The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-01-17
FASHIONABLE DINNERS.
Louis Sherry Tells Of the Resources
Of the Caterers Art
Some Costly EneertainDents-Hov Man
sion Was Hired for Tweaty-Four Hours
and sumptuously Furnished for
Wedding Reception
COPYRIGHT. 1881

[ =
or dinner for a hundred You can
have cake and ices, or you can have
| terrapin and canvasbacks You can
have full brass band, or a string or
chestra, or only a harpist You can
have some one to play the castinets or
you can have Emma Games or Paaer-
ewski. You can have anything and
everything you vanity you are willing
to pay forit
With this grand choice in the selec-
ton Of entertainments il IS no wonder
/ that the fashionable woman hesitates
/ when she attempts TO decide how she
viii entertain her guests And so it
happens that in nine cases out Of ten
the caterer is told 70 plan the entertain
ment, provide the music, look after the
floral decorations and even inform the
! hostess about the number of guests that
can be nicely accommodated at the en-
tertainment which has been planned
The caterer thus has full sway, and full
responsibility, also. II all things 60
right he is Landed TO the skies and MS
/ bill is generally pronounced far too
small If things go wrong or if there
is a hitch anywhere the caterer is
blamed. His bill is g-udgingly paid
and patronage is withdrawn.
! He must even so plan things that the
/ guests neither weary at the length of a
dinner 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 70
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
only an hour and a 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'clock-neither
earlier nor later. Following the Gus
tom Of some English houses a few New
York hostesses have made the ceremony
Of entering the dining-room a very
simple one, instead Of being stately and
cereuonious- 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
the table, and all is done Il delight
fully simple and unassuming way.
Very large dinners are as much liked
this season as they were disliked half
dozen seasons ago. It is not unusual
E 70
seventy people and to remove the tables
afterward so that there can be dancing.
These dinner dances are very popular,
and last year / served a series of four
of them at the homes OF some of the
most elegantly fashionable women in
New YORK
The cost Of such dinner varies great
". For as low as SO or s12 cover a
very acceptable dinner, with wine and
pretty decorations, can be arranged.
The series of dinners Of which ! speak
cost SIS q cover. This sum included
music, flowers, favors and decorations
OF all kinds
Usually the question Is not How
much viii it cost?" but How nice can
you make it?' l must constantly de-
wise something which shall be entirely
new and pretty enough TO excite even
the blase admiration Of those who dine
and wine on the costliest and hand
soonest tables IN the world
Color dinners are very popular. The
flowers which are used IN the decoration
Of the table must correspond TO the
color which is chosen as the prevailing
hue Of the dinner, and thus the caterer
is obliged to conform in color 70 the
flowers Of the season.
At this time OF the year violet dinners.
nauve dinners, yellow dinners, pink
dinners and red dinners are all popular.
Perhaps more popular than any OF t>eru
IS the green dinner, because at this
season the green OF the holly and tie
nistletoe gives an especially beautiful
effect 20 the dining table,
At these color dinners everything IS
made 10 correspond. The favors match
the flowers. The dishes match the
favOrs- The napery, 50 far as practice
bic, matches the dishes, and al unite 20
make one harmonious whole.
If pink dinner Is called for this tire
Of the year, pink roses are chosen 70
decorate the table. II violet or mauve
dinners are wanted violets are used
For yellow dinners, yellow chrysanthe-
NUNS and yellow roses are selected, and
for red dinners red roses and the red
berries Of the holly and bittersweet are
obtained.
Children's parties are very elegant az
fairs They are from four to seven"
in the afternoon and are il every way
conducted Ike the parties OF grown up
people For the supper, however, very
simple things are served Tiny patties.
simple salads. plain cakes, coaxed into
prettioess with colored icing, ice creams
and plenty OF bo1bons comprise the Ell
tire menu
Il often happens that people who de-
sire % give an entertainment z, home
are unable % DO so for lack Of proper
space And then a point Is reached
where tie real art OF the caterer cones
II BIZ some means and II soue way
he must make i possible io- The would
be hostess % give JCst srlca Il enter
tasnDent as SIZE desires without hiring
q public hal or II any way going
sgai1s- her wishes regarding publicity.
A case OF this kind was brought n ne
last summer. 4 woman who was keep-
ing house Z dainty lttle apaT-1eE:
house desired 20 entertain 4 large con
paEy Of people - the wedding recep-
tioa u her daughter. who was 20 bs
married the following week To invite
mere than thirty people into tAe bi5ou
apartment was P-epostero2s- :o- Ire
little pa--oE was scarcely bigger than