Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-12-12
How To Set The
Breakfast Table
BY Sister Mary

The care and precision with which
a dinner table IS set marks the cor
rect and up-to-date hostess. No mat
ter how elegant the linen, silver and
china. careless or slovenly arrange
ment ruins the table.
Breakfast, as a family affair, Is
always a most informal meal. Even
with house guests the meal is sim
pie and the hour apt to be variable.
But the same care should be in evil
dence as to the placing of silver and
dishes as il the meal were of man
courses and of great formality.
The linen may be doilies, a gay
breakfast cloth spread over the bare
table. runners and mats, or a large
breakfast square used over the 81
leneer.
The "set-up" usually consists OF
knife, fork, dessert spoon and butter
~spreader. II whole fruit is used a
fruit knife should be placed at the
extreme right. Ii half an orange or
grapefruit is served the spoon Is
placed at the top of the plate. II
soft-boiled eggs are served a tea
spoon is placed at the right of the
knife. | { a knife is not needed Il
should not be placed on the table.
Only the pieces of silver needed
should be on the table.
Proper Positions
Forks are always placed with the
tires upward, spoons with the bowl
upward and knives with the cutting
edge toward the plate. Forks arc
| placed to the left and knives and
spoons to the right of the plate. This
silver is laid one inch from the edge
- IL n IJa ooh, hipan IN an1a1 dis
lance from another.
The butter spreader is placed
across the upper r~ight-hand side of
the butter plate which is placed
above the fork. This is the correct
place for the bread and butter plate
and butter spreader for any meal.
The order of service is as follows:
Fruit served on a small plate or
the specia, dish for its service. This
is placed on a larger plate. When
the fruit is finished the spoon OF
! knife should be placed across the
, fruit plate parallel with the edge OF
the table. The plate with the fruit
is removed, leaving the larger plate
Service Plate
Next the cereal is served in cereal
dishes. These are placed on the
large plate. When the cereal is fin
ished the spoon is left in the dish.
If the next course is served at the
table the large plate is removed with
the cereal dish. IL Individual service
is brought from the kitchen the
large or Service plate is left at
each plate.
Finger bowls are often used after
the fruit course at breakfast tina
They may be placed on the table
with the fruit IL a maid is not in
attendance. They should be put
above the plate.
The water glass is placed above
the knife and the napkin in laid be-
side the fork, an inch from the edge
OF the table. The corner should be
az the lower right. Breakfast nap
kins are small, from IS to Is inches
square and are folded oblong.
Good Start
If the coffee is served at the table
the hostess puts the teaspoon on
each saucer before it is passed.
The center piece may be a dish of
fruit attractiVely arranged or a low
bowl OF flowers.
The early breakfast is perhaps the
"sketchiest" meal of the day, for the
average housekeeper usually has
more duties than she has time for
But it's quite as expeditions to set
a neat, precise table as a careless
me, and the food tastes much better.
Finger bowls after fruit may seem
unnecessary. but when you stop to
think that they prevent stained nap
kins they are very much worth
while.
Copyright, 1923, NEA Service, Ine.)