Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-12-25
Answering
Readers
Queries
Dinner Fork Used
When Serving Fish
AS Main Course
Photo by H. Armstrong Roberts.
BY EMILY POST.


Dear Mrs. Post: If fish is the
main course at dinner, should the
fish knives and forks be used or the
dinner knives and forks?
Answer: If the fish is to be ele-
waited to the position of the main
course, then it is logical to suppose
that the big dinner fork and knife
would properly belong with it.
Sensibly. it depends on the sizes of
your silver. If yours is small, use
the big forks and knives: if un-
usually large, use the smaller ones.
Dear Mrs. Post: (a) After ringing
for the maid and she appears in the
dining room, should I wait for her
to tome and stand by my side be-
fore giving her instructions, or do I
tell her what I want as soon as
she appears at the door? CD How
does the maid know what she is to
come in for?
Answer: (a) If you are alone at
the table, you speak to her as she
comes within very easy speaking
distance, but not necessarily beside
you. If there are other people at
table and if what you have to say
to her cannot be indicated by signal,
she must then come close to you
so that what you say is an aside
to her without attracting ony ones
attention. 10 A system has to be
devised, such as one bell to change
plates for next course, two bells to
offer the dish again Cor refill glasses
If dishes have. just been passed.
and three bells to mean Il want
to speak to you"
Dear Mrs. Post: Is it ever neces-
sary to say anything about dress
when invitations are worded for
mally? Doesn't this sufficiently de-
note that the occasion demands
dress be formal? Our club is giving
q big dance and sending invitations
which are formally worded in the
third person, and one of the COM
mittee has suggested that we should
also include the words formal
dress" at the bottom of the page.
She thinks this would eliminate
possible confusion, whereas I don't
understand why there should be
any confusion to begin with.
Answer: You are right in your
opinion. However, if the occasions
are infrequent when people in your
community wear evening dress it
might be more helpful to some OF
them to be instructed definitely
about these clothes, and add "eve-
ming dress" or formal evening
dress" as the occasion requires.
4 \ \ X
Dear Mrs. Post: went to shower
lately and was about the 30th per-
son to arrive. I was taken by the
hand and led around the whole room
to meet each one. BY the end !
was exhausted and i'll at ease and
tongue-tied. About a dozen people
arrived after I did, and the poor
things had to go through the same
endurance test. Isn't there q more
simple way of introducing q guest ia
q roomful of people? I wouldn't
want any one coming to my house
to be placed in this uncomfortable
position. And yet, I imagine many
Of us are doing this very thing.
Answer have heard Of a guest
Of honor being led around, but I've
never heard of each newcomer being
taken around, too. II you were ex-
hausted, think Of the hostess who
went ~ times around the room? In
many communities 1t is believed
friendly to introduce every one to
every one else. but when there are
many people standing around talk
ing in groups, 1t is much better to in
troduce q newcomer to the people
in one group and leave him Cor herr
with them. In this particular case
1t Is almost unbelievable that a
persons could be invited to a shower
and not know most of the others
present, because as rule q shower
Is the most informal party among
intimate friends.