depending upon social conditions and established customs. Two modes are
in general use,--placing the dishes upon the table to be dished by the
host and hostess, and placing all food upon the side table to be dished
and served by a waiter. When the latter method is used, it is quite
customary to place the plates of soup upon the table before dinner is
announced. As many knives, forks, and spoons as will be needed for the
courses may be placed beside each plate, or they may be brought in with
the course, as preferred. Clean plates are necessary for every course.
The manner of serving is essentially like that already described.
Care should be taken to have the dining room at an agreeable
temperature, neither too warm nor too cold.
At large dinner parties, each gentleman, as he enters, receives a card
upon which is written the name of the lady he is to take in to dinner,
to whom the hostess at once presents him. When dinner is announced, the
host leads the way with the oldest or most distinguished lady or the one
to whom the dinner is given, while the hostess follows last, with the
most honored gentleman. The host places the lady whom he escorts on his
right. If the number is small, the host indicates the places the guests
should occupy as they enter the room; if the party is large, the menu
card at each plate bears the name of the guest for whom it is designed.
The lady escorted by the host should be the first one served.
Soup is always taken and tasted, whether liked or not; after the first
course, it is proper to accept or refuse a dish, as preferred.
No well-bred hostess ever apologizes for the food upon her table or
urges anything upon her guests when once declined. No orders should be
given to servants during the meal; everything that will contribute to
the proper serving of the dinner should be arranged beforehand, and all
necessary instructions given.
At the close of the dinner, the hostess gives the sign for retiring.
TABLE TOPICS.
A meal--what is it? Just enough of food
To renovate and well refresh the frame,
So that with spirits lightened, and with strength renewed,
We turn with willingness to work again.
--_Sel._
Do not bring disagreeable things to the table in your conversation
any more than you would in your dishes.--_Sel._
Courtesy in the mistress of the house consists in feeding
conversation; never in usurping it.--_Mme. Swetchine_
Good humor and good health follow a good meal; and by a good meal we
mean anything, however simple, well dressed in its way.--_Smiles._
Unquiet meals make ill digestion.--_Shakespeare._
Eat slowly and do not season your food with care.--_Sel._
To rise from the table _able_ to eat a little more is a proverbially
good rule for every one. There is nothing more idiotic than forcing
down a few mouthfuls, because they happen to remain on one's plate
after hunger is satisfied, and because they may be "wasted" if left.
It is the most serious waste to overtax the stomach with even half
an ounce more than it can take care of.--_Sel._
I pray you, O excellent wife! cumber not yourself and me to get a
curiously rich dinner for this man and woman who have just alighted
at our gate.... These things, if they are desirous of them, they can
get for a few shillings at any village inn; but rather let that
stranger see, if he will, in your looks, accents, and behavior, your
heart and earnestness, your thought and will, that which he cannot
buy at any price in any city, and which he may travel miles and dine
sparely and sleep hardly to behold.--_Emerson._
AFTER MEAL TIME
To no other department of domestic work perhaps is so little thought
given or so little science applied as to the routine work of clearing
the table and washing the dishes after mealtime. Any way to accomplish
the object, seems to be the motto in very many households. But even for
these prosaic tasks there is a best way, which, if employed, may make of
an otherwise irksome service a really pleasurable one.
CLEARING THE TABLE.--First of all, put back the chairs, and brush
up the crumbs from the floor, then collect all untouched foods and store
them away in clean dishes; next gather the silver, place it handles
upward in pitchers or other deep dishes, and pour hot water over it. For
gathering the silver a compartment tray in which knives, forks, and
spoons may be placed separately is important. Many of the scratches and
marks on their silver ware, which housekeepers deplore, come from the
careless handling together of forks, knives, and spoons. Now in a deep
basin upon a tray, collect all the refuse and partly eaten foods,
carefully emptying cups, glasses, finger bowls, etc., and scraping all
dishes which contained food as clean as possible; for no crumbs or
particles of food should be introduced into the dishwater. Pile the
dishes as fast as cleaned upon a second tray in readiness for washing.
It saves much liability of breakage in transferring from the dining room
to the kitchen, if each kind of soiled dishes is packed by itself.
Wipe carefully, if not needing to be washed, and replenish all salts,
granola cups, and sugar bowls before putting away. Gather the soiled
napkins for the laundry, and put those clean enough to be used again in
their proper places. Especial care must be taken, however, so to
designate those reserved for future use that each shall receive the same
again, as nothing is more disgusting to a sensitive person than to be
tendered a napkin which has been used by some one else. Some form of
napkin holder should be considered an essential part of the table
furnishing. If rings cannot be afforded, ordinary clothes pins, gilded
and decorated with a bit of ribbon, make very pretty substitutes.
