Where there are many servants, this business of exchang- ing the plates, when the hostess helps the course, is best done by two. This method of serving, where the dishes are helped by the host or hostess, is known as the English method. For a small party it gives a home atmosphere of hospitality and ease such as no other form does, but it THE LUNCHEON 49 is not practicable except where the number of guests is few. In Service à la Russe, or the Russian method, every- thing is served from the sideboard or butler's pantry. The luncheon (or dinner) plate has put on it everything needed for the course, such as meat, vegetables, Sauce, etc., and the waitress places it before the guest with one hand while she deftly removes the empty plate with the other. This is the most convenient method for serving a large party. In the third method of serving everything is offered to each guest, who helps himself directly. For instance, in the chief meat course, the meat is carved in the pantry into suitable pieces; these are arranged on the platter with the serving spoon or fork; the platter is held by the waitress on a folded napkin on the flat of her left hand, and offered at the left of each guest. It should be held low, not more than four inches above the level of the table, so that it will be easy for the guest to help himself. After the main dish of the course has been offered in this way, the vegetable dishes are placed on the serving salver, and similarly offered to the guests. Any preferred combination of all three methods may be correctly used at the same meal. For instance, the hostess may help the Soup, and carve and help the cutlet, while the vegetables to accompany this last are offered by the waitress, and the salad or sweet course is brought on in individual portions à la Russe. The following sequence is invariably observed, no matter what the method of serving. The main dish of the course is the first to be brought on, or offered. After this, the vegetables; lastly the sauces, jellies, pickles, or lighter accompaniments. In the English method of serv- 50 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS ing, when the course is finished, the large platter is the first to be removed from the table; next, the vegetable dishes; then the individual plates of the guests; and last the plate of the hostess. After the salad course has been removed, the Salt and pepper, the pickles, jelly, and such of the hors-d'oeuvres as were suitable to the preceding courses, such as radishes, olives, celery, etc., will also be removed. The waitress will then brush the crumbs from the table by means of a small folded napkin and a small plate, no bigger than a bread-and-butter plate. (See Frontispiece.) The glitter- ing and assertive crumb brush and metal tray are now not so much as to be named among us. They carry the implication of provision made for the removal of great quantities; while the small plate and unobtrusive folded napkin seem to assume, more politely, that the removal of crumbs is a slight incident rather than a foreseen exigency. The sweet course is then served, and the silver needed for it, if not already on the table in front of the plate, will be brought in by the waitress either with the sweet dish, or placed after the dish is served. The first is preferable. Immediately after the Sweet course the finger bowls are brought on. Each is placed on a doily on the dessert plate, with the fruit knife, the nut pick, or whatever is needed for dessert, flanking the finger bowl on the doily on the plate. This whole thing is placed before the guest, who immediately removes first the fruit knife or nut, pick, or both, next lifts off the finger bowl and doily to a convenient place either in front or at the side, and she then has the dessert plate all ready for the dessert. See illustrations, page 51. THE FINGER BOWL ON DOILY ON DESSERT PLATE WITH NUT PICK AND FRUIT KNIFE THE GUEST FIRST REMOVES THE NUT PICK AND FRUIT RNIFE, THEN THE DOILY, ON TO WHICH THE FINGER BOWL IS LIFTED 52 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS Dessert vs. Sweet Course Properly speaking, the pudding, pie, ice cream, etc., is not the dessert, it is the sweet course, and the dessert is the course of fruit, nuts, or both, which is the last course of the dinner or luncheon. A little cheese and crackers may or may not be offered with this course. The dessert plate is used for the fruit or nuts, and the dessert spoon for the sweet course; and such a confusion of terms gives sanction to the common usage of calling a pudding or the like dish a dessert — whereas in most of our homes we have no dessert at dinner, but we have a sweet course. Coffee is sometimes brought on with the dessert, some- times it is served in the drawing-room. After the dessert is served the servants withdraw, and the guests may linger for a little while in conversation, though this lin- gering is best done over coffee in the drawing-room, when the company may break up into congenial groups. Meaning of “Serve,” “Offer,” and “Remove '' g } y In the foregoing paragraphs the words “serve,” “offer,” and “remove” have been frequently used, and for the sake of clearness these will be explained in detail. The waitress “serves '' when she places the food, etc., before the guest without what may be called any co- operation on his part, beyond passively receiving it. In this way the waitress may serve the soup or bouillon, the individual plate of meat or fish, the salad, the after- dinner coffee. In the dinner or luncheon à la Russe everything is served, that is, placed before the guest, by the one who waits. Such placing of dishes is done by the waitress with her right hand, while she stands behind and to the right of the guest. NOGIHONQ I HOI EIGIAOO THE LUNCHEON 55 Dishes are “offered ” when the guest helps himself. Thus when the meat platter is passed, or the dishes of vegetables, or anything else to which the guest helps himself, these are said to be offered. Offering is invari- ably done from the left, so that the guest has the right hand free. The waitress stands behind and to the left of the guest, and offers the platter, or the dish on the salver, with her left hand, so that the guest may more con- veniently help himself with his right. Dishes are “removed ” from the individual cover when the course is finished, and the plates have to be taken away to make room for the next. The waitress may re- move from either the right or the left side, whichever is the more convenient. Thus, at a square table, seating two at each side, she will naturally prefer to remove from the ends, rather than from between the seated couple, hence she will remove from the right of one and the left of the other. The only point to be observed is that the waitress uses the hand to remove with that corre- sponds to the side of the guest behind whom she stands. If she stands at his left side, she removes with her left hand; if she stands at his right, she removes with her right hand. Otherwise the process of removing a plate may be very awkward and disagreeable. See illustra- tions on pages 30 and 58, of the wrong and the right way to remove. Correct Behavior at Luncheon The main points of table etiquette at luncheon and at dinner are the same, so that all of these will be fully discussed at the conclusion of the chapter on the dinner. Only one or two small points where the difference between the two meals affects behavior will be given here. 56 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS It is thought polite for each guest to remain standing at the left of her chair until the hostess is seated. She stands at the left so that she has the use of the right hand to arrange her gown as she takes her seat. The chairs should be so placed that the guests may conveniently seat themselves, and unless there are many servants, each one must manage her own chair without assistance, since the presence of business or professional men is hardly to be expected in the middle of the day, and the American luncheon is generally a ladies' feast. Since a woman wears her hat and veil to luncheon, and, unless she follows the example of the European princess, she also wears her gloves, the first thing she does after she is seated is to remove the gloves. They may be pulled up on the wrist, or taken off and laid in her lap. She then unpins and removes her veil, or better, turns it up over her hat, or under its brim. After this, she opens and spreads her napkin over her lap. The luncheon napkin is usually so small that it is opened fully; but one of medium size is opened only half way. Other points of correct behavior for both luncheon and dinner will be found on pages 94 to 111. THE DINNER THE home dinner should be the most enjoyable of all the meals. Breakfast, at its best, is only a prelude to the work of the day; at luncheon only the stay-at-home mem- bers of the household are present; but dinner sees the family complete, and the stress of the day over and done with. This should bring the feeling of leisure and free- dom from care which makes for pleasant conversation and for lingering over the meal to listen to good stories and to contribute them. To save up for dinner-time all the pleasant happenings and adventures of the day, all the good jokes, all the interesting incidents, should be made one of the family habits. Enjoyment and laughter promote digestion and assimilation. A well-planned family dinner provides something which is specially relished by everybody, and its menu should be considerate of every individual's tastes, so that no- body may be able to say: “There is nothing I like!” To provide for each and all in this way does not demand a great deal of variety; it demands only the thought and affectionate consideration which makes homemaking a labor of love, and one of the pleasantest tasks in the world. The dinner is usually the largest and heartiest meal of the three, and it is very common to apportion to it a full half of the day's rations, leaving the other half to be divided between breakfast and luncheon. On this ac- count the dinner is a greater tax on the digestion than the other meals, and this fact gives rise to a difference of opinion amongst dietitians as to what is the correct hour, hygienically, for this meal. Shall it be at noon, before 57 E *$2'， &{}\\ }， （2 №łą， &Ā ■<>=%- <！\ 4 mY _2) \\ №º O- \}\ſ*> $3 E }} ！= s！--~~~~ | \ …，= ·5，27Š) =H=e^ſ, � \º/ THE RIGHT WAY TO REMOVE (The hand farthest from the person seated is used.) THE DINNER * 59 the body is too much exhausted by the day's work to deal with it; or shall it be postponed until evening, when there may be danger of going to bed on a full stomach? — about as unwholesome a thing as one can do. Like all other disputed questions, there is right on both sides. The healthy, hard-as-nails outdoor worker, who has never been aware of his digestive processes, may need his hearty meal at noon to furnish the afternoon’s energy. He may eat it at this time with impunity, go to work immediately after it, and be none the worse. But if the indoor worker, the brain-worker, the student or person in business life, eats his heartiest meal at noon, his body — incapable of Serving two masters — will either allow him to tax his mentality while digestion and assimila- tion are neglected, or vice versa; and either of the two, the brain or the alimentary tract, will have to give up its blood supply to the demands of the other. Hence, for the town dweller, the teacher, the student, the thinker, or for anyone whose wits have to be alive during the afternoon, the later dinner hour is the better. The latest of late dinners should, however, be over and done with at least four hours before bedtime. r On Sundays and during summer vacations it is quite logical to have a midday dinner, for this will give the woman of the house a long, unbroken afternoon with nothing on her mind except the small amount of prepara- tion needed for supper. Invalids, delicate women, old persons, and children who have no school-work in the afternoon may with benefit have their heartiest meal at midday. 60 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS VARIETIES OF DINNER The varieties of dinner are endless, but, though more, numerous than those of other meals, they may all be grouped under two chief heads: the Family Dinner, and the Company Dinner. G. DIAGRAM OF A COVER FOR A SIMPLE DINNER Key to Diagram of a Cover for a Simple Dinner Butter spreader Soup spoon Dessert spoon Dinner napkin Dinner plate Dinner knife Dinner fork Water goblet Bread-and-butter plate i i At the home table the napkin may be put on the dinner plate, and the dessert spoon may go in front of the plate where it will not inter- fere with the removal of crumbs from the table. THE DINNER 61 The Family Dinner We shall discuss five kinds of family dinner: the sim- ple everyday dinner; the Sunday or holiday dinner; the fish dinner; the dinner for a busy day; and the dinner which is shared by a guest. The Simple Family Dinner This usually consists of a meat course with its appro- priate sauce or gravy, with potatoes and one other vege- table, also pickles or a relish of some kind, bread and butter, a sweet course, and coffee. The following is a Sample menu. Simple Family Dinner Mutton Cutlets. Currant Jelly Sauce Steamed Potatoes Mashed Turnips. Pickled Beets Bread and Butter Raisin Pie. Coffee The Sunday or Holiday Dinner The Sunday dinner is supposed to be the best of the week, the one that will be most enjoyed by all the family. The choicest foods in the market will be chosen for it, so far as the purse may afford them, and the cost of the dinner will probably be twice as much as that on any other day of the week. The menu that follows is typical for the Sunday dinner of the average American family. 62 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS Sunday or Holiday Dinner Roast Stuffed Chicken. Giblet Sauce Sweet Potatoes. Creamed Asparagus Rolls. Butter Strawberry Ice Cream. Sponge Cake Coffee The Fish Dinner A fish dinner is very often served on Friday, or on at least one day of every week. Since fish is less pronounced in flavor than meat, it calls for piquant accompaniments in either sauce, relishes, or vegetables. The lean fish, such as codfish, haddock, flounder, etc., need a rich sauce; while the fat fish like mackerel, salmon, shad, etc., ought not to have a rich sauce, but rather an acid one. It is also well to furnish additional protein in the form of eggs, cheese, or nuts, with a dinner of fish, since its average content of protein is not so great as that of meat, nor is it so good for body-building, being more gelatinous. Fruit is a grateful accompaniment to a fish dinner, and will be relished for the sweet course. A Fish Dinner Baked Haddock. Egg Sauce Potatoes Stuffed with Cheese. Buttered Beets Brown Bread. Butter Sweet Pickled Pears Plum Tapioca Pudding Coffee The Dinner for a Busy Day At Spring cleaning times, on wash days, or days when the woman of the house has on her hands a church fair, THE DINNER 63 a strenuous meeting of her club, a bridge party, or one of a dozen or more activities which leave her little time for work in the home, she ought to plan the dinner which is easiest to prepare, and which at the same time is nutri- tious and appetizing. The one-piece, or one-dish, dinner fulfils these specifications. This is a dinner which has meat and vegetables cooked in one dish, which is served from one dish, and which constitutes a complete dinner with the addition of a salad, a fruit dessert, bread and butter, and coffee. The following is an example of a good one-dish dinner. Baked Bean Loaf Lettuce and Orange Salad Bread and Butter Berries and Cream Coffee The bean loaf is made by mixing one cupful of baked beans, mashed through a colander, with two cups of bread-crumbs, Squeezed out of hot water, and seasoned with three tablespoonfuls of butter, two teaspoonfuls of salt, one-half teaspoonful of pepper, one small onion, chopped, one-half cup of chopped celery, and one table- spoonful of lemon juice. Bind with two well-beaten eggs. Turn the mixture into a baking dish, and pile over the top three apples, pared and quartered; and four potatoes pared and sliced. Cover, and bake one and one-half hours, removing the cover at the close to brown the potatoes. This dish may be prepared in the morning, or the night before. It may, if the housemother is absent all day, be cooked in the fireless for almost as long as she pleases, without suffering any hurt, or it may be cooked in the morning and heated in a few minutes for dinner. Ground 64 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS nuts may be substituted for the baked beans, and other alterations may be made to give variety. The Family Guest Dinner By this is meant the informal home dinner to which one or two, or even a small group of friends are invited. No dinners are more enjoyable than these, and to none is an invitation more welcome. It is extremely compli- mentary as implying that you take the guests right into your family life, for the intimate and delightful converse that is developed in a small party. The dinner should therefore be a family dinner, so far as the number and order of the courses goes; but it should be a family dinner of the finest possible