St. Paul daily globe., 1888-02-08
TIPS FOR THE TABLE,
1t Might Be Well for Certain Hotel
Doors to Note These Valuable
SUpQeStiOnS

Suggestions.
"COstly thy habitas thy purse can buy"
is not bad rule for the diner-Out. A
man of course wears the customary suit
OF solemn black, unless he is an esthetic
and disports himself in knee breeches S
and lace ruffles. A lady can scarcely
wear too handsome dress, though it
should be different in style from half
dress. Her most beautiful jewels and
richest laceS find a ceremOniOuS dinner
suitable occasion for their display.
Places at the table should be found as
quietly as possible, and man is wise to
inquire before going to the dining room
on which side of the table he is to sit.
Guests remain standing until the
hostess has taken her seat. and then
seat themselves. They lay their table
their gloves, and if there is roll of
bread in their plates they remove it to
the left side. If raw oysters have been
served they will be eaten at once 1t is
no longer good form to wait for the rest
of the company to be served before begin
/. ming to eat, and for this there is a sensi-
bic reason. as will be found on eXamina-
tiOn to be the case with most of the lit
tie changes in fashion which take place
from time to time. A grand dinner
would be indefinitely prolonged if all
the guests waited to eat the same thing
at the same time. The walters begin
their service with the lady who sits at
the hosts right hand: and she should
be ready to be helped to the second
course by the time the first course has
made the round of the table.
A neophyte might perhaps be puzzled
among the multiplicity of forks beside
her plate, but she will see that the small
SpOon-Shaped fork is used for oysters.
and the next smallest fork for the fish.
1t is now customary to supply also
silver knife for fish. and this Is a great
convenience. Should the fish knife be
absent, tie fork is to be held in the
right hard and assisted by piece of
bread in the left; but the silver knife is
preferable, and will be found in most
houses. Soup should be eaten with
spoon. Dessert spoons for soup are no
longer en- regle. on the theory that soup
is nothing unless hot, and that it can be
eaten more quickly, and therefore
when hotter, by using a large
spoon. If you are fastidiOus about
trltling forms, you will dip up your
soup with the side of the spoon fartheSt
from you, and move it toward the far
ther side of your plate as you lift it to-
ward your mouth. The really important
thing is to eat from the side of the spoon
and nOiselessly. Nothing is a much
surer test of the number of removes we
are from our great grandfather, the ape.
than our manner of taking soup. To
eat nOisily is loudly to proclaim our
selves unfit for the society of ladies and
gentlemen. In eating any course where
both knife and fork are required, the
fork should be held III the left hand
and the knife in the right. 1t is
not social crime to transfer
the fork to the right hand and back
again. but it is now considered better
form to keep the fork in the left hand
and carry all food to the mouth with that
hand, unless in the courses where no
knife is required. In eating soft dishes,
such as crOquetteS or SweetbreadS,
where a fork only is necessary, it is of
course held in the right hand. A fork
is used whenever it is possible for pud-
dings and jellies, and in many houses
for ice cream. In England both a fork
and spoon will be given you with the
sweets, and both are sometimes used
together.
Cheese is the one thing for which a
fork is not used, and you will find your
self supplied only with knife for that
course which consists of cheese, lettuce
or celery and biscuits, or, as we say,
crackers. Vegetables should always
be eaten with fork, except the few
which, like artichokes. yen hold in your
fingers. One is quite at liberty to take
asparagus in the fingers and bite it off,
though some geOple prefer to cut off
the soft ends and eat them with fork.
Olives are taken in the fingers.
Peaches, pears and apples are pre-
pared for eating with fruit knife and
fork, but large strawberries are eaten
by taking the stem in your fingers and
dipping them into the sugar on your
Dlate