The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-08-11
THE DINNER-GlVING ART
STUDY or n UOULD ADD MUCH
10 OUR soCItL NNJOrMEHT.
Another Weak Point In Many othes"'s"
Good Dinners 10 Their Extreme
Lengfh-Usefui Hints.

Dinner invitations. and the mishaps thai
bcfalI hosts and hostesses from unscrupu-
lo,,s accopiers OF the said invitations Is
"a subject OF which We have heard great
deal lately, bu; IL may be questioned no"
far one bears I'm mind Brilla'-saFafln
dicta that he who asks his irends 10
dine. and gives no personal attention 10
,be arrangement Of the dinner, Is IN
worthy 10 have any friends" While II
Won ask a man to dinner you are response
bic for his happiness during the ""o'e
time that he Is under your roof
A dinner IN too many cases Is looked
upoa simply as settlement Of so many
social debts. and in consequence Is treated
very much In the slap-dash, "haVe-done-
und-be-with-it' style we AFFECT when
sudden windfall allows US TO pay debt
OF long standing. We have dlhed 80 often
with me IS and DIS. and 50 on through
the alphabet, and make UP our minds
that TINS gahtTOnVnIc obligation must De
cleared on Ne think for 1--WE minutes
over the past functions connected with
our guests names, speculate as 10 lhc
probable prOvideT Of The good things en-
JOyed on those occasions. and finally IN
on the caterer. who Is 10 make up for the
deficiencies of our own cook, determined
every way consistent with due regard 10
economy.
A good dinner" though often spoken
of. Is seldom seen. for II requires the
saking INTO account OF host al minute
details that in ordinary cases are not
even remembered by name, much less car
Tied out ia practice. You must CONSIDER
the size OF your room. and the accommO-
dation ii affords. the number Of your
guests, together with their tastes ana
habits; the season OF the year with us
possible temperature, together Win the
limitations of your coon, and last, but
not least your own temperament
"A culinary success Is "a great thing, no
doubt but IL is not everything needed
10 make good dinner Again. good
company, by Itself Is not sufficient. We
hear The dinners Of so ana 80 commended,
because his cook II worthy 10 prepare
dinner for the very sage whose sayings
begin this article, and We 20 there to
find that The linked sweetness Of the
)Ong-draWn-Out menu. and the utter con-
versational helpltssuc Of the giyers or
the feast renucr enjoyment of any but
the most bodily Kind impossible. This
brings w 10 the inst indictment against
The modern dinner. IL is too long, The
next Is that IL Is too grand, az the children
say!
Now. with regard TO the length. It is
curious 70 note this defect, for the arbiter
eltgantiarum Of such things has expressed
ms mind In no uncertain fashion on the
subject. and from fOrty-nve to sixty min
nteS are the outside limits for dinners.
Then again. the grandeur. The mode
which taught us to decorate our dinner
tables with dainty growing plants or
vases OF cut Movers. was pretty enough,
and gave refinement and grace to our
meals they would otherwise have laC'lcd.
But this dainty simplicity has long since
been overlooked. and We load our tables
with costly blooms till there is barely
room for the requisite dishes, and the
air Is heavy and unwholesOme from the
tunes OF the various courses minging
al h. CIV .ssYfrt h..
at cost which renders dinnergivlng an
almost impossible exercise of hospitality
10 many. We laugh at the dinners of Old,
when the plate and the massive table
Ike the family retainers that stood be-
hind the host. but how about ourselves |
with our professional decorators and our |
"scnt-n' diners fins? OF course the pres |
ent mode saves trouble but does it give |
any more pleasure than the dinners of |
old did, wnen the mistress was both I
butler, cook, dame and servant well |
coined all, served all; would sing her song |
and dance her turn; now here. at upper |
end o the table, now l. the middle; on his |
shoulder, and his; her face % fire with |
labor Granted that the fair Perdita's |
foster mother lacked the repose that |
stamps the caste Of We're de We're. but the
latter gracious ladys guests occasionally
also lack the cordial hospitality and the
Kindly forethought that marked Shakes
peares hOmely farmers dame.
If Ne ask man to dinner we are
responsible for his happiness. That Is.
we bind ourselves TO consider his COM
fort. tastes, and pleasure. Now no men.
and very few women can enjoy them
selves If they see the master OF the
house evidently on the watch for dom ste
blunders or madame too excited over the
tate of some particularly gorgeous dish
10 be able to spare a word 10 keep the !
conversation flowing. IL may be safely |
asserted that dinner-giVing cannot be |
INDUCED In in house where the servants |
"a Ish toll
Where the dinner party is simply the |
FAMILY meal there win be little or no |
confusion; each domestic knows his or
her place. the cook has been trained
into the necessary sequence Of dishes.
and custom enables the mistress to carry |
her share Of the conversational burden
undisturbed by nightmares as to the
punctuality Of the caterers wagon or
the sobrety Of her hired cook. 1t is
not given 10 every one to have a French |
chef an Italian glacier or German or |
SWISS patissier attached to her eStab- |
lishment so why should she attempt |
10 entertain on a scale requiring such |
retainers? A small. simple dinner wen |
within the means Of a decently trained
cook. served TO small and carefully |
chosen company. is often more recherche |
than the splendid feeds one often en-
counters.
Al a dinner party everything should |
De good OF it's kind. and cooked as near
perfection as may be attalnable More
not afford some ingredients. do not omit
them and quietly serve the dish undes |
It's old name with all It's peculiar attri-
butes left out II your cook can only re-
produce a colorado imitation Of some
thing you fancy, sacrifice IL at once, |
even If IT means the giving up Of the /
smartest item OF your menu, and the sub
etitution of more homely fare. Your |
guests VIII thank you II TIE latter Is |
perfectly cooked and served. If you
trust your cook. trust her entirely. Do |
rot attempt TO supplement her short
comings with daintieS purchased around
the corner.
For a party OF six or eight you Will |
md soup. fish. roast. one entree, a sec
ond course dish, one vegetable and one
sweet dish, and savory, ample and |
this menu, II judiciOusly planned. Is
perfectly within the power of good cook
with the help of a waitress, and Will
even allow her mind to be sufficiently at |
ease to insure the coffee after dinner
being OF the best and clearest The great
advantage Of the roast coming imme-
diately after the fish. is that it separates
the two roasts. when the second course
IS either duck, quail. partridge or pleas
ant Roasting is not a thing that looks
after itself
Another element I'm choosing ones din
ner Is variety. Salmon is a good thing;
so are sweetbreads. We hear a great deal
IN these latter days OF plain" and high
class cookery" but few people realize
that the only thing which divides the
two In the genius which consists in an |