Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-18
THEY WANT TO KNOW.
Young Housekeepers Send a Lot Of
Queries to Ellice Serena.
THE pOT-POURRI OF YE OLDEN TINE
Serving Vegetables in Courses and Setting
the Dinner Table.
A FEW POINTS ABOUT THE SERVICE
WRITTEN FOR THE D1spArcH. ]

WRITTEN FOR THE DIsPArcH.l
In the following paper I shall answer
some of the many inquiries which have
found their way to my table. A "young
housekeeper" wishes to know the meaning
of the word 'etagere" as applied to the din
ing room, and for what purpose it is used.
She also asks for pot-pourri recipe.
An etagere Is an article of furniture much
used at the present time as desirable addi-
tion to the dining room. 1t is made with
open shelves on which are placed the extra
napkins, knives, forks and spoons. This
'dinner wagon"-so called in England
also holds the salad dishes, dessert plates,
finger bowls. the relishes, etc.
In our grandmother days the pot-pourri
or rose jar was considered an indispensable
accessory to the best room-the room which
was sacredly set aside and not to be used
only on the most extraordinary occasions.
An hour or two before company was ex-
pected the rose jar-flled with rare spices
and leaves of aromatic fowers-was well
shaken, the lid removed, and the windows
and doors kept closed, when delightful
luucSCIludulc pcIiumc ullcu tuc IOOus
The recipe here given for the old fashioned
perfume has been well tested, and warrant
this odoriterous jar not to become musty,
but to continue sweetly fragrant for years to
come:
Recipe for the Pot-PourrL
Gather your rose leaves in dry weather, re-
move the petals, and when half peck is OBJ
tanned take large bowl and strew table salt on
the bottom; then three handfuls of leaves, and
repeat until all the leaves are used, covering
the top with salt.
Let this remain five days, stirring and turning
twice day, when they should appear moist.
Add three ounces of bruised or coarsely pow
dered allspce; one ounce cinnamon stick
bruised, which forms the stock.
Allow to remain week, turning daily from
top to bottom.
Put into the permanent jar one ounce allspice
and, adding the stock layer by layer, sprinkle
between the layers the following mixture: One
ounce each cloves and cinnamon, two nutmegs,
all closely powdered; some ginger root, sliced
thin; half an ounce aniseseed, bruised; ten
grains finest musk, half pound freshly dried
lavender flowers, two ounces of powdered or
finely sliced arris root, and essential oils ad
libitum; also any fine colognes, rose or orange
flower water, orange and lemon peel
Freshly-dried violets. tube roses, Glove pinks
or other highly scented flowers should be added
Fine extracts of any kind will enhance the
fragrant odor, while fresh rose leaves. salt and
allspice, made as at first, must be added When
Shake and stir the jar once or twice week
and open only when in use.
Mamie asks: "Are vegetables ever
served in courses? If so, please tell me the
most suitable ones to serve. And in table
setting how many knives, forks and spoons
are allowed for each guest, and how are
they arrayed about the plates?" She also
asks about dinner serving, and about the
duties Of the waitress.
Vegetables are often served in courses
mode which obtains in France, where each
vegetable is served as a course. But with
as in America they are usually served
ate one, or In the absence of a salad. Dining
can be made
Very Tedious Affair
with too many courses-especially if the
service is slow. The vegetables most in
favor for serving, in the manner alluded to.
are caulifower, macaroni, asparagus and
green corn. The latter is steamed, en-
veloped in the inner husks, which preserves
its sweetness, and served simply with salt
and butter balls. The grains are gently
forced from the cob by the tines of the fork
using the back of them next to the cob.
The number Of knives, forks and spoons
used at dinner is regulated by the courses.
All those required may be placed on the
table at each cover, or they may be supplied
from the etagere and passed as required. If
the waitress is slow and not endowed with
good memory it would be advisable to ar
range them at the table.
The laying or placing Of them is matter
of taste; the invariable rule, however, with
knives is to place them at the right hand
with the sharp edge toward the plate. The
forks-tines up-may be placed at the left
hand, except the oyster forks, which are
usually laid with the knives. The spoons
bowls up-are placed at the top of the plate
the soup spoon preceding or following
the smaller ones-just as fancy dictates.
Serving a Dinner.
lam glad that Nannie-evidently another
Young housekeeper-has given me an oppor-
tunity to say something about serving, etc.
Not that have many new ideas to advance
on this hackneyed subject, but because 1 am
anxious to impart information to all who
manifest an interest in such affairs. Some
one-I have forgotten who 1t was-has said
"that the worst torture that survives the in
quisition is bad formal dinner. A worse
torture than any known to the inquisition
is any formal dinner (the better the dinner
the worse the torture) ineficiently served"
The success of dinner, especially a
formal dinner, does indeed depend very
much-I might say altogether on the man
ner in which it is served. And although
Mr.. Henry Watterson has said (and I grant
that this distinguished journalist knows
what perfect serving is) that no woman
should enter the dining room except to sit
at table, yet have no doubt that many will
recall occasions in which, owing to circum-
stances which made it necessary, the hostess
herself in the capacity of her own waitress
has served large companies as profcieutly
as any professional waiter that ever handled
tray.
Likes and Dis1ilzes of Servants.
In the matter of the dependence to be
placed in servants, all of US recall more than
one instance wherein the servant has mani
tested distaste, positive dislike, and even
a repugnance to serving the table, although
in other respects she was up to the standard.
But the wonder is that with work so re-
munerative, SO light and so agreeable and
so fascinating ~ those who take naturally
to it, there are not more young women will
ing to enter into training as serving maids
But it otherwise seems that many Young
girls prefer the most irksome and laborIous
work to table serving, having in some man
ner got false notion that there is an i'm
pairment of respect, some faint suspicion of
tached to this department of service.
remember a dinner, perfectly served
dinner, and one, therefore, long to be re-
membered, for there is infinite satisfaction
in such dinner, at which lovely daughter
took up the responsibility which the servant
refused to bear, of serving large company,