The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-02-02
THE IDEAL DINNER.
Interesting Interviews With the
Wives of Our Statesmen.
ROSES AT TEN DOLLARS A DOZEN
ices at Dollar a PIate-The Average Cost
Of the Washington Dinner-A
White House Dinner.

OF terrapin at SIS per dozen; crates of can
vass back ducks at So per pair; thousand:
OF ices at 81 per plate; these are some o.
the extravagances that are slipping dowr
some OF the Threats Of the capitals visit
ing population this season. Then the
flowers. Who can compute the gold thai
has gone up in the odor of orchids al 81
apiece, roses at $40 per dozen, white lilacs
at so cents per spike and lilies of the valley
at 10 cents a stem? On the altar of New
Years week $4,000 worth of blossoms
WERE sacrificed, for during that time Ros-
well +. Flower put s., 900 into the flowers
OF his only daughters wedding.
THE FRUITS WE USE
are also costing gold galore. Twice in the
social history of the capital opulent hosts
have floated strawberries in their white
wines when 1t cost % cents apiece to bring
each berry from California to Washington.
Ex-senator Palmer, our present minister
to Spain, treated his guests to such a luz
ury last year, and this winter these 25-cent
strawberries rolled over the palates and
through the larynxes OF Senator Stanford's
guests when he dined Mrs. General Grant.
From all accounts, that dinner of Senator
Stanford's to Mrs. Grant was one to make
Your eyes bulge out and your mouth water.
Ihere were only eighteen guests, and they
ate from plates of gold and silver The
queen of plenty'' had scattered roses all
over the table, and under each bit of crystal
tSere was napkin of point duchess lace.
wa.le the long table cover ha border of
the same priceless web. Instead of liner.
the finger bowls rested on uapery of lace,
and the lordly terrapin was served in in
olVlduaI silver tureenS. Every piece was
OF the same costly nature, and the epicures
of the capital describe the dinner as a gas
tronomlc poem.
TWO TWENTY EIGHT-DoLLAR DINNERS
The last Chinese minister gave dinner
before he retired, at cost of S2S per cover,
and the wines used at the feast are not in
cluded in this estimate. His bill of fare
included sharks fins and birds nests. The
two best dinners of the present season
have been the state dinners of the execu-
tive mansion and those given by Vice
President Morton. Both series have
necessltated a reform in the number of
courses. The time of sitting at the table
kas been cut down, and the first state din
Ser OF the White House this year consumed
only an hour and three-ouarters. and at
Nice-President Morton's the guests were
at the table only an hour and half Sec
rotary Blaine and Mrs. ''Zach'' Chandler
pronounce President Harrison's first state
dinner one of the best they have ever sat
down to, and this shortening Of our dinner
hours promises to be a success.
THE COST OF STATE DINNERS
makes one of the serious inroads on the
Presidents salary. Most governments
feed their presidents and pay their society
bills. Uncle Sam gives him a house, and
he finds himself. Custom makes him give
at least four state dinners every year. and
inasmuch as each one of these cost him at
least thousand dollars, it will be seen that
the sum total is worthy of consideration
Demonet, who has for the past thirty years
been caterer for the White House, tells me
that presidential viands are going up. He
says he served ices to President Buchanan
at 50 per dozen, and was glad to get the
money. Now he charges 81 a plate and
does not think this at all too high.
MRS. PRESIDENT HARRISON.
Mrs. Benjamin Harrison enjoys a dinner
party more than any other entertainment,
and next to dinner sheis fond of lunch
con. She makes an admirable hostess for
both, and she intended to give many little
affairs of both kinds had not her pro
gramme been changed by the deaths in the
administration circle. She viii say moth
ing of the cost or extravaganza of Wash
Engton dinners, but only states that she
*hnks that they are very pleasant feature
q T the capital, or as her daughter, Mrs.
Mckee, puts it:
~ begin to think | am growing old, for |
enjoy dinner so much more than dance,
and 1t used to be that L never thought of
the diningroom when | was out in the
evening"
MRS. vICE-PREsIDENT MORTON
Mrs. Morton has made number of inno-
vations in table appointments and menus
She Will not have an atom OF colored en-
broidery or lace in her linen. She uses
very few flowers and many fern-fronds
does away with boutonniers and uses bombs
instead of individual ices. A dainty con-
ceit with her is to scatter few violets and
bit of lemon verbena upon the water of
the finger bowls. She has most elegant
table service of silver. Her dinners would
fedght Brillat Savarin. What they cost
10 one knows. but it would not be a strange
thing if the amount of the vice-president'S
salary is several times eaten up by his din
ners. When Evarts was secretary OF state
he spent, it is said, $50, 900 more than his
salary in entertaining, and Senator Sher-
man once told me that the expenses of his
entertainments during his secretaryship
of the treasury was greater than the
amount he received from the government.
The eXtravagances mentioned at the be-
ginning of this letter, however, are con-
fined to the wealthy few. The average
wards per cover, and the following inter
views which l have had during the past
few days with the leading ladies OF the
capital. give much of interest regarding
the successful dinner, as to how long it
should last and as to what it should proba-
bly, cost.
THE WIFE OF THE POSTMASTER GENERAL.
My first talk was with Mrs. John Wana-
{aker. She said:
II attended a dinner the other night
Which required only one hour and ten min
utes for the serving, and it was one Of the
most delightful affairs of the season. The
host told me that one hour was all he would
allow his wife for dinner courses, but that
she always took ten minutes grace. Of
course, the service must be faultless and
the courses few, and [ am glad to notice
that the latter has been adopted this season.
Washington people go so much in a season
that they are too weary to remain long al
the table. Mr.. Wanamalzer thinks dinner
should not be given during the social sea
son. for he says that people should be at
their brightest and best at dinner, which,
according to his view, is the highest type
of entertaining. Yet it is true,n continued
Mrs. Wanamaker, ''that / do not favor any
thing but white linen, both for luncheons
and dinners, and do not in the least believe
-. Axtravagant embroideries and laces
about the table. The only color I think
should be produced by ferns and few
roses. They used to make perfect garden
of a table, having a bed of flowers from
one end to the other, but | am glad to say
simplicity and purity once more govern
table appointments. OF course, L like
small dinner parties, but one must give
large ones at times. / can never entertain
more than twenty-six, as my dinlngroon
will seat no more. never serve wines"
MRS. CHIEF-JUsTICE FULLER.