Brush the tablecloth, fold in its creases, also the sub-cover of canton
flannel, and lay both away until again needed.
_Washing the Dishes._--Plenty of hot water and clean towels are the
essential requisites for expeditious and thorough dish-washing. A few
drops of crude ammonia added to the water will soften it and add to the
luster of the silver and china. Soap may be used or not according to
circumstances; all greasy dishes require a good strong suds. There
should also be provided two dish drainers or trays, unless there is a
stationary sink with tray on which to drain the dishes. For washing
glassware and fine china, _papier-maché_ tubs are preferable to anything
else, as they are less liable to occasion breakage of the ware. If many
dishes are to be washed, frequent changes of water will be necessary as
the first becomes either cold or dirty. Perfectly sweet, clean dishes
are not evolved from dirty dishwater. The usual order given for the
washing of dishes is, glasses, silver, fine china, cups, saucers,
pitchers, plates and other dishes. This is, however, based upon the
supposition that cups and saucers are used for beverages, and plates are
soiled by the use of various greasy foods; but in families where tea
and coffee and animal foods are dispensed with, and saucers are used for
grains with cream dressing, the plates are often cleaner than the
saucers and should be washed first.
The general rule to be followed is always to wash the dishes least
soiled first, and all of one kind together. The latter item is specially
important, since much of the nicking of dishes and breaking of handles
from cups, covers, and pitchers is the result of piling dishes
promiscuously together while washing.
It is quite as easy to finish washing one kind before beginning on
another as to do it in any less safe and systematic way, and if wiped in
the same order, it does away with the need of sorting when putting the
dishes away.
If for any reason the dishes must wait for a time before being washed,
the best plan is to pack them carefully into large pans, cover with warm
water, and let them soak. When ready to wash them, prepare hot suds and
clear water for rinsing in additional pans. Do not use too hot water, as
a high temperature will break glass and "check" the enamel of ordinary
ware. The law of expansion holds good with both china and glassware, and
all glass and glazed wares should be dipped into hot water in such a
manner that all its surfaces may receive the heat and expand together.
All dishes used for milk should be first thoroughly rinsed in cold water
before being washed in hot water or suds.
Be sure that the inside of all cups and pitchers is thoroughly clean. It
is a good plan to have a mop made by fastening finger-lengths of coarse
cotton twin to a suitable handle, for washing the inside of pitchers.
In cleaning forks, spoons, or cups, which have been employed in beating
or eating eggs, rinse them in cold water before putting them into hot
suds, as hot water cooks the egg and causes it to adhere. Common table
salt is said to be excellent for removing the egg tarnish from silver.
Clean Dover egg beaters by beating a dish of cold water, or by holding
under a stream of cold water from the faucet, then carefully rinse and
wipe perfectly dry. Do not put the upper part of the beater into hot
water, as it will remove the oil from the wheels so that they will not
work easily.
Grain-boilers and mush-kettles should be allowed to cool, then filled
with cold water and allowed to soak during the meal hour, when they can
be easily cleaned.
Tin dishes should be washed with hot suds as soon as possible after
using.
[Illustration: Wire Dishcloth]
For cleaning; iron pots, use soft water and soap or washing-soda with a
wire dishcloth or kettle scraper. If the food adheres to the sides, fill
with cold water and soak. Kettles and all dishes placed over a fire
should be cleaned on the outside as well as the inside. To remove the
soot, rub first with pieces of dry paper and afterward with damp paper;
then wash with hot suds and a cloth. Kettles and saucepans burned on the
inside may he cleaned by putting a little cold water and ashes in them
and allowing them to soak on the range until the water is warm.
Porcelain-lined and granite-ware utensils stained from food burning on,
may be cleaned after soaking for a time in a solution of sal-soda, which
may be prepared by pouring boiling water over the soda in the proportion
of two pints of water to one pound of sal-soda, and stirring until
dissolved. It may be prepared in quantity and stored in a stone jar
until needed.
Wash wooden ware and bread boards with cold water and sand soap. In
scraping dough from the bread board, always scrape with the grain of the
wood and be careful not to roughen the surface.
Steel knives and forks with ivory or wooden handles should not be put
into dishwater. Hot water will expand the steel and cause the handles to
crack. Wash them thoroughly with the dishcloth, scour with bath brick,
and wipe dry.
All tin and iron dishes should be thoroughly dried before putting away,
to prevent rusting.
