Omaha daily bee., 1889-10-13
AN EMPRESS IN TIE KITCHEN.
-Austria's Queen the Best House
keeper in Europe.
AN Au1uMNAL WEDDING GOWN
The Result OF Cailow Marriages
Darning in French Convcnts-A
woman's Long Horseback
Ride-New York Society.
Queen of Her Household.


The empress of Austria is the best
royal housekeeper in Europe She is as
thoroughly acquainted with the details
OF the imperial Austrian kitclen as her
husband is with the details Of the inn
perial Austrian government. She super
intends the household affairs OF the big
palace at the Austrian capital with the
greatest care. She receives personally,
reads and acts upon reports from cooks,
buffers, keepers of the plate and keep
ersof the linen, says correspondent Of
the New York Sun. Cooking devices
which have become inconvenient or an
tiQuated are abolished only ut her COM
mand. New methods of preparing or
serving food are adopted only at her
suggestion. Changes in the personnel
OF the establishment are made for the
most part cnly in obedience to her
orders. Consequently a person can eat,
drink, sleep and be served better in her
house than in any other in Europe.
The kitchen in which the food for the
. bluest blood of Austria is cooked is n
huge room with all the arrangements
(, ht each end for preparing fish, fowl and
be cooked at once on one of the big
whirling spits. Against the side walls
from floor to ceiling stand scores
upon scores of chatting dishes. In
these dishes, all of which are
self-warmine, the meats are car
ried to the carving-room. whence
they are returned TO the kitchen ready
to be served. The boiling and baking
and frying and carrying and cutting
occupy a small regiment of servants
Twenty-Five male cooks, in white
clothes, dress, spit, season and stuff the
meats. AS many female cooks prepare
the vegetables, the puddings and the
salads. A dozen or more boys hurry
the birds, fish and joints from the
Kitchen to the carving room, where
long lines of carvers slice and joint
everything laid before them.
The kitchen utensils fill big room
opening into the kitchen. This room
is the ideal of German housewives.
The high walls are covered with pans,
kettles, griddles and covers, which
shine as only German hands and Ger
man muscles could make them shine
There are soup tureens in which a big
boy might be drowned, kettles in which
twins could play house, and pans which
would hold half a dozen little Hans aud
Gretchens. In short, about every cul-
mary utensil on the wall is Of the heroic
size, suggestive rather of the Missouri
barbecue than of the feasts of crowned
heads and diplomats at one of the first
Of courts.
For days before the great court fes-
rivals the whole Austrian court kitchen
staff. from the ''head court cooking
master" down to the youngest scullion
work like mad. The chefs hold re-
peated consultations in their council
chamber, often debating honr after
hour with all the earnestness of par
Lament or congress concerning the best
methods of preparing fowls. sauces.
/, cakes and soups. The menu, us selected
y by the chefs, is submitted to the master
y OF the provision department, so that he
may Immediately order from the city
whatever the cellars of the castle lack
The Austrian court dinners are fa-
nous on the continent. The delicacies
which result from the protracted meet
ings in the council chamber of the chefs
are often SO fine that favored guests not
infrequently observe the old German
fashion of taking a choice bit home to
their friends in the name of the en-
press and with her best wishes. All
that remains of n court feast or dinner
is sent to the Nienese hospitals. On the
uayS 1ust after the banquet the empress
is very busy looking over the reports
and inventories of the frau head keeper
Of the napkins, and the fraulein head
keeper of the table-cloths, and the herr
head guardian of the imperial china
and dozen other like functionaries
with jointed titles. She reviews all
these communications with conscien-
tious care, and orders with strict atten-
tion to minute details the replacement
OF all that has been lost, broken on de.
faced.