quality. The following menu is typical of a simple guest dinner. Home Dinner for a Small Party of Friends I Prime Rib Roast of Beef. Dish Gravy Olives. Pickles Mashed Potatoes. Succotash Fresh Sliced Tomatoes on Lettuce Deep-Dish Cherry Pie Coffee This menu, which includes only a few dishes, but all of good, well-known kinds, and of excellent quality, served in liberal helpings and entirely without “frills,” is of the kind called by a clever woman writer, “a man's dinner.” Such a dinner, she makes one of her characters say, if served to any man, be he the most distinguished, will be likely to please him more than a banquet of twelve courses. Therefore this kind of dinner-menu, varied in detail only, THE DINNER 65 will meet with approval on seven days out of the week where the male element predominates in the family. The following menu represents a different type of the family guest dinner. Home Dinner for a Small Party of Friends II Larded Fillet of Weal. Celery Sauce Radish Roses. Candied Kumquats Rice Croquettes. Brussels Sprouts Apple and Almond Salad Pineapple Soufflé Coffee The lighter and more fancy touches and the daintier dishes of this menu show that it is meant for a “woman’s dinner”; and also that the woman or women to be enter- tained are neither of the athletic, the business, or the professional type. Almost any dinner good enough for the family will be good enough for the intimate family guest; with the addi- tion of a little something such as a soup, a salad, or some extra choice relishes, to show the friends that something special has been done for their entertainment. Both soup and salad, especially the last, should appear on the family table much more commonly than they do. Neither is difficult to prepare, but to serve either one certainly adds a good many dishes to be washed, and this is prob- ably the reason for their customary absence. The Formal Company Dinner For any dinner that pretends to formality there must be at least six courses: Soup, fish, meat, salad, a Sweet 66 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS course, and coffee. Each of these is served with its cor- rect accompaniments, as in the following sample menu for this simplest type of the formal dinner; and two or more hors-d'oeuvres are usually included. The courses and their accompaniments are spaced off from one another, and the hors-d'oeuvres are enclosed in parentheses. Formal Dinner I Tomato Bouillon. Croutons Fillet of Sole. Parsley Sauce Sliced Cucumbers Parker House Rolls - (Olives. Salted Pecans) Roast Leg of Lamb. Mint Sauce Duchess Potatoes. Green Peas Romaine Salad. French Dressing. Saltines Pineapple Bavarian Cream. Lady Fingers (Nuts. Bonbons) Coffee When we note that the foregoing is one of the simplest forms of the formal company dinner, it will be seen that it is not one which is convenient for the servantless home. A trained waitress is indispensable even if the mistress of the house undertakes the cooking. It is estimated that something over ninety per cent of our American homes are servantless, and in a home which belongs to this honorable majority such a dinner had better not be attempted. It will not promote more enjoyment than a simpler one, and the stress involved in its preparation and serving will prevent the hostess from being at her THE DINNER 67 best, with body and mind rested and animated for the entertainment of her guests. Where there is a staff of trained servants a slightly more elaborate form of the company dinner may be served. Such a dinner will open with an appetizer such as a sal- picon or canapé; this will be followed by oysters or shell- fish; then soup; fish; the meat course; a frozen punch, sherbet, or granite; game; salad; a hot Sweet dish; a cold sweet dish such as ice cream; a dessert of fruit, nuts, bonbons; and coffee. A yet more elaborate and complex form of the company dinner has two entrées, the first comes on after the fish, and this is the more substantial of the two; the second and lighter entrée is served after the roast. Examples of these long-drawn-out feasts are shown in the following menus, which are both expansions of the formal dinner- menu given on page 66. Formal Dinner II Anchovy Canapés Oysters on Half-Shell Tomato Bouillon. Croutons Fillet of Sole. Parsley Sauce Sliced Cucumbers Parker House Rolls Olives. Salted Pecans Roast Leg of Lamb. Mint Sauce Duchess Potatoes. Green Peas Fruit. Sherbet Reed Birds. Romaine Salad Custard Soufflé Pineapple Bavarian Cream. Lady Fingers Nuts. Bonbons Coffee 68 BREAKFASTs, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS In writing the menu for the still more elaborate formal dinner, it will be divided into its several courses, these will be numbered, and will be briefly described in general terms. Formal Dinner III The Beginning Very small portions of some appetizing relish, such as a salpicon or canapé, are often served at the beginning of a formal and elaborate dinner. These are not strictly considered one of the regular courses, and may be omitted at discretion. The Salpicon, which means Salted bits, may be a mix- ture of two or more kinds of fruit, cut into small pieces with lemon juice poured over, and placed at each cover in a small, stemmed glass. Or it may be bits of delicate meat or fish, with small pieces of pickle. It is illustrated in the picture of the cover on page 54. The Canapé, which literally means the couch, is a strip of thin, crisp toast, spread with anchovy paste, or caviare, or something of the kind, and decorated with hard-boiled eggs, bits of truffle, etc. A skilful chef deco- rates these so very fancifully that they resemble mosaics. Canapés may be served on small plates placed at each cover, or at a gentlemen's dinner they may be passed in the library before dinner is announced. I. Shellfish When the dinner opens with the little appetizer of the Salpicon or canapé, the oysters or clams are usually served on the half-shell. For accompaniments to this course, See the section on the formal luncheon, page 47. When the appetizer is omitted, the shellfish may be served either in the shells, or in the form of a cocktail. This course is sometimes combined with the fish course, as when a fish turban is served with an oyster sauce. THE DINNER 69 II. Soup The correct dinner soup, if there is only one, is a con- sommé or other clear soup. At a large dinner a choice of two soups, a clear or a cream Soup, is usually offered. Garnishes for Soup. The following may or may not be served with the soup from the tureen: forcemeat balls; croutons (usually with cream soups); royal custard (this is a rich, unsweetened custard made with eggs and meat stock, molded in decorative shapes no bigger than a thimble, and served in the soup); or wee puffs of choux paste made by frying minute drops of the paste in deep fat, etc. Accompaniments to Soup. Parmesan cheese is some- times offered by the waitress in grated form, and a spoon- ful may be put into the soup by the guest. Other accom- paniments similarly offered are small crackers, etc. Bread sticks are usually placed at the cover, but they are sometimes offered. III. Fish Any kind of fish is appropriate for this course. The usual accompaniments are cucumbers, potatoes or other starchy vegetable, and a spoonful of any fish sauce. Sometimes the cucumbers are served with a French dressing. Bread and rolls, if these have not already been placed at each cover, are offered with the fish course. Hors-d'OEuvres Like the appetizers served in the beginning, these prop- erly do not form a course, but after the fish is removed they are either offered by the waitress, or less formally by the guests to each other. The first move is usually made by the hostess, who asks the man at her right to pass her the dish of olives, radishes, celery, etc. This is the signal for a general offering of hors-d'oeuvres by the men to their dinner partners. 70 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS IV. The First Entrée The first entrée is served after the fish. It is usually a made-dish of meat, like croquettes, or timbales, or it may be a soufflé of cheese, meat, or fish. It does not need any accompaniment other than a garnish of parsley or cress, or a small spoonful of sauce. V. The Roast This is the main course of the dinner, to which the pre- ceding courses led up, and from which those that follow are supposed to be in a descending Scale. It may be a roast joint or a large fowl such as turkey, or it may be venison or some other rare meat. Its accompaniments are an appropriate sauce or gravy, one green and one starchy vegetable; and jelly or sweet pickle may be offered after the vegetables have been served. VI. The Second Entrée This is known as the vegetable entrée, for it is com- posed of either fruit or vegetables, and is a lighter dish than the first entrée. Cauliflower with hollandaise sauce, stuffed tomatoes, artichokes, or any other fine vegetable is proper to serve for this course; or fruit or vegetable fritters are in good form. VII. Frozen Punch A frozen punch; a sherbet or water ice; a sorbet or water ice with white of egg added; or a granite, which is a water ice frozen in rough lumps, are forms of ices served before the game course, the better to prepare the palate for this meat. They are served in sherbet cups, or in rather flaring stemmed glasses, and without other ac- companiment. VIII. The Game Any game in season is appropriate for this course. Wild birds, such as quail or partridge, canvasback duck or teal, THE DINNER 71 steaks of venison or moose, or any other wild meat may be used for the game course. The meat is served with a sauce, and with celery or some other vegetable. IX. The Salad A salad of light green vegetables goes best with a dinner of many rich courses, and this should be served with a French, rather than with a heavy mayonnaise dressing. The heavier salads of fish, nuts, etc., are more suitable for luncheon, and at this meal may better be served with mayonnaise. Sometimes the game and salad courses are served in one. The game is served first, and if the salad is then offered without the provision of an extra plate to put it on, the guest may take it for granted that it goes on the same plate with the game. To combine the serving of these two courses is often convenient, as shortening the time of the dinner; yet since the game is a hot course and should be served on a warm plate, the salad will not be at its best if put upon the same plate. A plate for each will be awkward for the guest to manage, so the riddle is sometimes solved by placing for the salad a plate of semi- circular form a little to the left of the plate which holds the game. X. The Sweet Course While the two preceding courses, the game and the salad, are often combined, the Sweet course at a large formal dinner is just as often divided, so that it really forms two courses. The first will be The Hot Sweet This may take the form of any rich pudding, whether it be served warm or cold. A soufflé, a fruit pudding, a bavaroise, a rich jelly, etc., with its proper sauce, is served for what may be called Part I of the sweet course. For Part II is provided 72 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS The Cold Sweet This is usually a frozen dish, either ice cream, or a mousse, a parfait, a Nesselrode pudding, or any other form of delicious ice. There may or may not be served with this either sweet crackers or cake. Macaroons, lady fingers, sponge or pound cake, or something extra fine in the line of cookies, all go well with ice cream. But plain, unsweetened crackers should be served only with water ices, and these are less correct than ice cream for the sweet course of a company dinner. XI. The Dessert (For the difference between dessert and sweet course, see page 52 of the section on the luncheon.) Fresh fruit is in place for dessert, and grapes, pears, peaches, or other fine fruit, offered from a handsome epergne or silver fruit basket, makes a very decorative dish. But fresh fruit may be omitted without the slight- est infringement of good usage, and nuts and raisins, or candied or crystallized fruit may form the dessert course. Bonbons, candied orange peel, or crystallized ginger will usually be found in hors-d'oeuvres dishes, and will be passed after the dessert course has been removed, and these dishes remain on the table through the next and last course. XII. The Coffee This is correctly served in small after-dinner coffee cups, without either sugar or cream. Yet, as in the case of the butter at luncheon, the hostess may modify the rigors of the rule by having the waitress offer both sugar and cream to every guest, so that each one may follow his preference. THE DINNER 73 We now propose to summarize the correct procedure for the meals in general, from the first steps to the last, in regular order. To this end, there will first come a dis- cussion of How to Write Invitations Like everything else pertaining to the meals, invita- tions are of two kinds, informal and formal. A very in- formal invitation between close and intimate friends may be verbal. An impromptu call across the lot, or a friendly message over the telephone, is admissible between close friends, but outside the bonds of kinship, or friendship close as kin, the written invitation is the more com- plimentary. The Invitation to Breakfast It is assumed that your breakfast guest is taken more closely and immediately into the fellowship of the family than is the guest for any other meal, hence a friendly little note couched in the least formal terms possible, is per- fectly in order, and it may be sent within two or three days before the meal. Here it may be remarked that the friendlier and less formal the invitation the more friendly and less formal is the meal likely to be, so the one invited may judge in advance whether she will be treated like home folks or company. An example of a very informal breakfast invitation is as follows: KILMORE, COTTAGE, MY DEAR SALLY: Friday Evening. To-morrow morning at eight o'clock we’re going to have flannel cakes, the “kind that grandma used to make.” We want you and Tom to come over and see whether they don’t taste good. Bring along your best appetites, and please your friends The ROBINSONS. 74 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS A less impulsive and impromptu, but very friendly invitation might be written in the following style. KILMORE COTTAGE, BANKSIDE, MY DEAR MRS. WILSON: April the Fourteenth. Will you and your husband give me and my husband the pleasure of breakfasting with us, quite informally, at nine o'clock on Friday morning, April the twenty-first? Cordially yours, MRS. THOMAS KENTON WILSON. MARY BRENT ROBINSON. Even for a breakfast in honor of a distinguished guest — a breakfast of the formal company kind — the invita- tion to this meal is in better taste when written in the first person, rather than that third person form which seems to hold off the guest at arm's length with its cere- moniousness. Such an invitation may read: KILMoRE COTTAGE, BANKSIDE, MY DEAR MRs. WILSON: April the Fourteenth. Will you and Mr. Wilson give us the pleasure of your company at breakfast, at half-past ten o'clock on Mon- day, April the twenty-fourth, to meet the distinguished explorer, Mr. Henry Bailey Drought, who will be our guest on that day? Very cordially yours, MRS. THOMAS KENTON WILSON. MARY BRENT ROBINSON. For a semi-public breakfast such as the annual break- fast of a club or Society, the third person is most appro- priate, and the engraved card is generally used. (See The Engraved Invitation, page 77.) The Invitation to Luncheon The invitation to luncheon should always be sent at least a week before the appointed date. It may be written THE DINNER 75 in a cordial and friendly form by the hostess, or it may be worded in the third person, according to the elaborate- ness of the entertainment and the number of guests — as a rule the larger the number the more formal the in- vitation. An ordinary form of friendly invitation to luncheon is as follows: FIVE WASHINGTON SQUARE, NEw York CITY, October the Tenth, Nineteen Hundred and Twenty. MY DEAR MRS. HUNTER: I should be greatly pleased if you would have luncheon with me at one o'clock on Tuesday, October the eighteenth. Trusting that you have made no other engagement which would prevent your giving me this pleasure, I am Cordially yours, ALICE MARGARET OVERTON. MRs. WALTON HowARD HUNTER. A more formal invitation to luncheon will follow the style for the dinner invitation on page 76. The luncheon invitation in the third person will be discussed under the heading “The Invitation in the Third Person” on page 76. The Invitation to Dinner An invitation to dinner means a greater social dis- tinction than an invitation to any other meal, and is therefore a more marked compliment. The invitation to a family dinner implies both the close friendliness of the invitation to breakfast, and the social compliment of the dinner invitation proper, and is therefore one of the most charming ways of bestowing pleasure and at the same time of seeming to give the freedom of your house, to the person for whom you thus show regard and honor. 