If draining is considered preferable to wiping dishes, a good plan, if
one has not a patent dish drainer, is to fold an old tablecloth in
several thicknesses and spread upon the table. Wash the dishes carefully
and rinse in hot water. Place a cup or bowl bottom upward, lay a plate
on each side, then one between and above them, with two more on the
outside, and so on, not permitting them to touch more than necessary.
DISHCLOTHS AND TOWELS.--No dishes or utensils can be well cared for
without good, clean dishcloths and towels, and plenty of them. An
excellent dishcloth may be either knit or crocheted in some solid stitch
of coarse cotton yarn. Ten or twelve inches square is a good size.
Several thicknesses of cheese-cloth basted together make good
dishcloths, as do also pieces of old knitted garments and Turkish
toweling. If a dish mop is preferred, it may be made as follows: Cut a
groove an inch from the end of a stick about a foot in length and of
suitable shape for a handle; cut a ball of coarse twine, into nine-inch
lengths, and lay around the stick with the middle of the strands against
the groove; wind a fine wire or cord around the twine to fasten it in
the groove; then shake down the twine, so it will lie all one way like a
mop, and fasten it to the handle by tying a second cord around it on the
outside.
Towels for drying dishes should be of three different grades,--fine ones
without lint for glass, silver, and fine china; coarser ones for the
ordinary table ware, and still another quality for pans, kettles, and
other kitchen ware. The right size is a yard in length and half as wide,
with the ends hemmed. As to material, fine checked linen is usually
employed for glass and silver towels, and crash for ordinary dishes, for
iron and tinware towels which have become somewhat worn, or a coarse bag
opened and hemmed, may be used. Old, half-worn tablecloths may be cut
into excellent dish towels.
It is of the greatest importance that all dishcloths, mops, and towels
be kept perfectly sweet and clean. Greasy dishcloths and sour towels are
neither neat nor wholesome and are a most fertile source of germs, often
breeding disease and death. After each dish washing, the dishcloth,
towels, and mops should be thoroughly washed in hot water with plenty of
soap, well rinsed and hung up to dry either upon a line out of doors or
a rack made for the purpose near the kitchen range. If care is always
taken to clean the dishes as much as possible before washing and to
change the suds as often as they become dirty, the towels will not be
hard to keep clean and sweet-smelling. Those used during the week should
go into the wash as regularly as other household articles. Dish towels
are also much better for being ironed. It gives them a "surface" which
facilitates the drying operation.
THE CARE OF SILVER, GLASS, ETC.--If silver is well washed in hot
water containing a few drops of ammonia, and carefully dried with a
fine, soft towel, it will keep bright for a long time without other
cleaning. If special cleaning is necessary, try the following: Place the
silver in a pan of hot water, then with a soft cloth, soaped and
sprinkled with powdered borax, scour the silver well; afterward rinse in
clear cold water, and dry with a clean cloth. If a more thorough
cleaning is needed, apply moistened Spanish whiting with a silver brush
and soft flannel, afterward polishing with dry whiting and chamois skin.
Frequent scouring should be avoided by careful washing, as too much
rubbing wears out plated ware and dulls the best of silver. Silver ware
and plate which is not in ordinary use can be kept from tarnishing by
varnishing with collodion, a solution of gun-cotton in ether. The
articles should be carefully brushed in this colorless varnish with an
elastic brush, taking care that the entire surface is covered. The film
of collodion will protect the underlying metal from the action of the
sulphurous vapors to which is due the blackening of silver.
Tinware which has become blackened may be made to look bright and
shining again by rubbing with a damp cloth dipped in sal-soda. Afterward
wipe dry. Sand soap or sapolio may be used for the same purpose.
Cut-glass ware which has become in any way blurred or tarnished can be
restored by polishing it with a soft piece of newspaper. First rub well
with a piece slightly moistened and afterward repeat the process with
dry paper. Rubbing with a soft brush dipped in fine, soft whiting is
another method often employed for the same purpose. Cut-glass
water-bottles dim or stained on the inside are best cleaned by rinsing
with dilute muriatic acid, then carefully rinsing several times in clear
cold water to remove all trace of the acid, which is a poison.
All fine china should be handled carefully in washing and drying. There
will be less danger of breakage if the china is gradually heated by
allowing it to stand in a pan of warm water before being put into hot
water. The same is true of all table ware, and is of especial importance
in cold weather.
Brass faucets and other brass or copper articles may be cleaned by
rubbing with whiting wet with aqua ammonia.
Yellowed ivory handles may be restored to their original whiteness by
rubbing with sandpaper and emery; mineral soap or pumice stone may be
used for the same purpose. Nice table cutlery packed away for a season
may be kept from rusting by covering the metal portion with a thin
coating of paraffine. Rust may be removed from steel by scouring with
emery and oil; but if there is much corrosion, some weak muriatic acid
will be needed. This, however, will take some of the metal with the
rust, and must be washed off quickly.
