The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-18
Qualities of Refreshments Required,
and the PropOrtions-Local
Society Chit Chat.


but this is not a certain criterion, for, at
one card party, seventy-two names were
on the list and eighty-one guests were
present It was at a season when there
were numerous guests in town. and each
hostess wished her visitor to be entertained.
AS it is quite the proper thing to ask the
privilege of taking a guest to a card party.
enough more asked for invitations for their
guests to swell the party to nine more than
were at first hidden. This party, however,
was an exception, and one-third off, like
bargain day at the dry goods store, may be
usually counted for a large party.
The consultation with the cateress is set
for an early day, and the first thing is what
to have, and the next is, for how many.
The hostess may have certain ideas of her
own as to what she wants for refreshments.
In most cases it is ice cream and cake,
served in the dining room, and lemonade,
served in the parlor. The serving of such
simple refreshments as these is not a very
difficult matter. There must be plates and
cups for the former and crystal ice cups
for the lempnade. commonly called
punch If there are to be two hundred
guests, there will have to be from eight TO
ten gallons of lemonade. depending largely
on the weather For dance, even more
must be allowed for the lemonade bowl is
sought after every number.
THE REFRESHMENTS REQUIRED.
For a party where there are two courses
to be served, there will have to be six gall
Ions of salad for every two hundred guests,
or if bouillon is served, there win have to be
seven gallons, and everything else in the
same proportion. It will take seven long
blocks of ice cream to serve the guests to
that delicacy, and several hundred blocks of
cakes have to be baked. All of this takes
preparation. When the courses are more
elaborate, then more time still is needed
for preparation. If the salad is served in
cucumber shells or in fresh tomatoes in the
middle of winter. there is a big item that
has to be considered. Every guest must
have a half cucumber or a whole tomato.
When the ices are in forms, there must be
one for each guest, and 1t is safe to have a
few extra. All of this has to be known by
the cateress. She will furnish everything,
even to the table decorations, If desirable,
though the table is usually decorated with
flowers only. There must be plates, forks.
spoons, cups. punch glasses and bowl and
napkins, in addition to what is to be served.
If the party is at the Propylaeum the re-
freshments are usually prepared at the
home of the cateress. If at the private
house, the cateress is busy for two days
there. In the latter case. the hostess has to
be given a list of all articles that will be
needed, down to the minutest detail, and
not one thing must be omitted from the list
nor dare there be anything bought that is
not of the very best No such thing as
cooking butter must be tolerated. This
list OF articles takes time and marketing to
complete. The hostess may give 1t to her
grocer to fill, but it is not certain that he
will have everything required. He may IN
dertalxe to fill it, though the safest way is
for the hostess to attend to everything
herself, and not even rely on telephone.
Tie easiest way for the hostess is to give
the entire matter over into the hands of
the cateress. who is accustomed to filing
such orders. When this is decided, the
hostess may throw off all care and respon-
sibility and give her attention to other mat
tiers. The cateress probably has her stock
Of staples ready, but there is much else to
crisp celery, blanche her nuts, select her
chickens. and the number depends on the
size to be found She must get nice, fresh,
crisp celery blanch her nuts, select her
lettuce and other ingredients the day or
two before the party. If cucumbers or to-
be ordered from the South or from some
of the large cities where catering to very
wealthy people creates demand for such
things. and they have to be ordered week.
sometimes even ten days, in advance. Tv-
cry housekeeper knows that buying chick
ems is not all of chicken salad The chicken
has to be dressed. cooked shredded and
chopped before it is evcl ready TO begin the
salad, and there is cutting and beating and
mixing and seasoning to be done after
wards. For bouillon the stock has to be
made. but that is a small proceeding be-
side the salad making.
THE CATERESSS REPUTATION
The cake has to be made the day of the
party in order to have it with the required
freshness. For the style which makes an
individual block for each guest there is the
mixing and beating, and, later. the icing.
OF every separate piece. Not a particle of
cheap material can be put in food by a
good cateress. for the minute she does that
her reputation will begin to wane. One
mistake of poor butter will cost her more
than twice as much good butter as she will
use, for every one at the party is going
to taste the cake and pronounce upon it.
If things are delicious the name of the
cateress Is going to be asked, and she is
quite as likely to get another engagement
through dish of salad or a bite of cake
as II she went out to solicit patronage, and
more so. for the bite is the evidence Of her
ability. The making of the ice cream is
given to the dealer in such delectabIes 1t
has happened numbers of times that host
ess has sent to Chicago, st. Louis, Cincin-
natl or Louisville for certain kind of ice
cream. hut it is seldom done. Sometimes a
person is willing to pay a double price for
things that are bought elsewhere, when the
same amount of money paid here would
bring something quite as unique and new.
After all of the cooking is done and the
Ice cream is ready good part OF the party
is ready for the guests, but the refresh
ments cannot be left standing in the kitch-
en-. If the guests are TO be served a la
buffet there will have to be walters The
cateress has a number of professional wait
ers on whom she can cali, and she may need
anywhere from six to fourteen No matter
how large the party, the latter number of
walters can manage TO serve them, for all
of the grests do not attend the refreshment
room at the same time. The cateress cam
not do all Of the preparation alone, and so
she has TO have a number of assistants
whom she can call in to help her. These. in
tine. become experts. and either secure
places In the homes of the rich. where the
table is given special attention, or they be-
come cateresses themselves. Tie details of
the culinary department for large party
are many, and a wise hostess never at
tempts to give such party with her own
servants The latter are usually called on