76 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS The invitation to a formal dinner bestows social dis- tinction only, but does not admit to the close friendship of the family meal. The form of the luncheon invitation may be used for the family dinner, and this may be sent a week or ten days before the date for the meal. The following slightly more formal type of invitation is issued for a more formal dinner, or a family dinner which includes a greater num- ber of guests. 17 OAKLEY STREET, PHILADELPHIA, November the Fourth. MY DEAR MRS. TALBOT: Will you and Mr. Talbot give my husband and me the pleasure of dining with us (or “the pleasure of your company at dinner”) on Wednesday, November the eighteenth, at half-past seven o’clock? Yours with kindest regards, MILDRED KENT RICHARDSON. For a very formal dinner the invitation is usually written in the third person. Since to the unaccustomed this is more fraught with danger than the usual form, it will be well to give rather explicit directions for cor- rectly writing The Invitation in the Third Person This has no heading of name or address. It has no salutation, such as the beginning “My dear Mrs. Blank” is called. It has no complimentary close, like “Cordially yours.” It has no signature. It should be completely and consistently in the third person, and the pronouns of the second person should not occur anywhere. The following is an example. THE DINNER 77 Mr. and Mrs. George Hamilton Brown request the pleasure of Mr. and Mrs. John Carrol Black’s company at dinner on Thursday, March the fifteenth at eight o’clock Two hundred and twenty-eight Emerson Place The Engraved Invitation For all large assemblies, such as class anniversary dinners, weddings, public banquets, etc., or for large dinner parties where the hostess entertains a great num- ber of guests, the engraved invitation is convenient, and is time and labor saving. The objections to an engraved invitation are first, its cost, which for fine cards, en- velopes, and engraving, is quite high. Anything but the best, in an engraved invitation, should not be thought of, and the best is costly. Another objection to the en- graved form is its impersonality and stiffness. It is not only formal, it may be said to be unfeeling. Of course the edge of this stiffness could be taken off by an added line of personal urge written by the hostess, but this would hardly consort with the engraved style. A more serious objection to a woman who is particular about small niceties is that the usual style of the engraved in- vitation infringes on the rule that it must be consistently in the third person. It generally reads as follows: Mr. and Mrs. George Hamilton Brown request the pleasure of your company and this makes a bad mix-up of second and third persons which a hostess of fine sensibilities will not stand for if she can help it. The only alternative is to leave a blank line to be filled in with the names of the guests in hand- 78 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS writing, and this takes too much time when the number is very large. We have another word of warning to those who order engraved invitations. Many engravers run too much to capitalization, and if not looked out for will capitalize the first letter of every line. Thus in the form on page 77 the words “request” and “company” will be made to begin with a capital. The letters R.S.V.P., which some- times occur in the lower left-hand part of the engraved card or sheet of paper, will also be fully capitalized, in- stead of being written R.S.v.p., which is more correct. The insertion of these letters implies that you are not confident of your guests’ knowledge of social usages, for nobody except one ignorant of their simplest forms would neglect to reply to an invitation, hence they are better omitted. General Rules for Writing Invitations Since the correct writing of an invitation stamps the one who frames it as a person of Sophistication and good taste, the following rules may be found useful in times of doubt or uncertainty. 1. Abbreviations of words in a written invitation imply haste and a desire on the part of the writer to save time; they are consequently discourteous. Hence: (a) Titles of courtesy or distinction, such as “Doctor,” “Reverend,” “Honorable,” “Esquire,” “Colonel,” and all similar titles, should be written out in full. The sole exceptions are “Mr.” and “Mrs.” (b) Proper names should always be written in full, unless the initial only is known to the writer. Thus, in the body of the invitation, on page 74, we find “Mr. Henry Bailey Drought,” rather than “Mr. Henry B. Drought,” THE DINNER 79 and the inside address of the lady is “Mrs. Thomas Kenton Wilson,” rather than “Mrs. Thomas K. Wilson.” Also, the writer of the invitation is scrupulous to sign her name in full. The sole exception to the rule of writing all proper names in full is where they occur in the saluta- tion. Here, the familiar mode of addressing the person in ordinary intercourse is used, and “My dear Mrs. Wilson” is correct. Also, when the invitation is of the quite informal type, such as that on page 73, this rule is not adhered to. (c) The names of the months should likewise be written in full. Contractions such as “Dec.” for “December” are now not thought to be in good taste even for business correspondence, much less for social. (d) Neither should “St.” be written for “Street”; nor “Ave.” for “Avenue.” (e) Numerals should not be used for dates. “April the twenty-first" not “April 21st" is given for the date of the breakfast (see page 74), and the little note is dated “April the Fourteenth,” not “April 14.” Very punc- tilious persons used to write out the number of the year in full, and “One thousand nine hundred and ten” used to extend all across the page. A more recent fashion is to omit the date of the year except in the case of a wed- ding or anniversary invitation. (f) Street numbers are more correctly written in full, but very often in engraved stationery, where Old English text is used, the numerals are substituted, as they are somewhat easier to read. Where the invitation is written, either form may be used, though the words rather than the numerals are preferred by the precise. In the case of engraved invitations the street numbers should always be written in full. 80 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS 2. The salutation, as the opening of the letter is called, is more complimentary as well as more ceremonious when the word “My” is used. Hence the form “My dear Mrs. Wilson” is better than “Dear Mrs. Wilson.” The latter form may be used for very intimate and informal notes, or for business. - 3. The spacing, whether the invitation is written or engraved, should be so planned that the title, name, and surname of the persons invited shall all come on the same line, without break or division. 4. For the complimentary close of an invitation written in the first person the phrase “Cordially yours,” or “Yours with kindest regards,” is preferable to “Sin- cerely yours,” or “Very truly yours,” both of which are business forms. “Most sincerely yours” might be used as a compromise. 5. The dinner invitation is always extended in the name of both the master and mistress of the house. The luncheon invitation is usually in the name of the mistress only; and the invitation to breakfast may be in the name of both, or of the mistress alone. A good rule for break- fast and luncheon is that where the master of the house is to be present at the meal his name will appear in the invitation. - 6. In writing as well as in speech, it is a mark of igno- rance of correct social usage to apply titles of distinction to one's own relatives. The invitation, therefore, except when the impersonal third person form is employed, should read: “Will you give me and my husband the pleasure,” etc., instead of “me and Mr. Robinson,” or “me and my mother,” or similarly, whoever the rela- tive may be who entertains with you. Or the word “us” may informally include the whole family of the entertainer. THE DINNER 81 On the other hand, unless between close and intimate friends, the formal title of the person addressed will be used. “Will you and your husband” is for very great intimacy only ; “Will you and Mr. Wilson” is the more courteous form. 7. The rule of uniformity in the use of either the first or the third person has been discussed on page 77. The Reply to an Invitation 1. The reply to an invitation, whether to accept or decline, should be sent within twenty-four hours after it has been received. 2. The form of the invitation, whether first or third person, should be paralleled in the reply. Also, the word- ing should be paralleled to some extent. Thus, the reply to the breakfast invitation on page 74 may be MY DEAR MRS. Robinson: It is with great pleasure that my husband and I accept your kind invitation to breakfast at half-past ten o’clock on April the twenty-fourth, to meet your distinguished guest, Mr. Henry Bailey Drought. Most cordially yours, SARAH KENTON WILSON. 3. The phrase “I shall be happy to accept” is incorrect, in that the acceptance is not a matter of the future; it is of the present, and should be written: “I am happy to accept.” The Hour for the Company Dinner Seven o’clock, half-past seven, or eight, are the hours usually assigned for the company dinner; and the later 82 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS the hour the more formal the dinner. For the home dinner to which a guest is invited, the hour may be half- past six or seven o'clock. Table Linen and Decoration Double damask, very fine and very heavy, is proper for the company dinner for both tablecloth and napkins. The tablecloth may be hemstitched, the hem not more than one and one-half inches in depth, or it may have a narrow French hem. The napkins should correspond, except that if hemstitched the hem should be much narrower. Dinner napkins are of large size, though not so very large as they used to be, when the yard-square napkin was thought proper. Now the dinner napkin is not larger than thirty inches Square. It is preferably folded square for dinner, with the monogram, if there be one, on the upper fold. An oblong fold is permissible, but not a fancy fold, or a three-cornered one. The tablecloth should hang several inches over the edge of the table, but not so low that it goes below the chair seats. Formerly the dinner cloth used to reach nearly to the floor, and was awkward to manage in seat- ing the guests. The cloth should properly show only one crease, lengthwise, and this should not be very pro- nounced. A carving cloth is placed at each end of the table when the dinner is served by the host and hostess; where a joint is carved by the host and the other dishes passed, or served a la Russe, only one carving cloth will be laid. A handsome centerpiece, preferably all white, is laid in the center, and small doilies of rich embroidery or lace are used under the finger bowls. These may be em- broidered in delicate colors, but apart from this the table THE DINNER 83 linen for dinner is plain white, and anything very fanci- ful such as would be proper for luncheon, is absent from dinner, where fine quality and a rich and dignified sim- plicity are sought for. The table decorations are chiefly lights and flowers. A beautiful arrangement of flowers in the center, or a large candelabrum placed over a mirror surrounded by a wreath of Smilax, ferns, or flowers is very good. Some of the schemes of decoration suggested for luncheon are appropriate for dinner, but the rich and formal, rather than the gay and bizarre, should be the dominant note at this meal. The dining-table should be the center of light in the dining-room. Low, indirect lighting, enough to see one's way by, is all that is needed, apart from the table lights, for artistic effect. Above all, the hostess should avoid any form of bright lighting from above the table, or higher than the heads of the seated guests, since shadows thrown downward from lights in this position are de- cidedly unbeautiful, and are most trying to the prettiest face. Neither should the lights glare into the eyes of those present, and though the use of candle shades is optional it is more thoughtful in the hostess to provide them, for they are more comfortable for the eyes, the decorative effect is better, and they produce a becoming reflection on the faces of the guests. Rose color, pink, primrose, and very light creamy green are tints which are said to enhance the beauty of a woman's complexion. The shades should be so arranged that there will be no danger of their catching fire from the candle flames; devices that provide a safeguard against this can now be bought at any good housefurnishing warerooms. The candles may be placed one at each cover, or one between 84 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS two, or a double row of Small candles may extend from head to foot of the table. Candles should always be large enough to last at least through the entertainment, and not to flare out in Smoke and smell before the guests have left the dining-room. Where there is not a large candelabrum for the center of the table, four handsome shaded dinner lamps, placed in a square around the centerpiece, will diffuse a beauti- ful and sufficient light to illumine the dinner-table, and to bring out the beauty of the fine damask, the glass and silver and flowers of a handsomely arranged table. Temperature of Dining-Room The temperature of the dining-room should not be more than 65° or at most 70° Fahr., and of all rooms this should be the best ventilated, for the lights, the food, and the company will very quickly cause a vitiated atmos- phere and an unpleasant increase of temperature. How to Set the Cover for Dinner Subordination and repetition, the two fundamental rules or principles of all decoration, should be kept in mind in setting the cover, for the cover is part of the table decoration. The beauty of the central ornaments should dominate the entire table, and be the first to catch the eye; while the covers furnish the element of repetition, and in each cover the plate is the center and chief element of the scheme, and the silver and glass are subordinate to this. No more than three pieces of silver should be placed at the left, and not more than four at the right, of each cover. Of the three pieces at the left, the salad fork goes THE DINNER 85 next to the plate; the meat fork outside this; and the fish fork on the extreme outside. The dinner knife, or meat knife, is placed next the plate at the right; outside this, the fish knife; next, the soup spoon; and the oyster fork on the extreme outside. (See illustration, page 54.) Ilo (3)C) wºr- DIAGRAM OF A COWER FOR A FORMAL DINNER Key to Diagram of a Cover for a Formal Dinner 1. Service plate 7. Fish fork 2. Meat knife 8. Dinner napkin 3. Soup spoon 9. Water goblet 4. Oyster fork 10. Glass for sparkling water a k-) & k . 11. - - 3. i. ; #) Individual salt and pepper Silver for extra courses will be placed at each cover as needed. The silver for the sweet course is not put on the table until time for the service of this course; for if placed earlier it would interfere with the removal of crumbs from the table, which is done immediately after the salad course is finished. 