The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-10-22
DELIGHTFUL DINING.
A WOMAN WHO KNOWS HOW TO
MAKE EATING ENJOYABLE.

liability aud Perfect Ease-Food So
Taken Nourishos One and Docs Not
Invite indigestion and Dyspepsia.
must tell you about delightful dinner
which lately enjoyed with some friends
In suburban villa of Boston.
In the first place, dinner was on time.
do not know any more annoying and fret
ting affair than irregularity of meals. A
hOusekeeper who has no sense Of time and
has no regard for the instincts Of her fam
lily is thoroughly selfish. The stomach
calls out Mt regular periods, and if then it
Is put off and irritated the subconscious
animal functions become very conscious
and finally greedy.
In the family to which l refer there was
certain time when we were expected to
be prepared for dinner. The family and
friends gathered in gradually from their
walks and rides and work, and without
exacting precision the hour of l found us
within call.
The second point to be noted was the ABB
sence of formality. We quietly strollcd
into the dining room, unburdened with
ceremony. But there was no lack of re-
finement and civility. We sat down with
out rudeness, but with the best of good
cheer. L think the most annoying Ell
quette is that of the table. There are fam
lilies where am welcomed who crush me
with politencss. / am afraid to sit down
before the rest, or to touch the food on my
plate until signal is given. But some
how here my hostess had me ut once en-
gagged in little chat on topic that took
me far away from dining and food She
covered the few moments of gathering
with the nicpSt nrtO f
tention was not drawn to the table, but
taken away from it. Unconsciously we
were all in place, and unconsciously were en-
gagged i'll eating fruit. Then some glorious
color of melon or currants or peaches drew
the eye and mind, and we were led into
delightful realization of the delicious
iiavors that touched our palates. But all
this was q complex sensation. We felt not
only the flavors, but we saw the beauties
Dining WAS aesthetic, intellectual as well
as physical.
The third charm Of the dinner ut nv
friends was that there were no formal
courses Do you know what horrible
things are these stiff AMI numbered courses?
There was something on the table before
we nrrived: and quite enough to make
sure that every one would he able to find
that which pleased. When any one seemed
to he through her plate was slipped away
NY an attentive servant, and with clean
plates other FOOLS were quietly offered.
The variety was sufficient, and no one WAS
compelled to sit playing with fork or
spoon while his or her neighbors finished n
course. Easy conversation went on, and
the eye of the noble hostess while very OBJ
servant WAS never meddlesome
BUT as fourth delight there was no
hurry. l notice that when people go to
the table simply to eat they tumble down
great deal of food as if into pot or jar.
| The result is the stomach is made mt once
concious that it is n slave and must do an
enormous amount of hard work 1t gem
| orally refuses. never knew after dinner
| at Mrs. S. that had been eating, nor did
ever have any consciousness about diges.
ton. 1t is exceedingly disagreeable to
have our unconscious faculties made con-
sclous, for that is sure to end in dyspepsia
But here at my friends, when we were
through dinner, we were through-that
is, we had no indigestible compounds to
torture us. Our stonachs were never
thought of. Mainly we had not hurried
because the dining had not been purely
| physical process.
There were no personalities. 1t is awful
to be singled out at table and have YOUR
qucerness all paraded. Every one has idio-
syncrasies OF taste, and has right to them,
but when the hostess says: You don't
eat butter. do you? Why not? Don't you
think butter is healthy?" she draws atten-
ton to your private business, and eating
gets to be awkward-unless indeed you
are egotistical enough to like to be talked
about, or, worse yet, to talk about your
self. and then you soon get to be nuisance
No. whatever you do, do not parade your
oddities of eating, and do not encourage
your hostess in doing it. On the whole,
the articles of food on the table make 4
poor topic for conversation My friend had
delicate way Of tripping any bad ten
dency Of the sort. do not know what we
were talking about all the time, but it was
all so pleasant we barely knew we were
eating.
Then there was an atmosphere of friend
illness about the table. But of that I eau
not talk. Who knows how to describe that
exquisite flavor of good will that makes
the best part of the life of a true family?
Each one kissed the mother MS they came
in, and not with formality, assure YOU
And we went out feeling that our first end
in life was not to eat, but that n right sort
of dinner was a glorious affair.-Mary
f. Spencer in ST. Louis Globe Democrat