The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-27
SOME ODD TABLE DEVICES.
Birds Dressed for the Table with Feathers
On-A Duck Pond of Jelly.

On-A Duck Pond of Jelly.
Boston Globe.
''We have to be thinking up new things all the
time" remarked well-known caterer, rehec-
lively. wealthy. fashionable people, such as
give, of course, the handsomest entertainments,
want novelties in our line just as they do in
others, and we have to give them to them, or
they will think We are behind the times Take,
for example, the custom Of placing raw
oysters on the table in partially scooped out
block of clear ice. 1t is a most excellent Gus
tom; it looks we'll and keeps the oysters at the
right temperature, but would hardly dare to
serve oysters in that way at really swell din
ner-the device is too DID,
rs the custom of serving birds in plumage
still sanctioned by our first familiesF
Eyes; work Of that kind skillfully executed
will, | believe, always be considered CONNIE il
fault"
'The head and plumaged skin of the bird, of
whatever kind it is, are first carefully removed,
an operation requiring some little skill. The
bird is then boned+with dressing, you know
and the boned meat returned to the skin AT
least, that is the way it is usually done. A
pheasant served in this way makes particularly
attractive dish. Taft, you know, sometimes
serves roasted humming birds in walnut shells.
and it is quite possible to serve small-sized reed
birds in the same way
Rather an expensive dish, imagine2"
Every; but some people, you know, will pay
heavily for having their palates or their fancles
tickled. A comparatively new and very pretty
center of the dinner or supper-table-as the case
may be-and surrounding it with smilaX. 1t
has the effect of miniature lake, and this effect
is heightened by scattering few bright colored
howers-pansies or something of that klnd-oYer
its surface"
DINNER tables are sometimes decorated with
vegetables, are they mott"
Eyes, that has of late years become an import
ant feature of dinner-table decoration. Beets.
carrots, turnips ETC.. be cut as to resemble
flowers Of many kinds. One of our cutters
recently made what casual observer would have
taken for handsome. basket of flowers, and 1t
was made basket and all, out of vegetables
YES" said another leading caterer, 1--WE have
a number of new devices. We make ice glasses
now-of the shape of small wine -glasses-and
fill them with Roman punch AS, perhaps you
can imagine, the effect is excellent Another
novelty is q house made of ice cream, with a
light inside of it, giving it the appearance of a
miniature house on fire A ruined castle of ice
cream, with light inside of it, is also very eff
feetive; and tower of clear ice, lighted in the
same way looks like miniature lighthouse
We make ice cream in the shape of all kinds of
flowers. and put them together in the form of
bouquets. Then we have what appear to be
perfect walnuts, flberts, Almonds ETC., which
are filed with sugar pums. In making these
we use real shells. We make imitation cherries,
grapes, and plums, and fill them in the same
way They decorate table very nicely"
do you think of anything else novel|
''Oh yes Iheard of party recently where
eggs, and when they were opened they were
found to contain live canary birds. One of the
party, young lady, broke into one of the eggs
rather carelessly-not knowing what itcontainCd
and by so doing killed it's poor little inmate.
I'm told that her sorrow at the accident rather
interfered with the enjoyment of the dinner.
hear that New York man recently designed
what must have beer very pretty table decor
alton. 1t consisted of miniature forest, made
of spruce, pine and hemloek branches, beneath
which were scattered moss, cones. pine needles,
etc. Perched among the branches were num-
Der of birds and little squirrels. know too of
a caterer who sometimes uses a musical cake
basket. The minute it is raised from the table
for the purpose ofpassing around the cake-it
commences to play, and when it is again placed
on the table the music stops"
''WhaJ do you consider the most novel device
that you know of"
''Well, perhaps the most novel is one that 1
heard of but never saw. It was a large block of
clear, greenish jelly, in the center of which was
a duck, in full plumage, headed for some sprigs
of celery The upper surface of the block was
made in little ripples, and looked just as water
would after duck had dived through it. Around
the block grasses were arranged, and I'm told
that the piece, taken as whole, was very effect
i've. I've seen another very pretty piece, by the
way 1t was made of ice-cream and represented
a man in a sleigh drawn by reindeer. Under
meath the sleigh wass music-box, which played
about fifteen minutes after the piece was placed
on the table, and running through the music was
the peculiar grating sound made by sleighs"