86 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS At the family table it is often found convenient to place all the silver on the table at once; in this case the silver for the sweet course is put in front of the plate at the top, for in such a position it will not interfere with the removal of the crumbs. (See diagram, page 60.) That the handles of the silverware shall all be in a straight line one-half inch from the edge of the table is more in accord with the rigid formality of the dinner- table than that they shall be alternately arranged or graded as seen in the illustration on page 30, yet both styles of setting the cover are admissible. A handsome service plate is placed in the center, one inch from the table edge, as for luncheon. The dinner napkin, folded square, goes at the left of the cover. It is permissible to place the napkin, with the roll or bread inside, on the service plate, when this is not occupied by a salpicon, etc. But it is a pity thus to mar the artistic effect of the cover when a handsome service plate occupies the center. The place cards may go on the service plate, or just beyond its rim, or on the napkin if this does not hold bread or roll, or anywhere they will catch the eyes of the guests. For a formal dinner, these cards should be plain, or with merely the monogram of the hostess. The frilly and fancy place cards are right only for luncheon. The water goblet, as for luncheon, goes at the point of the dinner knife, and if a sparkling water or other bever- age is used, the glass for this goes to the right of the water glass. (See diagram.) Individual salts and peppers may or may not be placed. They go just above the service plate. Open saltcellars are preferable to shakers, and a wee spoon should be placed beside or across each. THE DINNER 87 Menu cards are placed at each cover in the case of very large, semi-public dinners, but these are out of place for ordinary entertaining in the home. The small, pretty plate holding the salpicon or other appetizer, if one is served, may be set on the service plate, for it adds to the decorative effect, and this little be- ginning takes off the awkward edge of waiting for the service of the first course after the guests are seated. Dinner Dress for Women Formal dinner dress for women is low-necked and short-sleeved, but the neck need not be exaggeratedly low, and the sleeves may cover the upper arm; or both neck and sleeves may be filled in with thin, semi-trans- parent or transparent material. The guest at a family dinner need not wear a low-necked and short-sleeved gown; such a simple occasion calls only for a pretty, light- colored silk, or even a handsome waist with a fine tailored skirt. Such dress is also suitable for wear in hotel or steamship dining-rooms while traveling. It is always thought good taste for the hostess to wear a simple dinner frock, so that she may not outshine her guests. Number of Dinner Guests “Not less than the Graces nor more than the Muses” used to be the old-fashioned rule for the number of guests at a dinner. Fewer than the Graces (three) would be too few for varied and delightful social intercourse; a larger number than the Muses (nine) would result in the company breaking up into little groups, and would inter- fere with enjoyment, which should be general. The partie carrée, or square party, is of four persons, one at 88 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS each side of a square table. This makes for very close intimacy. The dinner of ten, four at each side of the table, and one at each end, is as many as can easily share in general conversation. Men and women should be in equal numbers at a dinner party, and should be seated alternately. But when the total number present is divisible by four, such as eight, twelve, sixteen, etc., this will make an odd number, such as three, five, or seven, to seat at each side, with the result that it will be impossible to follow the rule which pre- scribes the alternation of men and women all around the table, unless the table is round, or unless two persons sit at each end. The last is not thought a good method of Seating. Time for Arrival of Guests Unless for an informal meal, or where a guest is specific- ally invited to come early, it is best not to arrive a mo- ment before the hour named for the dinner. Formerly it was thought correct to arrive precisely on the stroke of the hour, and humorous stories are told of guests standing in a line around the corner of the street, consulting their watches every minute or two, in order to be exactly on time. Now it is thought to show more consideration for the hostess not to have all her guests come at once; also, to be a very few minutes late may allow for some un- toward happening at the last moment, which would cause a slight delay in serving the dinner. A ten-minute leeway is not too much, but to be much later than this is not to show consideration for either the hostess or the other guests. Professional men such as physicians and clergy- men are excused for being late in case of an emergency call, otherwise to be so late for a dinner engagement as to keep the company waiting, to inconvenience the hostess, THE DINNER 89 and to make it difficult for servants to keep food hot with- out being overdone, is unpardonably inconsiderate and ill-bred. Reception of Guests Before Dinner At a dinner of any formality the ladies on arrival will be shown by a servant to a dressing-room for the removal of their wraps. This room, for the convenience of the guests, is preferably planned for on the ground floor, but it is often a bedroom, and one flight up. Unless when the party is large the gentlemen will leave their hats and coats in the hall. The guests should then go at once to the drawing-room, where the host and hostess will wel- come them, and introductions to the others present will follow. It is not necessary for a woman to rise when a man or another woman is introduced, though it is often more gracious if the man is a clergyman or if either the man or the woman is older or distinguished. The hostess always rises to receive her guests. These moments of waiting in the drawing-room until all the company is assembled and dinner announced are perhaps the most difficult for both hosts and guests. No prolonged conversation can be engaged in; there is more or less anxiety lest tardy or delinquent guests may spoil the arrangements; and the company if not well acquainted, or not socially sophisticated, may hang apart. It is there- fore the time for hosts and guests to make everyone happy and at ease. At a dinnerformen the company assembles in the library, and canapés (see page 68) are passed by a servant and eaten from the fingers, as though to initiate good fellow- ship by the breaking of bread together. 90 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS Announcement of Dinner Dinner is announced as luncheon is by a servant who stands at the door, bows to the lady of the house, or ad- dresses her, saying, “Dinner is served,” or “Madame is served.” The man of the house is not addressed if a woman is present who in any degree takes the place of the hostess. The Procession to the Dining—Room Immediately on the announcement of the formal dinner the host offers his right arm to the woman guest of honor, and leads the way to the dining-room. The other men similarly escort the women whom the hostess has indicated as their dinner partners, and the hostess herself asks the man whom she most wishes to honor to give her his arm, and with him brings up the rear of the procession. At a small dinner, the hostess may assign this pairing- off of couples immediately after the announcement of the meal; at a moderately large one she may make the assignments on the introduction of the guests in the drawing-room; or when the number is very large each man finds in the dressing-room or is given by a servant a small envelope containing a card with the name of the woman whom he is to take in to dinner. If he is not acquainted with her he should ask for an introduction while in the drawing-room. Sometimes, when a large number of guests makes introduction difficult, other devices are made use of, and the guests are paired-off by being given cards, flowers, or wee knots of ribbon of similar color. If there should be an odd man, without a woman part- ner, he walks in with the hostess, but without giving her THE DINNER 91 his arm; or, by way of dividing her favors, she may take his arm, and allow the man who is more honored to walk in by himself; or the odd man may precede the hostess, walking in alone. If there should be a woman too many the hostess walks in alone at the rear. The Seating of the Guests The host leads the guest of honor to the head of the table, where she will sit at his right. The hostess may arrange the procession so that the other couples follow in order; or a servant may indicate their places; or at a small dinner either the host or hostess will point out to the guests where they are to sit; or, most commonly, the guests will find their places by means of the place cards at each cover. When all have found their seats, each man draws out the chair of the woman he has taken in, and seats her comfortably. This is sometimes done by servants, but it is a feat which every man should be able to perform skilfully. Guests of Honor, and Order of Precedence in General At any dinner where guests are entertained, from the simplest to the most formal, the guest of honor, if a woman, is seated at the right of the host; if a man, at the left of the hostess. The woman and the man who are next to be honored are seated at the left and right of the host and of the hostess respectively. At a family dinner the out- sider who shares the meal will naturally be the guest of honor; or if two or more are entertained the greatest stranger, or the oldest woman, will be the honored per- son. The married woman, or the “Mrs.,” is always given precedence in seating before the single woman, because 92 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS it is assumed that she is the older — the unmarried woman is supposed to remain perennially young. At a formal dinner the most distinguished woman is the guest of honor, or the most distinguished man. A bride and groom, entertained for the first time, are always the guests of honor. A minister and his wife, or a clergyman, unless persons of greater distinction are present, are always assigned the seats of honor. In other cases the rule is that the stranger is more honored than the one better known; women take precedence of men; older persons precede younger; and married, unmarried. Husbands and wives should never be seated together, neither should brothers and sisters or near relatives. Members of the entertainer's family should not, unless in exceptional cases, where the dinner is given in their honor, be given the seats at either right or left of the hosts. Where is the Head of the Table? This is a question that is still asked by many persons, and one which is sometimes answered by those who know less than the questioner. The story of the old Highland servant who replied to the query by saying that where The MacGregor sat, there was the head of the table, has been taken as basis for assuming that the seat of the master of the house became, by virtue of his occupancy of it, the head of the table. This is not so. The head of the table is the end farthest from the door by which the guests enter. This saves the guest of honor from being disturbed by the passing or repassing of other guests. So much jealousy and heart-burning seem to have been caused in the days of chivalry (and hair-trigger tempers) by the desire of every guest to occupy the head THE DINNER 93 of the table, that the story is told of an ingenious host who constructed his dining-room of octagon shape, with a door at every side, and arranged so that each guest entered by a separate door, advanced to the part of the table farthest from it and was then satisfied that he sat at the head! Who Shall Sit at the Head of the Table? The head of the table is the recognized seat of the head of the household. It is sometimes occupied by the man of the house, sometimes by the woman. Where the man is occupied all day by the exactions of business or profes- sional life, he likes to be ministered to rather than to minister — or administer — in his home. His wife will therefore sit at the head of the table and serve the meal as if her husband were a guest. Under other circumstances the woman of the family sits at the foot, the man at the head. At a formal dinner the host almost invariably sits at the head, to which he advances at once with the woman guest of honor; and the hostess sits at the foot, where she can command the view of the butler's pantry. But sometimes, where the man who is guest of honor is of unusual distinction — head and shoulders, so to speak, above the rest of the company in rank or reputation — the hostess will sit at the head of the table, with this most-of-all to be honored one at her right hand. If a man or woman entertains alone the man will ask some woman relative or friend to take the seat at the foot which would be that of the mistress of the house if there were one; and the woman will similarly invite a man to take the place at the foot. If the English style 94 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS of serving is used the woman may ask a man to sit in the carver's chair at the head of the table. Good Usage During the Progress of the Dinner Disposal of gloves and napkin. As at luncheon, the first thing to be done by a woman after she is seated is to remove her gloves, but at dinner, as not at luncheon, the gloves should be wholly taken off, and not merely pushed up over the wrist. The gloves are placed in the lap; to put them into an empty glass on the dinner-table, as has been done, is very bad form. Men do not wear gloves at dinner. The dinner napkin, as well as any napkin which measures eighteen or more inches Square, is never com- pletely unfolded; it is opened only one-half, and is laid across the lap, over the gloves. The napkin is used to touch the lips with before and after drinking, and to dry the fingers after use of the finger bowl at the close of the dinner. At the close of the formal dinner the guests put their napkins on the table, to the left of the dessert plate, but without folding. It used to be thought proper for the guests to rise from the table and let the napkin fall to the floor, but this is a violation of the rule which requires consideration of those who wait on table. (See page 111.) A guest at the family dinner will similarly lay her napkin in loose folds by her plate, even if the others fold theirs; but if she is not merely a dinner guest, but is staying with the family for a few days, she will do as the others at table do. The Opening of the Dinner At most company dinners there is a morsel of salpicon, canapé, or other Small beginning, placed at each cover TELE DINNER 95 ready to eat. The guests may begin to eat this as soon as gloves and napkin are disposed of. The Shellfish Oysters or clams on the half-shell, arranged on a plate with their accompaniments, will be placed before the guests by the waitresses. They are put on the service plate, after removing the small plate which held the salpicon. In what now seem remote ages, it used to be thought proper for the guests to wait until everybody had been served before beginning to eat any course. This is no longer done, since it caused embarrassment to the hostess to think that the Soup or other food was grow- ing cold on the plates, and that her guests, for whom she had planned a comfortable meal, were perversely mak- ing themselves uncomfortable. Hence it is now thought more correct to begin to eat at once, or to wait without appearing to wait until two or three in the immediate neighborhood are served. Oyster or clams are eaten with the oyster fork, after squeezing over them a few drops of lemon juice from the section of lemon. If horseradish or other sauce is found in the center of the oyster plate a bit is taken up on the fork, and put on each oyster before eating it. Courses Served by Host or Hostess In the English method of serving dinner the soup, the salad, and the sweet course are served by the hostess from her end of the table. The salad is usually mixed at the table, in one of the great, beautiful salad bowls of rare china, so prized by the housekeeper. The fish, meat, and all other courses are served by the host. If he thinks himself particularly skilful in salad- making, he may also be permitted to serve the Salad. 96 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS Order of Serving Guests The guest of honor, seated at the right of the head of the house, is served first. Then the other guests are served in the order of their seating, without distinction of sex. Where the dinner consists of a great many courses it is customary to vary the order of serving, so that no one person shall always be the last to be served, but the sequence should be so arranged that the guest of honor shall never be the last. Also, the guest of honor should always be served first to the three chief courses, the soup, the meat course, and the sweet course. The hostess may, if she wishes, direct that she shall be helped first. This for two reasons: first, that no guest may be embarrassed by feeling he has to wait to begin to eat until she is served, for when helped first, she is able to give the signal for those seated in her immediate neighborhood to begin to eat, by beginning herself. Second, when some new or foreign dish is offered, she is able to show by example how it should be dealt with, when she receives the first portion. The host, if a sparkling water such as Apollinaris is poured, has a very little poured into his glass first; then the glasses of the guests are filled, and lastly the host's glass is filled like the others. The reason for this little ceremony is that if particles of cork should cling to the neck of the bottle, they may fall into the glass of the host at the first pouring, rather than into the glass of a guest. The Soup The portion of soup should not be more than three- fourths of a cup. Either a tablespoon or a large-sized bouillon spoon is placed at each cover for dinner, and the THE DINNER 97 guest should dip up the soup from the side of the spoon farthest from him, and eat it from the side nearest, so that the part of the spoon which touched the lips never goes into the Soup. Needless to say that crackers, bread Sticks, etc., are broken into little pieces and eaten with the Soup, never broken into it. THE SOUP SHOULD BE DIPPED UP WITH THE FARTHER SIDE OF THE SPOON Another thing which should be, but is not always, un- necessary to mention, is that “to eat soup” is the proper form of expression — never “to drink” it. Rules for the Service Plate The first handsome service plate, set at the cover at the beginning of dinner, remains unchanged until it is removed just before the first hot course. The little salpicon or canapé is removed on its own small plate; the oysters on theirs; and if a cold bouillon is served the 98 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS bouillon cup and saucer are removed together. If the soup is hot, the service plate will be removed before it is served, and the