St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-09-11
How the Menu Card Came
to Be a Fixed InSti-
tuition.
Reasons Why French Is Pref
cradle to English for
the Purpose.
Narvelously Learned Menus
at Banquets Of Profess
sional Men.
The Literary Menu Of the
Stratford Banquet to
G. w. Childs.

It was Duke Henry of Brunswick,
says London letter, who was first OBJ
served in the intervals of banquet to
scan carefully long strip of paper by
the side Of his plate, and when the Curl
Gus guests ventured to inquire into the
nature of his studies he explained that
it was sort of programme of the dishes
which he had commanded from the
cook, to the intent that if some delicacy
which especially appealed TO him were
marked for late stage in the repast he
might carefully reserve his appetite for
t. The simplicity and beauty of the
idea appealed instantly to the good
dukes convives, and the menu card
from that moment became an iustitu-
ton.
In its old-fashioned form the bill of
fare was usually written large, on cards
of such imposing dimensions that room
for one only could be found at each end
of the board. In the medieval dinner
this aid to selection must have been an
absolute necessity. for the medieval
dinner was mine of surprises. 1t was
divided into courses, as our own dainty
meals, but whereas nowadays the din
ner has q general idea that fish will fol-
low soup. and the entree will be fol-
lowed by relieve, and can conceive gen
orally the Surt of demand that each
course will make upon his appetite and
digestion, there was no possible argu-
ing as to what was going to happen at
an early English dinner.
Close study fails to reveal the exist
ence of any principle of arrangement.
You might begin upon custards and
pastry, together with kid, swan and
irrht n
dinner with a concluding course of
''curlews" and ''egrets, venisOn, plover,
oxen, Quails, snipe. and hyrchouns."
There was no Knowing. 1t must have
been hard upon an epicure whose weak
ness was hedgehog to find he had over
eaten himself of "lnammenye" and
''cokyntryche'' and was forced 10 let the
humble "hyrchoun" pass A surfeit of
custard and pastry of the renaissance
period on an empty stomach was but an
ill preparation, too. for one who would
do justice to ''OXen'' later on.
AggravatiOns of the Dinner Hour.
These considerations appeal to all
thinking men. "a man." as a CASTRO
nomic sage has declared, lean dine but
once day." and when the dinner hour
comes and passes and leaves behind it
only memory of vain desires and vain
IL
There should be, as modern writer
says, at least one menu for tEo guests,
so that all may know what joy or disap-
pointment is held in store for them In
matter so serious there should be no
possibility of miscarriage.
AS the amiable Theoc observes:
Nothing is more irritating at table
than surprise of a too material nature
For Instance, it is unpleasant to find
that you have devoted to the simple fill
let of beef the attention which YOU
would have preferred to reserve for
quails had you known that quails were
IN prospect"
Inc presentation of the modern menu
is preteXt for variety Of table bibe-
lots, porte-menuS and ornamental silver
or porcelain, engraved cards or cards
decorated with etchings or water coIors.
The designing of menu cards decorated
with etchingS and water coorS has been
made specially by several Partisan
artists OF talent like Henri Boulet,
Mesples, Gray and Henri Guerard. In
England, as in America. we have ac-
cepted thousand trivlalities III menus
we have them printed on silk, papier-
mache. wood shavings, ivory, parch-
ment, rice paper. We have them in
the form of Holsters, lettuces, French
rolls, shells, books, almanacs, cigars,
cigarettes. match boxes, fans and parch-
ment documents with seals and ribbons,
newspapers, maps, postcards, envel-
opes, bank notes, etc. Individual &C.
centricity has introduced a good deal of
variety into the style and wording of
the menu. Professional humor fire.
quently finds in the simple enumera-
ton OF the dishes of a meal a good op-
portunity for the introduction of
''shop."
MarvelOusly Learned Menus.
AT judges dinner not long ago.
given to members of the London bar to
meet distinguished legal luminary,
neat miniature briefs, tied with red
tape, lay beside each mans plate, i'll