Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-02-08
WHAT A CATERER SEES OF LIFE.
Particularly as to Rich People Who
Offer Stingy Hospitality.

OHer St1ngy hospitality.
I'VE see good deal Of the mean side of
human nature in this business" said a fashion,
able caterer yesterday. at is wonderful how
many stingy ways people have of being hos
pitable. Very usually-indeed it is quite a
common thing-a customer will order supper
for fifty, say, at SO much head, when 100 are
to be present, and, il there is not enough to 60
around, we are blamed. Also We lose money,
inasmuch as we are obliged to feed twice as
many as We are paid for. You see the caterer
is expected to furnish very literally of every
thing served; enough Of each dish must be pro-
vided to give every guest plenty and make sure
OF leaving remainder. This means that per-
haps twice as much as is needed has to
be supplied, q circumstance of which the
penurious customer does not hesitate to
take the sort OF advantage have referred to.
The food would be lost any way, you say? Not
bit Of IL. Whatever is left over after the
number OF people contracted for have eaten
all they want belongs to us. not to the giver of
the feast, and we take it away for subsequent
use. The remains OF the chicken salad are Just
as good for another party and the croqaettes.
terrapin and most other things likewise. At
suppers, OF course, most of the edibles are
served cold, anyhow. SO, if 100 people feast at
orr expense where are only paid for fifty
millionaire in this town three or four years ago
who gave spread on the occasion Of his pretty
daughter wedding; he ordered supper of us
at 30 much head for 100, and 200 partook of it.
1t was an elaborate affair and we were horribly
ont OF pocket / went to him and, represent
ing the circumstances frankly. asked him to
reimburse me for my loss. but he said he
wouldn't pay cent. II We had provided more
than enough for the 100 people he hired me to
serve that was our business. There comes in
fhn r.nrr, t1.X \ "a
ally understood. If supplies are bought from
us at SO much per quantity, what is left over
belongs necessarily to the customer, but when
We contract to feed guests at so much per
mead what is not eaten is our property, and to
serve 1t to extra guests is a swindle. / suppose
it will surprise you to learn that it is the rich
people who do most of this sort Of thing"
RICH PEOPLE.
"Why should that be?" asked The STAR
writer
II can't imagine; but my observation is that
rich people appreciate the value dollar repre-
sents as acutely as do poor people. When they
give entertainments they are quite as apt to be
close In the matter of expenditure reckoning
things down to the lowest possible penny In
deed, those who are not very well-to-do are
often the more liberal. Who give the best
appointed dinners and suppers in Washington
tooayI Not the mlllionares but the old WASH
lngton people, who are not many of them
pioated with wealth to any great extent. The
new people who have come here within the
last Few years with no end of money have
rarely any notion of the art of entertaining In
the exceptional cases where they are lavish in
their hospitality it is not dispensed with good
taste. Terrapin by the barrelful and unlim-
tied champagne don't signify everything that
is desirable. OF all our customers the new
rich ones are the most provoking Not oniy
are they likely to be stingy but they don't
know how to order supper or dinner and
they haven't the gumptIon to leave it to us,
whose business 1t is to manage such affairs
TUES OF, TERRAPIN.
As to the more delicate and elaborate
Dishes
They are not acquainted with them, sup
pose.''
They don't even like them. Often they say
that they don't like fancy French cooking;
what they enjoy are plain home Dishes In
short they are barbarians in matters CASTRO
nomic. Simple things are cheaper, too, and
they save expense by not ordering anything
that Is elaborate, unless terrapin, which is de-
named to some extent BY fashion. and of that
they offer frequently an insufficient supplv
For economy's sake they are apt to patronize
caterers OF lower grade who supply terrapin
stew nice and cheap, made out of those inter-
esting turtles called 'sliders.' At receptions
and teas the provisions are likely to be remark
ably slim. 1t is quite a usual thing on such oc-
in superb samovar or some other elaborate
vessel, instead of getting it from purveyor
like ourselves. People drink the stuff smil-
ingly and then go away discussing the badness
of it. 1t is worth while, on the whole if YOU
are going to entertain in any fashion. 20 do it
well. Sometimes go SO far as to suggest to
rich customer that she spend a little
more and offer something better. But
she Is almost sure to say that what she
has ordered:is as good as certain other peo-
pie supply. who, maybe, are much poorer than
herself So it happen that positively good
entertainment, well appointed and properly
supplied, is the exceptional thing in Washing
ton Persons who know what is what in the
eating line are rare birds here now Once in a
while customer comes to US and saws:
Il want You to serve for me dinner in the
real old Washington style of long ago.
I'VE are charmed to receive such an order
and we know exactly how to fill it. The WASH
ington dinner of the old time was a very DIFF
ferent affair from the dinner of today. People
were entertaining then who made real study
of the art that has since fallen into decay
Now has come an age OF new wealth and
vulgar display, when hospitality is rarely adj
ministered in the true SENSE of the word"