soup plate will stand on a dinner plate, which will be removed with it, and on its removal a second service plate will be slipped into the vacant place, so that in front of the guest there may never be a bare space of tablecloth. This rule of providing a service plate between every course is adhered to only where the hostess has an abundance of these beautiful plates, and wishes to please her guests by their variety. For the ordinary formal dinner one handsome service plate is enough, and this may be left in place only until the serv- ice of the meat course. The Fish Course To use a knife for cutting fish used to be contrary to the good usage of a generation ago, but it is now per- mitted, and a small silver knife is placed at each cover. This may be a knife of breakfast size, or a regular fish knife. Except in the case of shad or some such fish, the guest can usually manage the bit of fish served for the fish course without using a knife. How to Use the Knife and Fork How anybody holds his knife and fork is one of the surest indications of his knowledge of good table manners — by this, and by his way of picking up a cup, bowl, or glass, he will stand or fall in the estimation of the one who looks on, and silently judges. To describe how the knife and fork should be held is not easy. It is illustrated on page 99. The handles are held within the palm of the hand, with the fingers clasped THE DINNER 99 around them, the forefinger extends downward along the handle, the tip presses a little way along the back edge of the knife, and rather close, but not too close to the prongs of the fork, and the tip of the thumb comes about midway between the clasp of the other fingers and the tip of the forefinger. A study of the illustration, and ob- % HOW TO USE THE KNIFE AND FORK servation of persons who hold the knife and fork prop- erly should make it easy for anyone to acquire correct- ness in this important point of table etiquette. To hold the knife as if it were a writing-pen — something we fre- quently see done — is one of the surest signs of lack of good table manners. When meat is cut on the plate it is eaten from the fork as each piece is cut. To eat the accompanying vegetables the knife is laid along the plate, the fork taken into the 100 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS right hand, where it is held similarly to the handle of a spoon, and the vegetables eaten from it with the concave side of the tines uppermost. The fork is never brought towards the mouth at right angles, neither is food piled on the tines, but only a little portion close to the tips, and it is eaten from the end of the tips sideways. Here again, observation will be better than written precept. All vegetables not listed among the finger foods (see page 107) are eaten with the fork, even potatoes should be divided with the fork, and not cut and eaten like meat. Croquettes, hashes, fish, and other foods, which do not need to be cut on the plate, are similarly eaten with the fork. Neither knife nor fork should under any circumstances be placed by the guest with the handle of either one on the table and the tip on the plate; nor should the knife, after using, be put back on the cloth; it must be laid on the plate. How to Pick Up Cups, Glasses, and Bowls In raising or moving a cup, glass, bowl, or any other piece of hollow ware, the inviolable rule is that the fingers should always remain on the outside, and never touch the inside, of any such dish. This again is one of the Small points that indicate whether or not the home train- ing along such lines has been fine and correct. Note the illustration on page 101, where though only the tip of one finger goes into the cup, and it seems to be daintily raised, it is yet incorrectly done, and the one who does it is men- tally relegated by the one who looks on to a class where perhaps she does not really belong. A cup is raised by the handle, a tumbler by holding it with the fingers on the outside, a goblet by the stem, a bowl the same as a WRONG WAY TO TAKE UP A CUP RIGHT WAY TO TAKE UP A CUP 102 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS tumbler, or with the fingers of both hands, as shown on page 51. This rule applies quite as strictly to the removal of cups, glasses, etc., by the waitress. The practice in Quick Lunch restaurants of putting the fingers inside glasses and cups when removing them is not to be toler- ated in the home. * A TUMBLER IS RAISED BY HOLDING IT WITH THE FINGERS ON THE OUTSIDE '' (The fingers should never touch the inside of any hollow ware.) How to Sit at Table The body should be erect, the waist line not less than four inches from the table edge, and the elbows close to the sides, and never farther than six inches from them. The dining chair should be of such a height as to bring the diner's elbows almost level with the surface of the table, but an average has to be struck in this matter, so THE DINNER 103 we find the seat of the dining chair not more than eighteen inches from the floor, and the table edge not less than twenty-eight. The chair for the carver is higher than the others, to give him command of the dish he carves, for carving should always be done while sitting, not standing over the roast. Courses Which May Not be Refused Oysters, soup, and fish are courses which may not with politeness be refused by any guest. If a guest does not eat these dishes, he must accept them and make a feint of eating. Concerning Second Helpings Second helpings of the first three courses, oysters, soup, and fish, are not correctly offered, asked for, or accepted; nor are salads or entrées offered again. Neither, in a long dinner of many courses, are second helpings of any course offered. This would delay the progress of the meal, and inconvenience other guests. Also, at the dinner which is served strictly a la Russe, where guest's plate is brought fully furnished with the foods for each course, a second helping is not offered; but in the modification of this form of service where the guest helps himself from the dishes offered by a servant, a well-trained waitress will watch for the disappearance of the first helping, and offer the dish again; or if this is overlooked, the hostess should sign to the waitress to offer it. But at the home dinner, or the not too formal dinner, or where the number of guests is small, or in the dinner served in the English fashion, it is thought hospitable 104 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS and considerate in the hosts to offer second helpings of the main meat course, of vegetables, Sauces or other accompaniments, and of the sweet course. In making this offer, two points must be observed: first, the host should not invite the guest to have “more,” or “another piece,” of whatever the food may be. It is considered an uncourteous and unnecessary reminder to the guest that he has already been helped to use the words “more” or “another piece.” Yet something is needed other than the bald invitation to “have some chicken.” An ex- perienced host will say, “Let me give you this little piece of the white meat,” or “I have a portion of the brown part which I wish you would try,” or he will contrive to use some other form of invitation whose wording invites in a tempting manner, but without the least suggestion that he remembers having already helped the guest to the dish. The second point to be observed is that the invitation to a second helping had better be omitted if it is not sin- cere and genuine. To wait until all present have finished and are sitting with their hands in their laps, and then to extend the invitation just before time for removal of the dish, is to make it a mockery. Better leave it out alto- gether, unless the host has been attending to the wants of his guests and has been prompt to offer a helping as soon as the first portion has been eaten, or nearly eaten. A guest should never hesitate to accept a second help- ing if he cares for it. He should remember that if he were host it would please him to have his offer accepted, as an indication that the food was relished and the guest well served. Such a testimony to the excellence of any dish should be regarded as a high compliment to the cooking. At the home dinner, or where a guest is on intimate THE DINNER 105 terms with the family, it is quite proper for him to ask of his own accord for another helping, and where he does so it is right that he should use the words “more” or “an- other piece,” and not show an ungrateful forgetfulness of having been helped before. When sending back a plate for a second helping the knife and fork should be placed handles together on the plate and a little to the right side. When a Plate Should Not be Passed to Another At the home or family table, when a guest is helped first, it is not correct for him to pass the plate to an- other. He should assume that this particular portion was designed for him by his host, whose wishes he would disregard if he refused to accept what was intended for him. Similarly at a formal dinner each guest should accept the plate sent to him, and not transfer it to an- other. Conclusion of a Course Guests should be careful not to delay the service of any course by eating too slowly, and they should be equally careful not to make an over-speedy finish. At the conclusion of any course the knife and fork should be placed on the plate, a little to the right side, and with the handles together, the same as in sending back the plate for a second helping. The host and hostess should always keep up at least a pretense of eating until the last guest has finished. Also, at every course the plate of the hostess is the last to be removed, so that guests may not feel any need to hurry. 106 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS Use of Salt and Pepper At a formal dinner, individual salts and peppers are often omitted from the covers. It is supposed that a good cook will season every dish so perfectly that the use of extra condiments will be unnecessary; and it is therefore thought to be more complimentary to the hosts when a guest finds no need to add such seasonings to the food. But where the salts and peppers are set on the table, it signifies they are meant to be used. The pepper is always in a shaker, and how to use this is obvious. Salt should be in a saltcellar, with a little spoon to put a portion on the edge, of the plate. To this the food is touched before eating. The salt should never be sprinkled from the point of the spoon or knife over the food on the plate. Both salt and pepper should be used in an unob- trusive manner, rather than with a vigorous and liberal hand, as this would seem to call attention to deficient Seasoning. When Accidents Happen A glass of water may be accidentally overturned on the table by a guest, or even a cup of coffee. A look of apology to the hostess is in order, or in case of a serious accident a few murmured words, but such apology should be un- obtrusive, and should not call undue attention to the accident, or interrupt general conversation. The hostess will return a smile of reassurance, and will then imme- diately introduce a diversion by asking some question or relating something interesting, and drawing the de- linquent into the conversation. No other guest will take any notice of the accident, and a servant will imme- diately make good the damage. Amongst friends or very close intimates the whole thing may be made the occasion THE DINNER 107 for a joke. But before the guest goes home, if the damage is serious, a sincere expression of regret is due to the hostess. If a spoon, fork, etc., is dropped on the floor by a guest nobody takes any notice except the waitress, who should immediately replace the dropped article by a fresh one. The thing dropped will be allowed to remain on the floor until the guests have left the dining-room. If a waitress lets a tray fall, or if the sound of an ap- palling crash comes from the butler's pantry – the kind of crash that means disaster to the best glass and china — the hostess must not by look, or word, or the movement of a muscle betray anxiety or distress. She should not allow the comfort or entertainment of her guests to be for a moment interfered with by any domestic mishap, and to this end she must hide all trace of her own discomfort. Different hostesses will have different ways of handling such a situation; one will remain serene, tranquil, and unmoved; another will at once engage in bright conversation; another will relate some story so full of humor and interest that everybody's thoughts will be distracted. The guests will of course do their best to second the efforts of the hostess to prevent any dis- turbance of the ease and pleasure of the company. Foods Eaten from the Fingers Celery, olives, radishes, artichokes, nuts, raisins, grapes, and all raw fruits when divided into small pieces with the exception of very juicy fruits, are conveyed to the mouth with the fingers. So are bonbons, crystallized ginger, bits of bread, toast, and cracker, small pieces of hard cheese, and very often cake. A rich frosted cake, 108 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS or a layer cake, is usually eaten with a fork. Corn on the cob should be served in small lengths, and these it is permissible to hold in the fingers while eating the kernels from them. Two small silver prongs, to insert in the ends of each corn cob, are offered for sale in sets of a dozen or more in the silverware stores, but though these make the process of corn-eating more dainty to perform and more agreeable to witness, the fact that the corn Season is comparatively short, that the pretty prongs are adapted to only that single purpose, and that two must be allowed for each guest, has prevented this de- vice from coming into general use, so we are still permitted to eat corn from our fingers and must try to do it as nicely a.S We C3, Il. Bones should never be held in the fingers. The meat should be cut from them by means of a knife and fork. The Close of the Dinner At the close of the dinner the hostess will catch the eye of the woman at the right of the host (who will expect this signal and be ready to meet it), and rise from her seat. This is the signal for all present to rise, both men and women; and the men remain standing until the women have left the room. If a servant is not present to open the dining-room door the man who is nearest does this, and he stands by the door until the last woman has gone through. The hostess usually leaves the room with the woman guest of honor, and the others follow without any precise or formal order, only that naturally a young woman will give way to an older or more distinguished OIle. The men of the party will (1) either immediately THE DINNER 109 follow the women, or (2) they will resume their seats for a brief while for conversation, or (3) each man, beginning with the host, will escort to the drawing-room the woman he took in to dinner, in the same order in which they entered the dining-room, and having brought her to the drawing-room door he will bow and return to the dining- room for awhile. The first or second methods are those most commonly practiced; the host is the one who shows by his example which is to be followed. At a formal dinner nobody makes any attempt to move his chair back into place, nor should the guest at a family dinner do so, but at the home table and especially in a servantless house the members of the family and close and intimate friends will not violate good usage by re- placing the chair a little way, so that it shall not be at an awkward angle from the table. When to Take Leave It is quite proper for any guest to take leave of her hostess and depart at the close of the dinner, but it is a little pleasanter to wait for a short time and enjoy con- versation with the other guests in the drawing-room. On leaving it is customary to mention to your hostess what a pleasant time you had, how much you enjoyed being with her, or something similarly gracious. At the home dinner or other meal it is not customary in this country of hurry for all the members of the family to wait until everyone has finished before leaving the table. But nobody should rise without asking permis- sion of the woman of the house. “Will you excuse me, mother?” or “May I be excused, Mrs. Bailey?” are polite and customary forms, and the one who asks leave 110 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS to be excused should never make any motion to rise until the permission is granted. When Not to Make Protest If the hostess signalizes a guest for favor of any kind, such as first helping; or if she makes way for an older or more distinguished woman, or indicates that she wishes such a one to precede her, it is a truer courtesy to accede to her wishes than to hang back and demur. The wish of the hostess should be law to the guest. This moral is so well pointed by the story of Lord Stair and King George III of England (called the First Gentleman in Europe) that we cannot resist giving it. Somebody told the king that Lord Stair was the man of all others in his kingdom, who was most perfect in courtesy. Desiring to test the truth of the report, the king invited Lord Stair to ride with him, and motioned him to enter the