Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-08-11
Written for THE EVENING STAB
ENGLISH DINNERS.
Dinner-Giving q Part Of the English.
mans Religion.

Dinner-Giving a Part Of the English
mans Religion.
TIE APPOINTMENTS or THE rABLE-sPLENprp DIS
rLAr OF PLATE IN HOUSES or TIE wEALTHY-How
THE GUESTS ARE ARRANGKD-sERvING pKssERr-
ENGLISH COOKING IN PRIVATE HOUSES
copyrighted. 1881
II always seems TO me, as look back on English
dinners, that the tables must have been larger
tnan our American tables Dlnner-g1ving is so
much part Of an Engiishman's religion, that
there Is breadth and an appropriateness about 1t
| all, and solidty not often found here. The din
ner table Is 80 broad that frequently the host and
the lady to whom the dinner Is given sit side by
SIDE at the end; this effect OF broad dinner table
| Is very stately. But whichever way the dinner is
the appointments OF the table are the
same. white cloth OF finest damask is
spread very exactly, and often along each side are
sion OF dinner and before the dessert. II Is curl
| GUS lsct and worth mentioning here that English
people never have napkins at luncheon, although
| otner eatables which require the use OF a nap
KIN. rms absence OF napkin is very embarrass-
| ing 10 an American. But at the dinner napkins
are allowed, often FOLDED in an intricate form with
| Toll OF bread within. knife, fork and spoon
are ready for Immediate use, and a sherry. claret
ana champagne glass are put at the right hand,
out no tum0lers, no preparation for Ice water, and
| II any one wants water 1t Is only Obtainable by
very long and persistent demand for II.
THE oLD-FAsHIoND EPERGNE,
which used TO be part Of every English dinner
party, has retired into ooscurity, and plateau Of
plate glass set In silver, with china swans floating
In 1t, MaJoca or Dresden bowls, vases and pretty
pieces OF osQue, have taken It's place. modern
glasses and rare orchids. the finest roses one by
| one, scattered down the table. Flowers are not
| massed as with US, nor half so lavlshly used but
| w n Yrip n
paliy garden flowers very delicate, are used.
Vines and melons OFTEN form a center-piece.
set on with green leaves, with sprays OF fern and
the EGGPLANT give the table fresh and orig nal
LOOK. al, Al these flowers and family choice glass
50 1t remains to the end, II the dinner is served
"a Russo In great rich houses the display OF
such thing as gold plate, it is said, but
there is much silver gilt, and often table In a
| luxurious mansion looks as II spread with gold.
Although dinners are very late In London, pune
tuality should be strictly observed. No one but a
member OF pa Lament, who may be kept by Ills
vote, Is excuSable for being more than half an
hour late. The discomfort and awkwardness en-
tailed upon host and hostess and the especial agony
which Is suffered ny the cook, have caused many a
London hostess to invite her guests at 3 and to
have dinner served at half-past & One Is rarely
introduced at London dinner. The guests talk as
II introduced, and when a lady enters she is an
nounced. so that although stranger she never
feels neglected or fororn. The host communicates
| TO each gentleman the name OF the lady whom he
|
given with the name written on. II they are
strangers the host sometimes introduces the gen.
| tleman TO the lady.
WHEN DINNER IS SERVED
the butler announces II, and the lady Of highest
rank or the lady TO whom the dinner is given, or
bride, is taken in first. The other guests follow
arm in arm and the hostess closes the procession,
| escorted by the gentleman who has EN- ap-
poinled TO the honorable post, and who has been
| elected for one OF the three reasons mentioned
above. On arriving at the dinner table, which Is
always in the largest, most airy. and most agree
| able room In the house, the host and hostess Iake
the two ends OF the long table or Seat themselves
| In the mdde opposite each other. the host places
the lady at his right hand and she is the starting
point Tor the walters; everything is handed TO her
nrsr. A ca Is placed before the host and hostess
| and often before every guest with the menu writ
| Ten on IT. When soup is placed before the
guest he or she begins Immediately to eat IL,
| not waiting for any one else. No one asks to be
| heiped twice TO anything. Beau Brummel, In
| speaking contemporary OF some one, SAID, "He
| Is fellow that would send up his plate twice FOR
| soup! AT formal dinner guests not asked
their choice. They Can accept or reject the
plates handed them, out 1t Is the custom 10 allow
everything TO be placed on the table before one,
then TO eat or let IT acne one pleaSes. No wine
Is placed on the table; It Is the province of the
servants to hand II. Sherry Is offered after SOUP;
hook, chablls, and sautelne with fsh; cnampa gne
accompanies the JOIN; claret cup Is offered at Ill
tervais, port wine never makes its appearance
until dessert, and rarely then. The Old Iormalty
OF taking wlue with one is no longer practisei; II
| has passed away with arter-Iinner speeches and
/ Will tnc pdI maui vi pfcSSiES hospitality.
