The record-union., 1894-06-15
MODERN DINNERS.
They Do Not Resemble Those of
Thackery'S Days.

They Do Not Resemble Those of
Thackery's Days.
There is certain air of unreality and
make believe about the dinner party OF
to-day. Compare it with the dinner
party of half century ago, or, to go
further back still, of Queen Annes
reign. One can get fair idea of the latter
entertainment from SwlfpS Polite Con-
versation.' Lord Smarps dinner hour
was at 3 clock in the afternoon-"court
hours" as one of his guests remarked
and the hour was none too early for the
business that the company got through.
Table decorations were unknown, aud
the attendance was not so perfect that the
guests should refrain from helping each
other, with their fingers. from the dishes
before them. A company OF eight were
thus provided for. First course: SIR
loin OF beef. shoulder of veal, a tongue
and fish. Second course: Almond pud-
dings, black puddings, fritters, chickens
and soup. Third course: Vot vension
pastry, a hare, goose, d ham, and
Sundry rabbits, pigeons and partrldges.
A simple dinner, but conscientiously at
tack ed by the guests, who seem to have
partaken Of every dish, and not spared
the claret, the burgundy and the strong
October ale by which it was accompanied.
Here was q menu that left the guests
little leisure for polite conversation, but
it was not for the pleasure of couv1rsing,
but of eating, that they were met to-
gether, and for that purpose the quality
and quantity OF the food are the only
questions worth consideration.
A little more than century later, din
ner-giving, was still a simple matter of
feeding the invited guests. Just fifty
years ago, Thackeray wrote a paper in
FrdSe.'S Magazine, under the name Of
George Fitzboodle, upon the subject of
dinner-giving. Thackeray was no un-
willing diner-out; he pretended to look
upon himself as somewhat OF a gourmet,
and he loved the discussion of ''Barme-
eide Banquets.' In this instance he was
occupied in criticising recent book on
cookery, which seemed to have invited
his warm commendation. The dinners
that he selected for special praise are al
most as far removed from the ideas OF to-
day as the dinner given by Lord Smart.
The following may be taken as speci-
men, Crimped salmon, Irish stew,
mashed potatoes, mince pies, Oxford
dumplings, mince veal, pickles. roast
beef and apple pie. All the dishes were
to be placed on the table together with
the exception of the apple pie. which
formed what was called remove for
the Irish stew. People who sat down to
a dinner of this kind must have had very
serious intentions upon their food. And
Gus business indeed. In the first place
as to central ornaments" he wrote,
"have them as handsome, as massive as
you like, but be hanged to flowers, l say.
Roses, bouquets, moss and foliage [ have
an utter contempt for as quite foolish or
naments that have no right to appear in
atmospheres composed OF the fumes OF
ham. gravy, soup, game, lobster sauce.
ct. = Flowers were not
,1ta,1a tn aat-awaU with thnntf I don bt
even whether young unmarried ladies
should be allowed to come down to dim
ner. They are a sort of flOWers-pretty
little sentimental gewgaws-w hat can
they know OF eating"
II is not fair, OF course, to assume that
Thacl1eray would have upheld all Mr..
Fitzboodle's opinions on this subject, but
there is no doubt that they were very
largely his own and those OF a good many
men of his day. The food aud the drink
had really attractions then for the diner
out, who cared not a whit what his COM
pany might be, provided that the dinner
was u good one. The times have changed
No longer can he afford To despise the
PerSic0S apparatus, for those foreign ad-
iuncts have become the chiet attraction
of the feast. We feast our eyes on the
sentimental gewgaws" that lie on the
table before US, and lend our ears to the
other sentimental gewgaws" who sit
beside us, and it is the dinner, the food
and the drink-that may "go hang'' for
all we care. Witness the article in the
Duity Nea0s, in the course of which there
is no mention of food, and hardly any
thing said of drink, save in the plea that
only one wine should be served at a
dinner-party-a that wine cham pagne.
What people to whom champagne is for
hidden are to drink the writer does not
suggest. On the other hand he has much
to say on the subject of table decoration.
and instances an arrangement OF wild
flowers that cost hostess some e5O.-
London SD ectator.