The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1884-08-29

D1 :,
FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, le
The White House Kitchen.
A Washington Star reporter ran across
steward Williams at the White House
the other day and asked to be shown
through the culinary department.. The
steward kindly accompanied him.
There are two Kitchens, one much lar
ger than the other, with mammoth
ranges and boilers. The walls are hung
with copper-co cooking utensils of every
character. bright and in order. In the
centre of the big kitchen . permanent
zinc-covered table, at which most of the
manipulating is done. Chief Fortin,
about as broad as long, was standing at
it hard at work. He speaks English
very we'll, and kindly assisted in ex-
planning the manner Of doing business
IN his department.
How much warning do they give you
when state dinner is to be prepared ?"
asked the reporter of Mr.. Williams.
About four days, to give us plenty
of time to get things in shape. Lots Of
preparations, too are necessary. In
tho first place, the ornaments are to be
made, and the chief here likes to make
an early start in that branch"
"What do you make them from?"
s'Grease. Yes, we take old candles
and melt them over timo and again, aud
mould figures, etc., of various designs.
The chef tells me that such ornamen-
tation is largely taking the place of flow
ers in Europe. partially because flowers
are scarce. We endeavor always to have
good supply of both, and the effect is
very satisfactory"
The chef was busy with some broken
ornaments when the reporter entered,
These he melted and poured into plas-
ter-of paris mould. Placing this in q
pan of ice water for little while, it
was opened and an excellent goddess Of
liberty was produced, looking as we'll
as many of her marble sisters.
"You see," continued the steward,
"such figures are made the center
pieces for cold meats and the like,
which are usually served in sort of
pyramid. One of tho rules is that no
dish must be served fiat. It must be
raised in some way, and there are
various plans followed. A big base of
rice is sometimes made to raise the
birds or meats or whatever is to be
served. Sometimes they are we'll
raised, and then are so we'll concealed
by tallow ornaments and disguised
that it is pretty hard to tell where to
start in, I have seen some of the Western
congressman, when such dish is passed,
look all around it, kind of uncertain
where to strike, and then shake their
heads and let it pass. That is not say
ing anything against the gentlemen. I
couldn't do any better if had MT
seen such dishes prepared time and
again. for they are very deceptive"
"How do You go to work to prepare
big dinner?" asked the reporter.
1--WE get word that there is to be "a
dinner for so many persons on such an
evening. know that the dinner is to
be the best that can be prepared, and I
go to work accordingly to procure the
best, not only that tho Washington
market affords, but that Gun be secured
in New York, where telegraph at once
for the choicest game and other things
that con lie obtained. The president
gives corte blanche, and never grumbles
at expense, 30 we ore never hampered.
The chief always has an assistant on
such occasions, and they first go to
work on the tallow ornaments, and Mr..
Pfster begins on the floral ornaments.
Great care must be taken in ornament
ing not to obstruct the view of any of
the guests, and while floral designs are
intended to he characteristic of the oc-
casion, they are either suspended SO
that the guest can see under them, or
else raised on pillars for enough apart
not to obstruct the view. At the judi
cial dinner last year the chief floral
piece was temple of justice, with the
book of laws in the interior. It takes
the ingenuity of oil of us to secure a
variety, and at the same time maintain
excellence in all branches. The menus
must be entirely different. Not dish
must be brought on the table that ap-
peared at the previous dinner, SO you see
we have to keep scheming."
"How many persons does it take to
serve state dinner?" asked the repor-
ter.
eff there are fifty persons at the table
or few more or less, it takes twelve
servants"
"Why SO many?"
''Well, there are five services for
every course; by that I mean that five
dishes of everything are served at once.
If the course is fish, five plates of fish
are served simultaneously, and so on
through the dinner. This is to prevent
delay. So you see there arc fivo of the
servants engaged in serving the main
dish of the course, each one helping
about ten persons, and five more follow
with the vegetables or the accompanying
dish. Two more walters are kept busy
serving the wine which belong to the
COURSE"
"The whole dinner is prepared here
in the White House, is it not?" ]
,, Everything but the ice cream; that
we get outside. OF course we haven'ta
large enough force of servants regularly
in the house to serve the dinner, and 10
have to get outside assistance, but the
dinners are truly White House dinners.'
Outside the kitchen are two refriger-
ators, big enough for mammoth hotel,
but they do not suffice, and new one
with all the modern improvements is
about to be built. Mr.. Williams has
comfortable office in the basement, from
which opens the Presidents wine cellar.
The stock of wines has not been replen-
ished since the seasons gaities were
over, but the shelves are pretty web
filed yet.
Mistakes in the Fig Business.
From the Iowa Homestead
Some of our farmers are very likely
to make mistake just now, in the man
agement of their pigs. They have an
idea that because ON old hog will thrive
on clover, young pig will. This ia