The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1907-12-12


wumcr--Helring g Guest to Mat
There ars about 1900 hrsl
class walters ia the United States. ac- (
oording to the president Of the ad-
OF LUnion Genevoise, 10
the United States. BY the phrase
afrst class walter is meant one who
is thoroughly yersed in ell branches |
OF the trade, besides being able to
speak several languages.
Eight thousand Of these men are
members Of BUnion GeneYolse and
are mostly French, Germans, Italians
and Austrlans. Many of them have
passed through a REGULAR course Of
training, best exemplified by the "aca-
demiep at Friedewaldt, near Dresden,
saxOny, where everything Is taught
which is necessary for the equipment
Of really good waiter. There the
student learns cooking In all its
branches and memories the endless
variety Of strange and unusual names
given to simple dishes, ID order that
he may be able to describe and explain
the contents to bewlldered diners.
Wine lists are also perpIexing puzzles
to many, and these must be carefully
studied before a waiter can venture to
recommend any particular wine or
special vintage.
II one ask the hotel walter about his
work he will fnd that he looks on It
as profession, one which has its
standards and traditions and which, IL
keeping with many other present day
occupations, has q worldwide or
sanitation. The average hotel guest
has probably never heard Of L'Union
Genevoise, ov the international Hotel
Employee society, as 1t Is also known.
The first is the proper title, and, as It
implies. the society was formed in
Geneva, Switzerland. 1t does many
things for the quiet men 70 black who
serve the hungry Ii hotel dining rooms.
After having been thoroughly trained
and made competent to hold q place IN
any civilized country the waiter is
sure Of assistance wherever he may be-
from Bloemfontein. South Africa, to
Boston. On arriving in a strange city
he has only to present himself at the
Offices Of the association and exhibit
bis membership book, which shows
whether he has paid his dues and
whether he was honorabiy discharged
from his last place.
In case Of illness, after man has
been a member from six months to five
years, he receives 85 cents q day. If,
on the other hand, bis membership has
spread over five years, the amount he
gets is S1.25 a day; II more than ten
and up to fifteen years. SLIGO, and fol
anything above fifteen years, So fol-
each day. In order to qualify as a
member OF the club IT Is necessary that
Z candidate be Of good character and
shall have been connected with the
hotel and restaurant trade for at leasf
two years. Above all, he must be 9
thoroughly competent and experienced
waiter
"a first class waiter is born, no
made" says a former head waiter o.
the hunting room Of the Hotel Astor
''From the moment that a man enters
on his duties as the most insignifcan
'plccolo, OF omnibus, we can tel
whether he IS going to be an eficien
servant. He must be attentive with
out being servile, must be noiseless
deft handed and, above all, must b.
careful not to break things
"Even II he has a natural apttud
for the business the amount Of care
full instruction required to form him !
very great, although his nationalit
makes much difference in the matter
: Thebest men are generally French, GeI
man or Swiss, and these have oftel
had the advantages Of attending acad
emles or even klndergartsns estal
l!shed at foreign hotels In the OF sea
son, when they break plates, spoil 81
veFware and generally sustain parts !
9 universal comedy Of errors, to th
great disgust Of the guests upon whoI
they practice their trade. The waiter
academy In Vienna Is the foremost
the world.
knowledge Of several languages
q very necessary qualification an
hardly any scrap Of general informs
ton comes amiss, but tact and discr
tlon are the walters CHIEF virtues. II
attitude should be that Of a soldier, a
, ways at attention, always ready Il
= the word of command he should al
swer politely when addressed. keep
lg a respectful distance from the tabl
yet always be near enough 10 be easi
called when wanted In fact, a real
good waiter should need no calling, bl
make point Of watching the guest
face. so as instantly to observe what
i. wanted almost before the guest hiT
u self has had time 10 form wish"
- I'll the hie@rehy Of waiierdom Il
~ head waIter stands 6rst Next com
a. tue assistant head waiter followed
= tic Captains who supervise each b
vo own part OF the dining room. the scr
~ Ing walters and the 'piccolo' Al
\. "omnihus7 men, who keep the wat
carafes filed. remove dishes whi
have been used and generally supp
the tables with what small artlcl