The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-18

sented to the guests did not already know
and before this ceremony well ovsr'
two maids in black with white caps opene6
the door into the dining room and an
nounced luncheon. AS this is written o.
the theme that people know too little ho1
their neighbors live. ! give the menu ~
this meal as a little lesson 70 those -
home (alas. too manyD who imagine thar
quantity and not quality is Of importance
Our gracious hostess has earned a for
tune, and / am told that two chefs" pre-
side over her simple meals, so IL was MOI
a spirit of economy which dictated the
menu. At first, hors oeuVres were served
all sorts of tempting little things very thin
slices of ham, spiced sausages, olives and
caviare, and eaten--not merely passed ana
refused Then came the one hot dish -
the meal. "One," I think hear my reader
@xclaim Yes, my friend; but that one was
a marvel IN its way. Chicken / Esp8g
mole boiled and buried in rice and -
nIatOeS cooked whole, dish TO be
dreamed of and remembered in ones prav
ers and tnanksglvings. After at least two
helpings each to this chef d'oeuvre cola
larded dlet and meat pate We're served
with the salad. Then bit of cheese. a
beaten cream of chocolate, fruit, and bon
bons For drink we had the white Wine
from which champagne IS made lby a
chemical process, and the addition OF sew
eral injurious ingredients): in other words
a pure brut champagne with just SUCCESS
ton of sparkle on the bottom of your glass
Then all the party moved into the smoking
room for cigarettes and coffee and d tiny
glass of liqueur.
have given this meal at length, not only
because it seemed to me while l was eating
II to be worthy of whole columns OF print,
but because one of the besetting sins of our
dear land IS 10 run into just the opposite
extreme and serve g prOfusion of food no
one wants and which the hostess would
never have dreamed of ordering had she
been alone. Can anything be more weari-
some than to sit at table ana see course
after course, good, bad and Indifferent
served, after you have eaten what you
want? And, to my mind, nothing IS more
vulgar than to serve them, Tor either
guest must pass a great deal OF this food
and appear unciVil, or he must eat. and re-
greet it afterwards If you ask people TO a
meal it should be to such as you eat. as
as a general thing, yourself, and as they
would have at home. Otherwise II becomes
ostentation and Vuigarity. Why should
be expected TO overeat myself because
friend has been nice enough to ask me to
take dinner with him instead Of eating it
alone2 Ii is the being among friends tnat
has tempted me, not tie food, ana the
fact that s6illful walters has been able
to push dozen varieties of fish flesh and
fowl before me during the time that l was
at table has in no way added TO my pleas
ure On the contrary, for half the time
one eats. from pure absence OF mind, d lot
of most injurious mixtures, and so prepares
an awful tomorrow for ones self.
see Smith and Jones daily at the club
where we dine cheerfully together on soup,
a cut of the joint and a. pint Of claret. But
if either Mrs. Smith or Mrs. Jones asks me
to dinner, we have e1ght courses and half
az many wines, and Smith will say quite
gravely 10 me, Try this 70 'Perret
Jouet,' as if he was in the habit of drink
ing IL daily. II makes me lduBn, iOI ne
would as soon think of ordering a bottle Of
that wine at the club as he would think OF
ordering an ostrich.
But to return to the mutton" AS we
had none of us eaten too much (and so
turned ourselves into digesting machines)
we We're feeling cheerful and sprightly, so
we had some music and an author repeat
ed some of his recent poetry. | noticed
that during the afternoon our hostess had
arranged to have little talk with each of
her guests. which she contrived to make
quite personal to them, for the moment APP
pearing if the rest of the world did not
exist for her than which there is no more
Subtle flattery, and which is the act of
thorough hostess as well as an appreciative
woman. Guests cannot be treated 'en
masse," any more than food, and to ask a
man to your house is not enough He
should be made to feel if you wish him TO
go away with a pleasant souvenir of the
entertainment that his presence has in
some way added to it and been a personal
pleasure to his hostess.