Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-03-29
A COOKING CRAZE.
Young Womea Practising on Toy Stoves
Queer Dining Clubs and Costly Din
ners.

Young womea Practising on Toy Stoves
Queer Dining Clubs and Costly Din
ners.
| A regular cooking craze exists in Phil
| adelphia in the most fashionable circles.
| Young women are infatuated in the study
| of how to make Irish steWs, and the
| greatest bellies Of the town spend hours
| before pretty little toy stoves Of their own
| studying the mysteries of marmalade
| and mayonnais. There are halt a dozen
| or more notable cooking clubs for men
| here, some of which have achieved a wide
| reputation. The State in Schuylkill. as
I it is called, is the most famous. Lafa-
/ vette undoubtedly sat at its board, and
| there are traditions a1i0at of how the
| Father OF his Country, wi b an apron on
and his sleeves rolled up, pared potatoes
| and helped make soup under its roof
Lately the clue cele brated its 152d ami
! Yersary. 1t owns an island in the river,
! which, in the formation of the Orignal Un-
| ion, was left as a joke out of the country,a
principally in ITSELF and 1t is called the
State in Schuy kill Every member has to
don peculiar costume and help prepare
the dinner and brew the punch. Every
applicant for membership must serve an
apprenticeship at cooking before be is adj
mitted. The Rabbit Club is another cook
ing organization. and there are number
more that combine fishing and r0wil g
with the art of frying and brOiling. There
are dozens of men in the Philadelphia
I luh who, if the chef does not get up
souffle to suit the m, can and often do GO
into the kitchen and cook it themselves.
Large sums OF money are spent for din
ners, and the private dinners of some of
the old banks and trust funds are exceed
inly elaborate affairs.
A movement mas just begun to have
cooking taught in the Girls Normal
School, with view of giving the teach
ers who go forth to the puDlic schools
such knowledge of it that they may be
able to make practical housekeepers of
the rising generation of girls. The la
dies at the head of this movement are
Miss PendletOn, the sister of the Hon.
George H. PendletOn, and Miss Mere
dith, daughter of the late William NJ.
Meredith.
dozen or more dining clubs have
sprung up, all of them unique. the ClO-
yer Club, for instance, makes IL point to
invite any strab ger of consequence who
happened to be in town on thu set dates
Of its monthly dinners. The result Is
that Governors, patent medicine men,
statesmen, dentists, editors, song and
dance men. railroad Presidents, actors.
negro minstrels-a medley of the most
surprising character-meet around it fes-
tai board. Every Ole is expected to con-
tribute to the entertainment it called
upon, and from the beginning until the
ending of the dinner some one is on the
floor singing, dancing, telling a story, max
ing a speech. doing card trick, or anus |
ing the company in some original man.
ner. Actors and others sometimes come
in diss uised and kick up fictitious rows,
to be taken out by mock policemen. Be-
tween times the whole company, mum Der
ing a hundred or more, sing comic songs
and click their glasses in chorus. Every
one has to throw off dignity for the time
being, and no man is safe from jokes and
interruption while speaking.
All tue leading jeweiTy stores in Phila-
dplphia display more china and dinner
table ware than anything else. Men are
employed in a number of establishments
" 20 do nothing but invent novel meLu
cards and fav0rs for dinners. Gold and
silver are frequently used. A great point
in a fashionable dinner in Philadelphia is
60 have present or favor for each guest |
that will be fine and different from any,
thing ever seen at another dinner. Mrs. |
George W. Guilds set table for twenty |
su SITS a few weeks ago on which the deco |
rations in china, silver and gold repre- |
sented an expenditure of $4,000.