Los Angeles herald., 1909-11-13
TO SERVE DINNER

Even the most inexperienced maid
may be trained to correctly serve a
dinner. To begin with. she must be
neat, quick and quiet, for noises OF any
sort, rattling china, glass or silver or
a heavy tread in the dining room must
not be permitted. AS to her clothing
for serving a meal, it must be plain
black, with little turn-back white
linen collar and cuffs. a tiny white cap
and a small apron. Although an apron
with shoulder straps and bib is sup
posed to be for waitress, custom mas
sanctioned the use of smaller klno'
hitherto left for parlor maids only.
The attractiveness of a dinner table
depends much upon the maids interest
i'm her work, but despite this virtue IL
NAV be necessary to instruct her In
the proper way of arranging 1t. For
instance, she must be told that besides
the pieces on the table she Will need
extra pltaes on the side table or in the
pantry. These are the serving"
plates, and an inexperienced maid US
ually must be instructed in their pur-
pose, which is to put them on the ta-
BILE before the diners when other
plates. etc. are in position, for it is no
longer considered good form to have a
place before a person vacant. There
fore the instant plate which has
been used is removed bare fresh one
must be put in it's place, the maid tax
ing the right hand to lift the old plate,
and with the left putting the service
plate in place.
No serving of any kind is done now
on the table. Roasts are carved In the
pantry, and vegetables are kept there'
Soup tureens are not.
Iet or
served before dinner is announced de-
pends upon the individual wish of the
housekeeper. But If 1t is not served
before. there must be an empty soup
plate at each persons place, and then,
as soon as the family is seated the
maid enters the room with the soup
putting 1t down before the mistress, at
the same time taking up her empty
plate. This she returns to the pantry
and comes back with a full plate, con-
tinuing to go back and forth until all
have been served She may bring in
only one at a time.
When the empty dishes are taken out
a serving plate goes down betore each
person. Should the meat be put on the
plates in the pantry, as is sometimes
done, the serving plates are taken up
when those for meat are put down. An
other way of serving, meat is to carve
IL IN Ine pantry anu llVll Pe'oo INV
platter with the carving fork and big
spoon to each person. that he may help
himself. In this case empty meat
plates are put down when the soup
plates are removed.
When this system is followed vege-
tables are passed, as is the meat plat
ter, and succeeding courses similarly.
If there are candies or fruit they are
not taken about by the maid until after
the finger bowls are brought. When
the latter are put down each person
takes his own bowl and doyley from
the plate and puts them at the left
side. Then the maid passes little dish
of chocolate that will have been on
the table through the meal. and fruit,
should there be any. Fruit is, how
ever. rarely served in this fashion at
dinner.
Sailed nuts follow the soup. Rad
ishes and celery should be on the ta-
BILE that they may be eaten during the
interval of serving the fish, meats,
vegetables, etc.
Nuts remain on the table throughout
dinner, but jelly, celery or pickles are
removed after the salad or before des-
sert.
Maids do not use trays now, a fold
ed fresh dinner napkin being held in
the palm of the hand instead.
ROSANNA SCHUYLER.