carriage first. Lord Stair bowed, and immediately obeyed, thus preceding his sovereign — an unheard-of thing for a subject. * “You are right,” said the king when next he met his informant and told him what had happened. “A less well-bred man would have protested against the bidding of his sovereign. He immediately obeyed it.” Thus the well-bred guest will yield to the wish, expressed or implied, of the host or hostess, without a word of demur. Such elaboration of detail regarding proper conduct at the table is almost enough to frighten one off from com- pany meals, or at least to dampen enjoyment at their prospect. Yet since in the conduct of the daily meals — as in that of all proceedings which are shared in by num- bers of persons together — there gradually arise certain THE DINNER 111 fixed customs or methods of procedure, to be able to fulfil these customs is nothing more than a sign of good training in habits of courtesy. Table customs are not mere empty conventions; they are based on the principle of consideration for the comfort of others before one's own. The dinner-party is a social group, in which the guests take first rank, and must be considered first. The other members of the group — those who preside, and those who serve — co-operate with one another in pro- moting the comfort and pleasure of the guests, who in their turn show consideration for them. All the exactness of prescribed minutiae of conduct may thus be traced back to three great principles: first, of consideration for the guest; next, for the hostess; third, for the waitresses. For example, the waitresses do their work noiselessly and in silence, so that conversation may not be disturbed. The hostess shows no disturbance in the event of accidents at table or disasters in the pantry, so that her guests may be untroubled. The guest, in sending back a plate for second helping, places the knife and fork on it rather than on the cloth, where they may cause a stain; and they are put, not in the center, but at the right side of the plate, to make it easier for the carver to put on the helping. So every other formality may likewise be traced to some principle of courtesy. It has been said that one who is imbued with the true spirit of fine courtesy will make no serious mistakes at a formal dinner, even should some of the trivial niceties be inad- vertently transgressed. COMPANY MENUS FOR HIGH DAYS AND HOLIDAYS FROM NEW YEAR TO CHRISTMAS I A New Year Dinner Cocktail of Caviar Balls in Aspic Red Beet Bouillon Toasted Bread Fingers Stuffed Olives. Radish Roses Salmon Soufflé. Cress and Cucumbers Parker House Rolls *ºmº Roast Young Piglet. Sweet Potato Stuffing Stewed Celery. Brussels Sprouts Crystallized Ginger. Dates Stuffed with Cheese *-my Grapejuice Frappé Salad of Carrot Balls on Cress Bent Crackers * Deep Dish Apple Pie Frozen Pudding Coffee Mixed Nuts. Bonbons 112 COMPANY MENUS 113 II Card Party Supper, Lincoln’s Birthday Baked Kentucky Ham Grilled Sweet Potatoes. Escalloped Cabbage Apple Jelly Cubes. Sweet Pickles Hot Corn Bread Salad of Oranges and Lettuce Log Cabin Cake Tea. Coffee Miniature Popcorn Balls. Salted Hickory Nuts The Log Cabin Cake may be made by placing over an ordinary loaf cake, baked in a bread tin, a cake of similar size, cut to form a pointed roof. A small square cake, dipped in chocolate icing, is cut to form a chimney, and fastened on the roof. A door and window are cut from the front of the house with a small, very sharp French boning knife. The “ logs ’’ are made by baking a ladyfinger mixture in long, slender sticks, and these are fastened flat by means of icing to the front, back, sides, and roof of the cabin. A brush, dipped in liquid chocolate, may be drawn here and there over the logs, to give a weathered appearance. The “ logs ’’ may also be made of a rich dough like that used for Election Cake, minus the fruit, fashioned into bread sticks and baked. Small, individual log cabins are sometimes used. These are are made in the same way. 114 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS III Valentine Party Luncheon Red Cherry Bouillon Zwieback Pimentoes. Celery Hearts Creamed Fish in Heart-Shaped Patty Shells Sliced Cucumbers. Potato Balls Wheat Rolls. Sweet Pickles Eººms Roast Grouse. Wild Grape Jelly Parsnip Puffs. Shallots Braised Bananas Salad of Beet Hearts on Chopped Lettuce Sour Cream Dressing Water Crackers *s Heart Molds of Strawberry Ice Cream Valentine Cakes Cordial Hearts. Sugared Almonds Coffee Duckling may be substituted for the grouse of the main meat course. So may chicken, capon, etc., and either the game or the poultry may be planked. company MENUs 115 IV Luncheon for Washington's Birthday Oyster Canapés Lettuce and Almond Soup Oysterettes Timbales of Red Snapper Fried Apple Balls Planked Filets of Turkey Crisp Rolls Baked Sweet Potatoes. Stuffed Florida Tomatoes Cranberry Jelly Salad of Shrimps and Asparagus Tips Slender Bread Sticks * Cherry Pie. Washington Pie *m-g Coffee Assorted Dried Fruit. Pippins and Cheese Guinea chicks may be served instead of turkey filets, but these are now expensive. - Hatchets may be improvised by cutting them from pound cake, and brushing over the handles with chocolate. Hatchets cut from bread with red pimento handles, may be used for gar- nish on the meat plates. 116 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS V Semi-Formal Lenten Dinner Oyster and Tomato Cocktail Cream of Corn Soup. Water Thins dºmºs Planked Salmon Steaks. Olive Sauce Riced Potatoes. Boiled Cauliflower Dinner Rolls Salad of Endive and Alligator Pears Toasterettes Apricot Bavarian Cream. Sponge Drops Coffee A cold fish, baked whole, placed on a large platter on a bed of chopped greens, and covered with a yellow masking sauce, deco- rated with a cut-out design of stars, etc., from pickles, the whole garnished with baked apples alternated with timbales of carrot, is a very effective dish, and may be served for the main course with very hot vegetables and a hot sauce. COMPANY MENUS 117 VI A Formal Fish Dinner Salpicon of Lemon in Lemon Shells Steamed Clams with Clam Broth Oyster Crackers Timbales of Finnan Haddie Cucumbers with French Dressing French Rolls. Piccalilli Baked Stuffed Bluefish Carrot and Potato Balls. Stuffed Sweet Peppers Chives. Caviar Olives Lºmº Salad of Grapefruit and Shad Roe Russian Dressing. Wafers Macaroon Frozen Custard. Bouchées . Black Coffee Candied Fruit. Chocolate Mints Caviar olives are made by stoning large ripe olives, and cutting them in long sections, which are pressed closely around small ovals of caviar. - The famous fish dinners of Greenwich used always to feature water melon at the close. Since they were summer dinners and ours is in early spring, we have substituted a salad of mostly grapefruit. Any other salad may be chosen, and fresh fruit in season served for dessert, just after the custard and immediately preceding the coffee. 118 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS VII Easter Luncheon Soup of Hard-Cooked Eggs With Garnish of Cress Saltimes Salmon Timbales with Lemon Sauce French Rolls Boned Chicken. Forcemeat Stuffing New Asparagus. Bermuda Potatoes Currant Jelly. Stuffed Olives Curled Celery Easter Bird’s Nest Salad Pimento Dressing Maple Mousse with Fresh Strawberries Lady Fingers Black Coffee Bonbons. Grilled Pecans An Easter basket, made of pulled candy, filled with sugar eggs on a bed of spun sugar, is not difficult to make and constitutes an in- teresting centerpiece for an Easter luncheon. VIII Formal Breakfast for Women’s Club Grapefruit Sections with Pineapple Juice Lobster Croquettes. Steamed Cucumbers Crescent Rolls Grilled Lamb Chops with Mushrooms Stuffed Baked Potatoes. Sliced Tomatoes Individual Braided Rolls Frozen Fruit Salad. Water Crackers Raised Waffles with Maple Syrup Crushed Strawberries and Cream Coffee A formal breakfast, especially a club breakfast, is made interesting by a variety of fancy breads. Individual coffee rings, French bread baked in individual ring forms, bread stick mixtures in the form of an X, and other oddities will be welcomed. . COMPANY MENUS 119 IX A Simple Wedding Breakfast Sliced Apricots in Patty Shells Whipped Cream Lobster Cutlets. Duchess Potatoes Water Cress Hot Rolls Galantine of Turkey Asparagus on Toast Stuffed Turban Squash Salad of Frozen Tomatoes and Cream Cheese Cheese Chips Sugared Strawberries in Angel Cake Baskets Almond Ice Cream Distribution of Wedding Cake Boxes or Cutting of the Wedding Cake Coffee Petits Pains. Bonbons This breakfast may be simplified by omitting the lobster, and a jellied chicken loaf may be served instead of the galantine of turkey. X Two-Course Menus for Simple Wedding Receptions 1 Sliced Jellied Chicken on Bed of Lettuce Stuffed Sweet Peppers Ice Cream in Fancy Shapes Rolled Nut Wafers Spiced Tea, or Coffee Fruit Punch 2 Broiled Sweetbreads with Petits Pois Rice and Celery Croquettes Pineapple Ice Cream Sandwiches of Toasted Sunshine Cake and Jelly Coffee More elaborate menus might include a cold or jellied bouillon or a fruit soup, followed by chicken à la king or an equivalent dish, with a salad, two sweet dishes, and beverages. 120 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS XI Fourth of July Lawn Party Luncheon Canapés of Truffle and Hard-Boiled Egg Cucumber Cream Soup Toasted Cheese Crackers Sweetbreads in White Aspic Hot French Rolls Stuffed Celery. Pickled Gherkins Salad of Potato Balls, Sliced Hard-Cooked Eggs, and Chinese Mustard &ºmº Bisque Ice Cream White Fruit Cake. Peach Layer Cake Hot Coffee Fruit Punch. Lime Gingerade Lime gingerade is made by adding to each quart of orange pekoe tea an equal volume of ginger ale and the juice of two green limes. Sweeten to taste — three cupfuls of sugar, or less, should be enough, depending on the strength of the tea. Pour over a block of ice in a punch bowl, and serve garnished with crystalized fruit or cubes of amber jelly. COMPANY MENUS 121 XII Warm Weather Breakfasts I Iced Cantaloupe Brown Rice with Thin Cream Summer Sausages Crescent Rolls Coffee 2 Cold Sliced Hominy with Berries and Cream Pickled Lambs' Tongues. Baked New Potatoes Raisin Bread Coffee 3 Sliced Apricots Mixed Puffed Grains with Milk Broiled Tripe with Rice and Garden Cress Wholewheat Toast Coffee These breakfasts may serve as foundation for company break- fasts by a few simple additions or alterations made at the dis- cretion of the hostess. The cantaloupe in the first breakfast may be filled with berries, and the sausages accompanied by baked stuffed tomatoes. Orange or grapefruit juice may precede the hominy, berries, and cream of the second and a salad may follow the lambs' tongues. An omelet may take the place of tripe in the third, and waffles with honey and crushed strawberries may serve for top-off. Other preferred changes may be made at will. 122 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS XIII Home Thanksgiving Dinner for Small Party Cream of Celery Soup Crâtons Chicken Pie Cranberry Sauce Sweet Pickles. Salted Peanuts Grilled Sweet Potatoes. New Sauer Kraut Wholewheat Rolls Lettuce and Orange Salad Small Pilot Crackers Pumpkin Pie Jonathan Apples. Concord Grapes. Winter Pears Hazel Nuts. Wintergreen Candy. Walnuts Coffee In the genuine old-time Thanksgiving dinner everything used to be placed on the table at once — or everything up to the sweet dishes — and to serve it in courses was never thought of. One meat dish (such as our Chicken Pie) would have been scorned, there would likely be ham and turkey besides. Four to six kinds of pie, and six varieties of cake would appear at the close, while cider cup, and Samples of all manner of pickles, jellies and pre- serves would be in evidence all the time. From this it will be seen that our little dinner is quite de- generate. COMPANY MENTUS 123 XIV Elaborate Company Dinner for Thanksgiving Pruit Cup Bisque of Crabs. Corn Sticks *m. Roast Turkey Stuffed with Chestnuts and Oysters Giblet Gravy Boiled Cauliflower with Sauce Supreme Grilled Mushrooms and Parsnips. Rice Timbales Stuffed Olives. Preserved Ginger Root French Rolls * Frozen Spiced Cider Cup *=g Venison Cutlets Potato Balls. Cranberry Jelly Sauce Salad of Pineapple, Celery, and Cress Cheese Straws Pumpkin Fruit Pudding. Hard Sauce Deep Dish Apple Pie Ginger Ice Cream. Assorted Cakes California Grapes. Native Persimmons Rome Beauty Apples Glacéed Walnuts Bent Crackers. Roquefort Cheese Coffee 124 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS XV Christmas Dinner. No. 1 Canapés of Spiced Pickled Fish Tomato Purée in Cups, Garnished with Parsley Bread Sticks Roast Capon. Onion and Potato Stuffing Giblet Sauce Escalloped Oyster Plant. Celery Fritters Riced Potatoes Sultana Rolls Pickled Peaches. Red Apple Jelly Kumquat and Pecan Salad on Lettuce Saltines Individual Mince Pies Black Coffee Nuts and Raisins. Assorted Bonbons Roast goose is coming into favor for the Christmas dinner, since Thanksgiving has claimed turkey for its own, and the two feasts are so near apart as to make turkey twice taste Something like toujours perdria. The platter of goose may be decorated with red apple balls, made by scooping balls from firm-fleshed apples with a potato Scoop, and cooking them in a syrup made of equal parts of red wintergreen candies and water. These, on the platter, may be alternated with sharp cones of green gelatine jelly. COMPANY MENUS 125 XVI Christmas Dinner. No. 2 Grapefruit Cocktail Oyster Bisque. Toasted Crackers Olives. Celery Baked Suckling Piglet. Spiced Currant Jelly Sauce Stuffed Baked Apples. Candied Sweet Potatoes Spinach Soufflé Egg Lemonade Frappé ºmºsºs Salad of Endive and Grapes Shortbread Strips Plum Pudding. Pistachio Ice Cream Red and Green Frosted Bouchées. Nuts. Stuffed Figs Deviled Coffee Café au Diable, or Deviled Coffee, for twelve guests is made as follows: To three pints of very strong drip coffee add a syrup made by boiling one-half cupful of sugar in one-half cupful of water until the mixture threads. Add enough of the juice of pounded fresh mint leaves to flavor it, or any of the non-alcoholic imitations of rum or brandy may be used. Press twelve marsh- mallows into hollow cup shapes, fill each with extract of pepper- mint, place floating in each cup of coffee, and set afire immedi- ately before bringing to the table. CONCERNING TABLE CHINA, GLASS, AND SILVER China: Sizes and Shapes The dinner plate of full size is at least nine inches in diameter. The broad rim or edge which surrounds it should be flat, that is, should not slant towards the center. This rim is the proper place for a guest to put the wee spoonful of salt (see page 127), and if it is too slanting the salt will run over into the center of the plate and cause discomfort and inconvenience to the diner. The dinner plate may or may not have a more or less highly decorated border, but it should preferably not have a decoration in the center. The decorated center is more suited to the service plate, where it will not be hidden by placing food over it. The service plate is used for an exchange between courses. (See page 127.) This plate may, or may not, be somewhat larger than the dinner plate; it is usually flatter, that is, it lies closer to the table; it should be richly decorated in both the center and the border, and be of the finest china the hostess can afford. The soup plate may have a deep rim like the dinner plate, or it may be without a rim. The last is the newer design. *& The luncheon plate is shaped like the dinner plate, but it is smaller, being only about eight inches in diameter. The breakfast plate may be only seven inches in diameter. This size is also used for salad and for dessert, 126 TABLE CHINA, GLASS, AND SILVER 127 and the luncheon size is often used for breakfast, especially where meat is served. The bread-and-butter plate is about six inches in diameter. The size of plates varies in different sets of china, but BREAKFAST, LUNCHEON, AND DINNER PLATES, SERVICE PLATE, AND CRESCENT—SHAPED PLATE FOR SALAD the four sizes, for bread-and-butter, breakfast, luncheon, and dinner, are always distinct in a complete set. The present tendency seems to be to run to slightly larger sizes in the last three. The teacup in its original form was low, shallow, and without a handle. It resembled a sauce dish rather than a cup, and that it was not meant to be a cup may be un- derstood from the old-fashioned phrase, “a dish of tea,” 128 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS which used to occur in eighteenth-century novels. Though the dish gradually grew into cup shape, there is even to- day a reminder of its origin in that the teacup is shallower in proportion to its height than the coffee or the chocolate cup. Different shapes of teacups are illustrated on this page. The coffee cup is larger than the teacup, is higher in proportion to its circumference, and is more cylinder- shaped. See illustration. The chocolate cup is smaller than either the tea or esa º G. J. 1. The “dish" 2. The flared 3. Typical teacup 4. This shape of tea edge of today preserves the 5. Typical coffee heat of its cup of today contents coffee cup, and inclines in shape to the coffee cup, though it is higher and narrower in proportion. The after-dinner coffee cup may be large enough to hold four ounces, that is, eight tablespoonfuls of liquid; or it may be almost as Small as a toy or a thimble. In shape it is usually a severe little cylinder, but it may be curved and flared. The cup which narrows at the top is liked by many housewives, for it tends to conserve the heat of any beverage served in it, while the flaring shape very quickly yields up the heat of its contents. That the shape of the cup may mean more or less comfort at breakfast on a cold winter morning is something to be borne in mind when choosing the breakfast china. The coffeepot in its simplest and most characteristic form is a rather tall vessel with a broad base, narrowing TABLE CHINA, GLASS, AND SILVER 129 slightly towards the top and with the spout at the upper part. The broad base makes it difficult to overturn; and Doo 2. 