The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1936-08-24
ice Fairfax Says Letter Shows Harm of Untrue Gossip
Etiquette
AtApartnent
Dinners
By MRS. CORNELIUS BEECKMAN

By MRS. COhNELkUSb EECkMAN
Dear Mrs. Beeckman:
There are several questions
that 1 would like to ask you con
corning the serving Of q maid
less dinner. 1 would like to have
the service correct, yet as simple
as possible.
1--WE have an apartment con
sisting of bedroom, iving-rOOm
lone rOOm) and kitchen. When
we have guests to dinner we take
the kitchen table into this room
Should we take this table from
the kitchen and set the table
before the guests arrive?
"ShOuld the meat and vege'
tables be placed on the table
and should my husband serve
both the meat and the Vege'
tables or the meat only?
"WOuId all Of the dinner plates
be placed in front Of my hus'
band?
"When there are just two
guests, should the woman guest
be served first. then the man
guest. then myself and lastly my
husband?
"Mav the meat and vegetables
ever be correctly placed on the
plates in the kitchen and car
ried in?
what is done with an iced
tea spoon after it has been used'
HOSTESS"
It's a real problem, this serving
of a dinner, under these clrcum'
stances, to guests. But It's a
thrilling adventure, too, seeing
how we can make what we
have fair up to our means"
Service Divided
And nowadays so many people
have to do it that it becomes a
game to see how well we can
do it. what a good time we can
give our guests. And it isn't as
difficult as it used to be. either
for now we are offered sucn
good looking and convenient
things in the shops to make this
kind of entertaining easier
Under the circumstances 1t
would, I think, be vastly better
more convenient, for you to have
your table set before your guests
arrive. In fact, the great trlcK
about this kind Of entertaining Is
to have as much as possible done
before guests arrive. all PLAN
ming, table set, foods ready 10
serve.
When the serving is to be done
at table, I like the idea OF having
the hostess serve the soup df soup
is to be served, the salad, and the
dessert. Then plan to have the
host serve the main course, the
meat and vegetables. Keep IN
mind the serving of caSseroles;
YOU can develop one or two re-
cipes for caSseroles that will make
you famous. your friends VII!
clamor for them. You will tlno
grand casserole dishes, right Tor
over cooking, and conveniently III
ting into good-loooking containers
for serving at table.
Yes, the pile of dinner plates,
heated, are placed before your
husband.
Plate for Glass
When there are two guests, the
woman guest would be served tlrSt,
then you, then the man guest, ana
then your husband.
This "blue plate service" may
be done, and often is. But it is
to be avoided, for it has none Of
the grace and charm of the serv-
ice of the foods by either the
hostess or the host. 1t gives the
impression Of the third-clasS res
taurant service, rather than OF
home service.
And it means that the hostess
or host is absent from the table
during a long period of prepare
ton of these groupings" of foods
on the plates. Otherwise they
spend only few minutes bring
ing the serving dishes onto the
table, placing them before the
server" and then taking their
places at table with their guests.
Correctly, with iced tea or
coffee, a small plate (say the g.
inch bread and butter plate)
should be served under the glass.
This gives a harbor for the mois-
ture that drips from the glass, and
for the iced tea spoon, when this
is not in use.
Copyright, 1885, by King Features
| Syndicate, Inc