| AT TIE CONCLUSION OF DINNER
everything Is taken Off but the dessert dishes and
| floral decorations The crumbs are removed with
| q silver SCOOP the slips OF taolecloth are with
| drawn. A dessert plate on which is a doyley and
ringer glass silver KNIFE and rork is placed before
| eacn guest, together with three wine glasses. On
very state occasions the nnser bowls are not used
| but Il SILVER, gold or cnina dish containing rose
| wafer Is passed and napkin is dipped in IL with
| winch u frrshen lne lips and fingers. Tn. wine
| before
| host, who tells the age OF his Madeira.
Inc hostess very soon rises making sign to the
/ lazy next her husband, wlU Uses and leaves the
1 room first, the otners waiting for her. The gen.
/ tlelnen remain TO smoke and TO drink, while the
| ladies return TO the drawiny-roon, where they
| take coffee aid liquors. We nave no idea in TINS
country OF the eles ant quiet service OF an English
| country house or VI great house in town The
| tainei servants move nolSe,eSsly and II 10
music. Even IN quiet family dinners tnere Is care
and precIoion; every one dresses Tor them and the
on.y change Is that perhaps the host carves, AM
| he then may ask the guest 10 be helped Iwice "a
| Joint or game, but never 10 soup To fish. The
conversation OF an English Unbeatable is dell sht-
1ul. All the reserve and Stiffness with which, as
nation, the English are accredited are lost at an
! Englisn dinner-ta0le; there they appear at theiI
Dest.
| ENGLISH COOKING.
Although English cookery Is still bad at the no.
tels IL Is often admirable private house; they
have imported French cooks and they give you an
admirable menu. 1t Is still little heavier and
| l,t.e longer as dinner tnan Oh the continent
a.
| George ~. The English have gone up and dow IN
| In tue delicate art Va dinner-giving. In the days
OF the N0rinans the guests advanced, led ceremon.
| iOu,ly by two "aaitreS d'NoLel," VINO gave tuem
water TO wash their hands. The tables were spread
| with cloths, and there We're gObets and cups salt.
| cellars and spoons. The di hes were brought by
| Wallets ana eSQulreS. The meats we're eaten Of1
large slices or bread which were then thrown into
| q vessel After Their course the labl. cloths were
| changed. Lastly the dessert appeared, consisting
or Cheese and CAKES and frut and the repasL termi
| mated with a urauyht OF hippocras. Thus the
service was not unlike The modern dinner, but the
| viands were coarse. Garlic was the fdvJrite sea.
dish, was OF pig mixed with veget abeS and spices
| this Is now seen In Italy wuen they serve you
| with wild boar cooked with sugar and vinegar and
\ pine cones. They had "DeeI, mutton, swan
roasted RABBIT" for first course, "drope and rose
Tor pOCtage, inaafd, Pheasant, chicken larsed anu
| roasted. malacniS baked" second course. Third
course, Hare, teals, roasted w0odcock, snipes and
| rany oiys baked fiampoyats."
| ENORMOUS SUPPLIES.
RafYyolys were q sort OF pastry, and fiampoyat:
probably something like our whipped cream VIVA,
they lacked In delicacy they made up in quantity
400 swans, 900 pigs, 1000 pigeons 500 sJags lO4
| peacocks, 1000 cold venison pattieS, 15OO hO
! ditto, SEALS porpoiscs, 1000 dishes or Jelly
| being the at the Installation OF an urcn
| bishop. Walter Scott, in "Ivanhoe," has given u:
| "Cloister and the Hearth Charles Reed has given
! us the German medlaeval feeding, the OK roasted
| whole. and all that Gothic baroarity. The hapit
| OF profuse and luxurious living had, however
| declined very much during the sixteenth and
| seventeenth centuries. In Henry Eignsh's day
confusion; no nicely or order observed the
| art OF COOKERY deYeDerated and the ma nners wers