Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-01-16
FASHIONABLE DINNERS.
Louis Sherry Tells of the Resources
Of the Caterers Art.
Some Costly EntertaInments-How n Man
sion Was Hired for Twenty-Four Hours
and SunDtuously Furnished for
,WcudInG Reception.
COPYRIGHT, 1872.

that you want, if You are willing to pay
for it"
That is tho rule that governs nearly
every fashionable catering establish
ment You can order n dinner for one,
or dinner for hundred. You can
have cake and ices, or you can have
terrapjn and canvasbaclls. You can
have 4 full brass band, or n string or
| chrStrs, or only a harpist. You can
have some one to play the caStincts or
yOH can have Emma Games or Padcr-
| ewSli. You can have anything and
everything you want-if you are willing
to pay forit.
With this grand choice in the sclec-
ton of entertainments it is no wonder
| that the fashionable woman hesitates
when she attempts to decide how she
will entertain her guests. And SO it
| happens that in nine cases out of ten
| the caterer is told to plan the entertain
| mCnt, provide the music, look after the
| fora! decorations. and even inform tho
| hostess about the number of guests that
can be nicely accommodated at the en-
tcrtainment which has been planned.
The caterer thus has full sway. and full
responsibility, also. If all things go
! right he is laudcd to the skies and his
] bill is generally pronounced far too
I small. If things go wrong or if there
is u hitch anywhere the caterer is
blamed. His bill is grudgingly paid
and patronage is withdrawn.
He must even so plan things that the
! guests neither weary at the length of n
| timer nor chafe because the entertain
ment is the same as was provided else
| where. For the time being he must be
all things to all people, And woe to
him and to his business if as much as
one flower be withered or strain Of
music strike into discord.
To accord with the peculiar tastes Of
the season the fashionable caterer has
cut down the fashionable dinner until
it is only nine courses long. 1t lasts
iOniy an hour and half. Many dinners
are by special request only seven
courses long and just an hour is occu-
pied in serving them. The correct hour
for dinner is eight o'clocE-ncither
earlier nor later. Following the Gus
tom of some English houses n few New
York hostesses have made the ceremony
Of entering tho dining-room very
simple one, instead of being stately and
cercmOniouS. The hostess herself leads
the way, followed by the ladies of the
party. Then come the gentlemen, fol
lowed by the host, who comes last. The
hostess herself indicates the places at
1.-The table, and all is done in delight
bfully simple and unassuming way.
Very large dinners are as much liked
this season as they We're dislilled half g
dozen seasons ago. 1t is not unusual
now to serve dinner for sixty OF
seventy people and to remove the tables
| afterward so that there can be dancing
These dinner dances are very popular
and last year l served u series of foul
of them at the homes of sOmo of the
most elegantly fashionable women il
New York.
The cost of such a dinner varies great
". For as low as $40 or S12 cover
very acceptable dinner, with wine ant
pretty decorations, can be arranged
n The series of dinners of which l speal
cost SIS cover. This sum inc ludet
| music. flowers, favors and decorations
| of all kinds.
Usually the question is not "IIov
much will it cost?" but "IIow nice cal
you make it?'' | must constantly de
wise something which shall be entircl,
= new and pretty enough to excite ever
| the blase admiration of those who din
Q | ana VINE on the COStlleSJ ana nanO
, soonest tables in the world.
Color dinners are very popular. TIL,
flowers which are used in the decoration
of the table must correspond to tn
l color which is chosen as the prevailing
3 hue of the dinner, and thus the catere
Il is obliged to conform in color to tn
= flowers of the season.
At this time of the year violet dinners
mauve dinners, yellow dinners, pin
\ dinners and red dinners are all popular
Perhaps more popular than any of ther
q is the green dinner, because ut thi
season the green of the holly and tn
y mistletoe gives an especially beautifr
d effect to the dining table.
}; AT these color dinners everything
Is made to correspond. The favors mate
the flowers. The dishes match tn
&c favors. The napery, SO far as practic;
1t BILE. matches the dishes, and all unite I
make one harmonious whole.
d If pink dinner is called for this tin
10 of the year, pink roses are chosen
Is decorate the table. If violet or mauy
dinners are wanted violets are uset
50 For yellow dinners, yellow chrysanth
NUNS and yellow roses are selected, al
m for red dinners red roses and the re
OerTleS OF inc molly anu DlIteTSWeeC III
- obtained.
3 Children's parties are very elegant a
~ fairs. They are from four to sever
in the afternoon and are in every wa
ch conducted like the parties of grown |
g. people, For the supper, however, vel
e. simple things are served. Tiny pattie
ell simple salads, plain cakes, coaxed in
~ prettiness with colored icing, ice cream
and plenty of bonbons comprise the e
ID, tire menu.
n 1t often happens that people who d
~ sire to give an entertainment at hon
- are unable to do so for lack of prop
> space. And then a point is reach'
where the real art of the caterer com
q. in. By some means and in some W.
~ he must make it possible for the woul
be hostess to give just such an ente
tainment as she desires without hiriI
ls- q public hall or in any way goi1
in against her wishes regarding publicit
nd A case of this kind was brought to r
last summer. A woman who was kee