1 and 2. Coffee pots of typical shape 3. Teapot of typical shape since the grounds settle at the bottom the spout at the upper part should deliver clear coffee into the cups. The teapot has its spout lower down, for the perfora- lſº 1. A graceful shape. Note high spout, making over-filling impossible. Note absence of 2. An ungraceful shape, and difficult to keep clean. Easy to over-fill or to overflow when sharp angles where handle joins body of pitcher, making easy its cleansing. pouring, because delivery point of spout is lower than rim of pitcher. tions where it joins the body of the pot are believed to be a sufficient safeguard against the leaves coming through. The chocolate pot somewhat resembles the coffeepot in shape, and it, too, has the delivery spout at top, to avoid sediment. 130 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS In choosing these and all other tableware it should be borne in mind that their beauty depends on good lines and good proportions, on simplicity of effect, and freedom from unnecessary curves and curlicues. On these condi- tions also depends the saving of time and labor in washing, and the ease with which tableware may be kept in a sani- tary state. The illustrations on page 115 illustrate the J */ J’ 1. Tablespoon 3. Bouillon spoon for use with 2. Bouillon spoon for use with bouillon cup Soup plate 4. Dessert spoon 5. Teaspoon difference between simplicity and distortion, between the lines which make for ease in cleansing, and the curves which so easily collect and hold dirt, and from which it is so hard to dislodge it. Silverware The same rules of simplicity in decoration apply to silverware. Some pieces are so heavily embossed or are shaped with so many angles in unexpected places as to be difficult to handle as well as difficult to cleanse. Those with smooth curves and delicately chased lines of orna- TABLE CHINA, GLASS, AND SILVER 131 ment are pleasanter to the hand, easier to keep clean, therefore more sanitary; and these are the kind manu- factured for the higher class of trade by the best silver- Smiths. Three sizes of spoons are the tablespoon, the dessert spoon, and the teaspoon. The first is used for Soup, or | 6 7 & 1. Fruit knife, individual prong at the right as well as 2. Butter knife, to help butter at the left side from dish 6. Fish knife, individual 3. Butter spreader, individual 7. Salad fork, individual. Note 4. Oyster fork, individual broad, pointed, slightly flar- 5. Fish fork, individual. This ing prongs. sometimes has a broad 8. Ice cream fork for Serving vegetables, etc.; the dessert spoon is used to eat breakfast cereal, or sweet puddings, etc. It is not proper to use a teaspoon for these purposes. Bouillon spoons are made in two sizes: one for luncheon, for use with the bouillon cup; the other for the dinner SOup. The dinner knife and fork. The knife should have a sharp cutting edge, and both the knife and fork are larger than the others in size. 132 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS The breakfast knife and fork are smaller, and are often used for luncheon. The fish knife and fork are distinctive in shape. The knife has a point at the end of the blade, and the fork has two extra broad prongs – or sometimes only one — at the outside. A breakfast knife and fork may be used for fish. Salad forks are also made in distinctive shape, with slightly flaring prongs, but for this course, too, the breakfast or luncheon size may be placed. Glassware Real old cut glass of good design is always beautiful, and where there are servants with nothing much to do except to take care of it, is delightful to the eye on the dinner-table. The imitation pressed glass is an abomina- tion. On the whole, for the average housewife, the plain, undecorated forms are the best purchase. Glassware adorned with gilding and decoration is often seen on the luncheon table, and adds to the pretty effect. Gild- ing and decoration are out of place applied to finger bowls, which are intended for a mild form of washing the fingers, and are not meant to have attention called to them or their function. The Choice of Decorated China Plain white china goes with every color scheme, and is above criticism. So does exquisite lustrous ware like the Beleek, in soft creamy or delicate pastel tints, but the cost prohibits the use of such for general purposes. Un- relieved white, or an all-over neutral tint, is good buying with a view to its use in combination with any and all TABLE CHINA, GLASS, AND SILVER 133 color decorations. So is the ever-lovely white and gold decorated china. Here the decoration is best confined to a slight emphasis of the structural lines of each piece, like a narrow gold band around the edge of cups, saucers, and plates. Such a breakfast set, in white and gold, arranged on a sage-green cloth, with a bowl of apple blossoms in the center of the table, would be a thing to charm the eye for the opening meal of the day. But the gold which is guaranteed not to rub off in daily wear is costly, and nothing else, not even a little band of prim- rose yellow, will take its place as fitting in with other colors. The safest choice for a next-best is a multicolored band or border, where though every color is present no one color predominates, and which harmonizes with everything on the table as perfectly as a Persian rug does with everything in a room. The pattern of the decorative border is even more im- portant than its tints, as an indication of the artistic sense of the house-mistress and as a means of giving pleasure to her guests. Conventionalized designs are always to be preferred to unconventionalized forms; but beware of the geometric forms which have to be distorted when applied to a circular dish such as a cup or plate. Thus, concentric circles, or parallel lines, are adapted to any piece of table china, but the beautiful Greek fret becomes distorted when applied to the rim of a dinner plate. A deep band of small-diapered pattern, in which four medallions are inset, is a beautiful decoration, but few maids can be trusted to set each plate with its medal- lions exactly four-square. The same objection applies to monogramed china. It is always lovely, but becomes irritating when set awry. THE BALANCED MEAL Protein and Calories HARDLY anybody now needs to be told that in a bal- anced meal the three classes of nutrients, protein, fats, and carbohydrates, should be represented. Neither do many persons wholly lack information regarding the fact that a certain number of calories are needed daily by the human body, and that this number varies with the amount of work done, and other conditions. The protein requirement for the average adult may be estimated to be from two to two and one-half ounces per day. This strikes a mean between the high-protein and the low-protein school, and the individual who does best on a greater or a less amount may make the respective alteration within reasonable limits. The calorific requirement is not so easy to state with approximate exactness. This depends chiefly on the amount of work done by the individual. The following table is according to accepted standards. No. of Calories Class of Persons 2500 to 3000. Persons whose work is done for the most part while sitting, such as clerks, teachers, physicians, seamstresses, tailors, shoemakers, etc. 3000 to 3500. Persons whose work, though not very laborious, is done for the most part while standing or walking, such as mail-car- riers, carpenters, farmers, houseworkers, etc. 3500 to 4000 Persons engaged in work that calls for a and over. great deal of muscular effort, such as lumbermen, Stevedores, and many others. 134 THE BALANCED MEAL 135 This is a simple and sufficiently good rule for the calo- rific requirement of a large or moderately large group of persons. But when dealing with a single individual, or a very small family group, it is not safe to be too dogmatic as to how much protein or how many calories should be allowed. This may better be done in the feeding of farm animals, where a correctly balanced diet can be pre- scribed with a great deal of exactness, and such pre- scriptions have been found by the farmer to work well and profitably. But the human animal is more highly organized nervously, and the nerves are unaccountable things. Assimilation of food is controlled by the trophic centers, which are ruled by the nerves, and their efficient functioning depends not only on whether the life is one of work or rest, but also on the temperament, and on the mental state, of the one who works or rests. It de- pends further on age, sex, climate, season, on personal idiosyncrasy, and often on appetite and preference and mood. How to adapt his food to these varying condi- tions may best be studied out for himself by the indi- vidual of good training and of well-balanced mind, for the precise and exact specification of all the details of diet for a single individual by another is one of the things which should be classed as “knowledge that is too won- derful, it is high, man cannot attain it.” To prescribe for a school, a college, an orphanage, a hospital, a camp, or even for a large family, is a different thing. This may be done with admirable success, for the individual differ- ences adjust themselves, and the average is likely to come out pretty nearly right. 136 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS Acid- and Alkali-Producing Foods Besides protein and calories, we should take account of the acid- and alkali-producing foods. An acid-produc- ing food does not necessarily mean a food which is acid in itself, for many of the sour foods, like lemons and grapefruit, are excellent alkali-producers in the body. An alkali-producing food is one which during the changes it undergoes in the body causes the blood stream to maintain its healthful alkalinity. It is said that nothing very serious will be amiss with us, along the line of con- tagious diseases, if we keep the blood alkaline. This accounts for the beneficial effect of a glass of lemonade at the beginning of a cold; the lemon promotes alkalinity of the blood, and the hot drink promotes perspiration, which also makes for carrying off the acids. Another point to be noted about the alkali-producing foods is that they are needed to correct the acids generated by protein foods. This is one of the dangers of the high- protein diet, that it causes the formation of poisonous acids in the blood. All protein foods, with the exception of milk, produce acids in the body, hence all of these foods need to be balanced by the kind which produce alkali. These are chiefly the fruits and the vegetables. If this balance is attended to there will be small danger from a diet reasonably high in protein. Minerals A further essential in the diet is minerals. We have heard and read a great deal during recent years regard- ing mineral starvation, and it is unquestionably true that unless we look out for the presence of certain minerals in our diet, we shall suffer from malnutrition as surely as if THE BALANCED MEAL 137 we were amongst the famine-stricken sufferers from in- sufficient food. The worst of mineral starvation is that we may eat a great plenty, and of seemingly excellent food, yet lack proper nourishment. This lack will mani- fest itself in decayed teeth, in lack of muscular endurance, and in liability to disease and poor resistance to it. So important is it that minerals should be definitely looked out for in the diet, that we have reversed the old saying, which was that if we provided the right balance of pro- tein and calories, the minerals would take care of them- Selves, and we now go so far as to say that if we provide the right balance of minerals in the diet the protein and calories may (almost) be trusted to take care of themselves. The human body needs the following minerals: calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, sodium, chlorin, magnesium, and iron. Some of these it may be trusted to get in sufficient amount in an ordinary mixed diet, but there are three in particular which scientists tell us are lacking to a dangerous extent in the everyday diet of well-to-do American families. These three are phosphorus, iron, and calcium. The lack of these in the diet is mainly due to the over highly-refined processes of manufacture of many of our foods. For instance, whole wheat, includ- ing the bran, contains all three of these minerals, but fine white flour lacks them; molasses, beloved in the cook- ing of our grandmothers, contains phosphorus, refined granulated sugar does not; and so on. It therefore be- comes necessary, just because of our over-refinement and fastidiousness, to provide specially for the minerals which were furnished by the foods in a more natural State. 138 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS Witamines One more very important essential of the balanced diet is the vitamines. These curious and little understood substances are necessary to life, growth, and health. At least two different vitamines have been discovered; one, which is known as fat-soluble “A,” is soluble in cer- tain fats. This is essential to growth, and is therefore important for children, yet is no less important for grown-ups, for a disease of the eyes is produced by its lack, also other systemic and nervous disorders. The other, soluble in water, is known as water-soluble “B”; and lack of this causes scurvy, etc. The importance of the vitamines to life and health has been demonstrated by experiments in which birds, small mammals, and man himself have been the subjects, and it was found that certain dread diseases, such as beri- beri, pellagra, Zerophthamia, Scurvy, and even death, have been brought about by giving a diet which appeared to be both ample and varied, but which lacked vitamines. The discovery of these substances has been said to revolutionize the science of dietetics. Perhaps some reader, maybe a student who has groaned over her practice meals, or a teacher whom those same practice meals have burdened almost beyond endurance, or a woman in the home who wishes to serve balanced meals to her family, but who is so exasperated by the effort needed to do so that she renounces the ambition forever — will now say that if so many essentials are to be provided for in balanced meals, she will be unable to plan them; she will refuse to bestow a thought on the matter; she will neither desire nor attempt what to her seems the impossible. THE BALANCED MEAL 139 To such a one let me reply that our present balancing of meals does not call for any painful mathematical ex- actness. Above all, we no longer calculate our calories to the first decimal place, nor in anything but round num- bers not much smaller than half a hundred. A little more or less protein is nothing to bother about; and as for the minerals and vitamines and alkali-formers, we simply “dump them in” with a liberal hand and let it go at that. If the following suggestions are carried out less than five minutes will be needed to balance the meals for a day. Plan your menus as you usually do. Then glance at the tables on pages 141 to 148 and see that the foods listed are well represented, particularly the foods which yield alkali; which contain the vitamine “A”; and which furnish the three minerals, phosphorus, iron, and calcium. This is all, and nobody who has tried it has found it very burdensome. Unless you feel troubled about the protein or calories, or feel the need of assurance as to whether you have excess or deficiency, you need not balance them for every day, but merely foot up totals once a week or once a month. For the benefit of those who have to plan for large numbers, or for numbers exceeding ten or twelve, the figures are given in the tables for, respectively, protein content; number of calories; weight in grams of the three important minerals; and proportion of alkali-form- ing substances. A sample of balanced meals for one day, showing its analysis, will be found on pages 149 and 150. Note on Some New Vitamines . Since the publication of this book there have been rumors and more than rumors of the discovery and suc- 140 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS cessful isolation of other vitamines. Professor Funk finds that B is compounded of two distinct vitamines; Profes- sor McCollum finds a new fat-soluble vitamine in codliver oil, which he has named “D.” Its function seems to be to aid the normal formation of bony tissue, and it is con- sequently essential in the diet of rickety children. Pro- fessor McCollum further states that this vitamine is formed in the blood through the action of direct sunlight on the skin—a pleasanter remedy for the children than the use of codliver oil. So far as we can see, the discovery of these new vita- mines calls for no special changes in the ordinary adult diet. THE BALANCED MEAL 141 TABLE I PROTEIN Each of the following foods, in the quantities given, yields approximately one-fourth ounce of protein. The number of calories yielded by the same portion is stated in the column to the right. Beans, baked, one-half cupful . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 Beans, fresh Lima, cooked, three-fourths cupful . . . . . 150 Bread, Boston Brown, one good-sized slice, wt. 2 oz. . . . 150 Bread, light white, two good slices, wt. 1% oz. each . . . 175 Bread, whole-wheat, two slices, wt. 1 oz. each . . . . . 150 Cake, average of all makes, wt. 3 to 4 oz. . . . . . .300–400 Cereal, cooked ready to serve, one cupful. . . . . . . . 200 Cheese, cottage, one-fourth cupful, or a piece about the size of an egg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 Cheese, hard, a cube of about one and one-fourth inches, wt. nearly 1 oz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Eggs, one egg of average size, wt. 2 oz. . . . . 80 Fish, fresh, cooked, one generous helping, wit. 3 to 4 oz. . 150 Meat, cooked, butcher's or poultry, free from bone and fat, one ordinary helping, wt. 3 oz. . . . . . . . . . 100 Milk, whole, one cupful . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 Nuts, average, shelled, 25 to 30 almonds or pecans, or 12 to 14 walnuts, whole, wt. 4 oz. . . . . . . . . . . . 500 Oysters, five good-sized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Peas, canned or fresh cooked, three-fourths cup, wt. 6 oz. 150 Zwieback, seven to eight, wt. 2% to 3 oz. . . . . . . . 300 From this table it will be seen that if the breakfast consisted of an ordinary helping of one-half cup of cereal, with the addition of one- half cup of milk, two slices of whole—wheat bread, and one egg, the meal would yield three-fourths ounce of protein. For luncheon, a slice of cold meat, two slices of bread, and a glass of milk with a good piece of cake, would yield something more than three-fourths ounce protein. For dinner, a helping of fish or meat, with bread, and a bit of cheese with the dessert, would complete the daily require– ment of protein, that is, two and one-half ounces for the adult man. Some other foods than those listed are also estimated to contain protein, but in very small amounts, and not always of a kind that is readily made use of by the body. Only comparatively few pro- tein foods are wholly digested and assimilated by the body—hence the need of a moderately liberal allowance. 142 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS TABLE II CALORIES One pound of each of the following foods and classes of foods, yields approximately the amount of calories averaged in round numbers stated in the column to the right. The estimation is made on the basis of the foods as purchased, without allowance for waste or refuse where this may occur in the process of prep- aration for the table. Beans or peas, dried . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1600 Breads and breadstuffs, such as muffins, rolls, etc. . . . 1200 Butter, 2 cups in 1 lb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3600 Cereals (breakfast) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1600 Cheese, cottage is tº s 9 s e º ºs e º s vs s º ſº Cheese, hard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2000 Eggs, 8 in 1 lb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 650 Fish, fat, e.g., Salmon, mackerel, eel, trout, shad, halibut, etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500 Fish, lean, e.g., bass, codfish, haddock, flounder, perch, etc. 200 Fruits, fresh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 Fruits, dried . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1400 Honey, strained, 1% cups in 1 lb. . . . . . . . . . . 1500 Meats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1000 Milk, 2 cups in 1 lb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325 Molasses, 2 cups in 1 lb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1200 Nuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1500 Olive oil and other pure fats . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4000 Potatoes, 3 to 4 in 1 lb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 Sugar, 2 cups in 1 lb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1850 Vegetables, green. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 Vegetables, root . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 For convenience in calculation, the 100-calorie portion of the fol- lowing foods is appended. Butter, one small ball or cube, weighing 9% oz. Honey, two tablespoonfuls Milk, about three-fourths of a standard measuring-cup Molasses, two generous tablespoonfuls Sugar, two scant tablespoonfuls In estimating the dietary, after the calories yielded by the protein food have been taken into account, the remainder of the calorific re- quirement should be made up from, preferably, non-protein foods. Fruit and sugar may be added to the breakfast; a green salad with a dressing of oil or butter, to the luncheon, also fruit and vegetables; and to the dinner, butter, vegetables, a sweet course, etc. THE BALANCED MEAL 143 TABLE III ALKALI–FORMING FOODS The following foods, during metabolism, or changes in the body, yield an excess of alkali-forming substances which is represented by the figures following each. Apricots . . . . . 11 Olives . . . . . . 18 Apples . . . . . . 6 Onions . . . . . . 31 Beets . . . . . . . 23 Oranges. . . . . . 11 Cabbage . . . . . 18 Parsnips . . . . . 18 Carrots . . . . . . 24 Peaches. . . . . . 12 Cauliflower . . . . 17 Pears. . . . . . . 5.6 Celery . . . . . . 42 Pineapple . . . . . 15 Cucumbers . . . . 45 Potatoes . . . . . 8 Dates. . . . . . . 3.2 Pumpkins . . . . . 7 Figs, dried . . . . 32 Radishes . . . . . 9 Grape juice . . . . 4 Raisins . . . . . . 6 Lettuce . . . . . . 38 Spinach . . . . . . 113 Lemons . . . . . . 12 Tomatoes . . . . . 24 Milk . . . . . . . 3 Turnips. . . . . . 7 Molasses . . . . . 20 Watermelons . . . 8 Muskmelon . . . . 19 As a general rule it may be said that all vegetables except peas, beans, and lentils, are alkali-formers; and all fruits, whether fresh, dried, or canned, except prunes, plums, and cranberries. These are objected to by some authorities as producing acid, rather than alkaline conditions in the body. Acid-forming foods are chiefly the high-protein foods, such as meat, fish, eggs, etc., also cereals. Neutral foods are the sugars, the highly refined starches like cornstarch, Sago, tapioca, arrowroot, etc. While excess of acid-forming food is hurtful to the body, there is no harm produced by an excess of the alkali-forming food, but rather good, since it keeps the blood stream alkaline. It is safe then to allow liberal amounts of fruits, fresh vegetables, and milk in the diet. 144 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS TABLE IV THE MINERALS: PHOSPHORUS It has been estimated that the amount of phosphorus needed daily (in its combination with oxygen in the form P2O5) is about 2.75 grams. Its weight in grams in one pound of each of the following foods is as follows. * > Amt. required to Amt. in 1 lb. furnish 2.75 gms. Almonds 3.9 gms. 11.0 Oz. Barley, pearl 2.3 “ 19.0 “ Barley, whole . . 4.3 “ 10.5 “ Beans, dried . . . . 5.0 “ 9.0 “ Cheese, cottage . 2.3 “ 19.0 “ Cheese, hard. . . . . 6.5 “ 6.7 “ Eggs, whole . . . . . 1.6 “ 13–14 eggs yOLK . . . . . 4.5 “ 6– 7 yolks white Figs, dried . . . . . 1.5 “ 29.0 Oz. Meat or fish . . . . . 2.0 “ 22.0 “ . Molasses . . . . . . 1.3 “ One pint Oatmeal . . . . . . 4.0 “ 11.0 oz. Parsnips O.86 “ Three pounds Peanuts . . . . . . . 4.0 “ 11.0 “ Peas, dried . . . . . 4.0 “ 11.0 “ Raisins . . . . . . . 1.3 “ One pound Walnuts . . . . . . 3.5 “ 12.5 oz. Wheat bran . . . 13.0 “ 3.5 “ Whole wheat 4.0 “ 11.0 “ It will thus be seen that it may be easy to fall short of the required amount of this element in the ordinary diet, unless it is specifically looked out for. Other foods, milk, many fruits, especially pineapple, also root vegetables, etc., contain phosphorus, but in smaller amount than the foods listed. THE BALANCED MEAL 145 TABLE W THE MINERALS: IRON It has been estimated that the amount of iron needed daily is about fifteen milligrams, 0.015 gram. The number of milligrams of iron in one pound of each of the following foods is as follows. gº Amt. needed to Amt, in 1 lb furnish o oig mg. Beans, dried . . . . . .030 gm. 8.0 Oz. Dandelion and other greens . . .012 “ 20.0 “ Dates. . . . . . . . .013 “ 18.0 “ Eggs . . . . . . . . .012 “ 10 eggs Figs . . . . . . . . .014 “ 17.0 oz. Graham bread . . . . .015 “ 1 lb. Oatmeal . . . . . . .016 “ 1 lb., nearly Peas, dried . . . . . .025 “ 9.5 oz. Prunes . . . . . . . .010 “ 1% lbs. Raisins . . . . . . . .025 “ 9.5 oz. Spinach . . . . . . . .014 “ A little over 1 lb. Whole wheat . . . . .020 “ 34 lb. Many other foods contain iron, especially the red meats, which on analysis are found to contain a great deal of this ele- ment. But the iron in meats is in inorganic form, and though this may be of use in sparing the organic iron of the body, it cannot be relied on to perform the same function as the iron in more assimilable form. Hence the foods listed should be our chief reliance. Milk contains a very small amount of iron, so small as to be almost negligible, but its iron is in a very good form. 146 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS TABLE VI THE MINERALS: CALCIUM It has been estimated that the amount of calcium needed daily is perhaps one gram, in the form of the salt, CaO. The number of grams of this in one pound of each of the following foods is as follows. Amt. needed to Amt. in 1 lb. furnish 1 gm. calcium Almonds . . . . . . 1.3 gms. 12.3 oz. Beans, dried . . . . . 0.9 “ 17.7 “ Cauliflower . . . . . 0.75 “ 21.3 “ Cheese, cottage . . . 1.3 “ 12.3 “ Cheese, hard . . . . . 4.5 “ 3.5 “ Chives . . . . . . . 0.9 “ 17.7 “ Eggs . . . . . . . . 0.9 “ 8–9 eggs Milk . . . . . . . . 0.76 “ 21.0 Oz. Molasses . . . . . . 4.0 “ % cup Peas, dried . . . . . 0.6 “ 26.5 oz. Turnip tops . . . . . 0.9 “ 17.7 “ Water cress . . . . . 1.1 “ Less than 1 lb. Wheat bran . . . . . 0.06 “ 26.5 oz. It is evident from the above table that it is not difficult to furnish the required amount of calcium in the daily diet, for if at least one pint of milk is provided for every adult this will yield very nearly the single gram of calcium required, and what is lacking may be safely assumed will be furnished by other foods. But if milk is not furnished, it may be easy to miss out on a sufficiency of calcium. THE BALANCED MEAL 147 TABLE VII Foods Containing Vitamine “A” Foods Deficient in Vitamine “A” Beef fat Cereal grains, if highly milled Butter Corn syrup Cereal grains, whole Cornstarch, corn flour Cheese Lard *Cream Molasses *Eggs, especially yolk Nuts *Grains, sprouted Olive oil, and all vegetable *Kidneys oils *Lettuce Pork *Liver Sterilized milk, butter, cheese, Olio oils from beef fat Or CI'ê8.II). *Peas and beans, if sprouted Tapioca, Sago, arrowroot *Spinach and other edible *Turnips, carrots, and similar greens root vegetables *Sweetbreads White rice - The foods in the foregoing lists marked * contain also the vitamine “B.” Ordinary domestic cooking does not impair the efficiency of the vitamine “A,” nor does ordinary home canning, nor does cold storage under five months, nor does pasteurizing. But salted and dried meats lose it, even when the drying is done at a low temperature. Yet it should be expressly noted that foods from which this vitamine is absent need not therefore be rejected, and find no place in the menu. All that is needed is to accompany them by some food which contains it. For instance, salt pork and boiled greens is a good combination; so may be a tapioca or cornstarch pudding served with cream, or with a custard sauce. It will also be found on referring to other tables, that foods on the wrong side of this will be found rich in some other essential of the diet; molasses, for instance, is listed as a source of phosphorus and alkali, though it lacks vitamines. 148 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS TABLE VIII Foods Containing Vitamine “B” Foods Deficient in Vitamine “B” Apples - Canned meats Berries Cereal grains, when dried Grains, when sprouted Corn syrup Lettuce and other greens Fruits, when dried Lime juice Molasses Meats and fish, when fresh Potatoes, if dried Melons Starch of any grain Milk and cream, when fresh Vegetables of all kinds, if dried Peas and beans, when fresh Plums and all fresh fruits Potatoes and other tubers Sauerkraut Tomatoes, eggplant, and other succulents Turnips, carrots, onions, and other roots Vegetables of all kinds, when fresh Yeast Since this vitamine is soluble in water, it is easy to lose much of it in the cooking of vegetables when the water is poured away without any attempt to save it for use in some fashion. To bake or steam vegetables, or to cook them in the Smallest possi- ble amount of water and scrupulously to utilize this water as the basis for sauce or soup, is to ensure the saving of the valuable vitamines which is the truest economy. Neither should soda be used in the cooking of fruits or vegeta- bles, since this is destructive to the vitamine, but acids do not hurt it, and are rather believed to help to preserve it. Its pres– ence in Sauerkraut and in lime juice is proof of this. Again it should be noted that the foods deficient in this prin- ciple need not be totally excluded from the diet, if it is provided in sufficient measure by foods which contain it. THE BALANCED MEAL 149 SAMPLE OF BALANCED MENUS (By permission of S. M. L. M.) Breakfast Grapefruit Cracked Wheat. Whole Milk Scrambled Eggs with Spinach on Graham Toast Luncheon Cabbage Salad (Lettuce, Celery, Almonds) Sour Dressing Oatmeal Muffins. Butter Cocoa Dinner Cream of Potato Soup Sliced Beef Loaf. Horseradish Sauce Stuffed Baked Potatoes (Milk, Cheese) Steamed Dandelions Whole-Wheat Rolls. Butter Rhubarb and Raisin Pie Coffee. Cream 150 BREAKFASTS, LUNCHEONS, AND DINNERS ANALYSIS OF MENU . Alkali º * Iron Yº. Y; *; Breakfast Grapefruit. . . . . . . :}; & e :k Whole wheat. . . . * tº g :: tº e :: ::: * & Milk . . . . . . . * :}; tº a :: vs tº :: :k Eggs . . . . . . . * e - :: >}: :: ck :: Spinach . . . . . . . . : tº gº tº tº >}: f | Graham bread . . . . . tº as :}; sk :k: Dinner Soup — milk }: :k fe sk Potatoes sº I tº gº :: e tº tº e * & as tº :}; Beef . . . . . . . * & = :l: tº e * - sy & ::: Cheese . . . . . . * * - :}; :: tº º :}: & º Dandelions . . . . . . :}: e & tº e :: :: :: Whole wheat . . . * tº tº :}; - - :: >{: Butter . . . . . . . . * - * * - « tº gº :}: s & Rhubarb . . . . . . . sk © = e - sm & * - sk Raisins . . * - & :: *i; tº gº sk * - - - Cream | :: Luncheon Lettuce . . . . . . . . :: e - e e :: -k > Cabbage . . . . . . . :: e - * g. :: :}; :k Celery . . . . . . . . :: e - * - e tº g >}: Almonds . . . . . * sº it. :: S: * * tº & gº º Dressing – eggs . * * - :*: ::: >}: :}; :: Oatmeal :: a gº :}; ſº tº :}; :k Butter gº tº s e v tº tº º tº gº :k Cocoa — milk . . . * >k e e :: a 9 ::: -i: Totals . . 24. 11 12 10 9 11 16 14 Here it will be seen that half of the food is alkali-forming; more than half yields the important vitamine “A” and the pro- portion of all three minerals is high. Also, milk and greens, called by Dr. E. W. McCollum of Johns Hopkins, on account of their high vitamine content, “the two protective foods,” are present in all three meals. THE BALANCED MEAL 151 When these essentials are provided for it is not diffi- cult to get the balance of protein and calories correct. By referring to Table I it will be found that, assuming each person to have during the day 1 egg 3 oz. beef 3 cups milk 6 oz. bread 1 oz. cheese % cup cooked cereal the sum of these foods would yield more than two ounces of protein, and 1655 calories. Butter, cream, fruit, vege- tables, and sugar, most of which form part of the average daily diet, would assuredly make up the calorific requirement. Thus it should be evident that it is not a difficult matter to balance the daily meals. If they are balanced in the qualitative fashion illustrated above, for merely one week, the housewife will have learned the tables sufficiently to know them pretty well by heart, and in planning her menus she will find herself able to provide the essentials without referring to the tables. If every woman looked after the balance of nutrients it would mean much in the nutrition of the family. It has further been experienced by those who have tried it that well-balanced meals are more satisfying, at the same cost, than those are where the balance has not been attended to. 2,5644 3+e of; Co *ery 2hambers, /Mary D, Sant ce B, Lor **2. * C #. one f ####################### · ， !ſrael - . （ ） . . . . . .|- |- ， ! . . . . ） . . . . . . . … |（~~~~ |---- - - - - - - - - ---- №. （： , №：№ae， |---------------- № --------- № .（…） |------|-. № № №. | | | -№.： ！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！ |×