Trays and japanned goods should never have boiling water poured over
them, as it will make the varnish crack and peel. If a tray is badly
soiled, wet with a sponge moistened in warm water and soap, and rub with
a dry cloth; if it looks smeary, dust on a little flour and rub again.
Marks and scratches may sometimes be removed by rubbing with a flannel
cloth dipped in sweet oil.
CARE OF THE TABLE LINEN.--Much of the attractiveness of the table
depends upon the linen used; if this is not well cared for, the finest
table ware cannot make up for the defect.
Stains upon table linen made by acids and vinegar may be removed by
simply washing in clear water; berry stains are easily taken out by
pouring boiling water over them; peach stains are best removed by
soaking for some time in cold water and then washing with soap before
allowing warm water to touch them. Chlorine water or a solution of
chloride of lime will remove fruit stains, and vegetable colors. Coffee
stains rubbed with a mixture of warm water and the yolk of egg, are said
to disappear when the mixture is washed off with clean warm water. Sour
buttermilk well rubbed into the material, dried in, and afterward washed
out in several waters, is said to be effectual in removing tea stains.
All stains should be removed as soon as possible after being made, and
always before putting the linen into the wash.
In washing table linen, housekeepers should remember that hard rubbing
is the worst wear which it can receive. If soaked over night, a gentle
squeezing will usually be quite sufficient to remove all soil, or if a
little borax (a handful to ten gallons of water) or household ammonia in
the proportion of two tablespoonfuls to a pail of water be added, two or
three hours' soaking will suffice. Care should also be taken in hanging
and fastening properly upon the line. Fold the cloth over the line six
or eight inches at least, and in such a manner as to keep the thread
straight, and fasten with three or more clothes pins. Table linen is
often sadly frayed at the corners by being pinned so that all strain
comes upon the corners, and if left to whip in the wind, is soon ruined.
Napkins in summer are much nicer if dried upon the grass. Only the
merest trifle of starch, if any, should be used for table linen.
Table linen should be taken from the line while still damp, folded
evenly lengthwise with the selvage together, then folded lengthwise
again, rolled tight, and wrapped in damp towels so that the outside will
not become dry, and ironed the same day. The irons should be heavy and
as hot as possible without danger of scorching, and the board should be
well padded with several thicknesses of flannel. Iron the linen in
single folds, keeping a damp cloth over portions which will not be
immediately reached. When the entire surface has been ironed, fold
evenly lengthwise and with the selvage edges toward the ironer, again go
over the entire upper side; then fold with the just completed portion
inside, iron again, and so continue until the whole is ironed and
folded. Both napkins and tablecloths are ironed in this way. They
should be thoroughly dried with the iron and well aired before being
laid away, in order to bring out the patterns well and to give them the
desirable glossy finish.
Colored table linen should be washed in tepid water containing a little
powdered borax, which serves to set the color. Very little, if any, soap
should be used. Rinse in tepid water containing a small quantity of
boiled starch; dry in the shade, and iron while yet damp.
Table linen should be carefully darned at once when it begins to wear
and become thin, and may thus be preserved for a long time. When new, it
should be washed before being made up, and the threads raveled or drawn,
so as to make the ends exactly straight. Napkins should be washed before
being cut apart. When not required for regular use, the linen should be
folded loosely, and laid away without ironing in some place where it
will not be subjected to pressure. When needed, it can be quickly
dampened and ironed.
THE GARBAGE.--What to do with the waste accumulating from
preparation of foods is a question of no small importance. The too
frequent disposition of such material is to dump it into a waste-barrel
or garbage box near the back door, to await the rounds of the scavenger.
Unless more than ordinary precautions in regard to cleanliness are
observed, such a proceeding is fraught with great danger. The bits of
moist food, scraps of meat, vegetables, and other refuse, very quickly
set up a fermentative process, which, under the sun's rays, soon breeds
miasm and germs; especially is this true if the receptacle into which
the garbage is thrown is not carefully cleaned after each emptying.
A foul-smelling waste-barrel ought never to be permitted under any
circumstances. The best plan is to burn all leavings and table refuse as
fast as made, which may be done without smell or smoke by opening all
the back drafts of the kitchen range, and placing them on the hot coals
to dry and burn. Some housekeepers keep in one end of the sink a wire
dish drainer into which all fruit and vegetable parings are put. If
wet, the water quickly drains from them, and they are ready to be put
into the stove, where a very little fire soon reduces them to ashes. All
waste products which cannot well be burned, may be buried at a distance
from the house, but not too much in one spot, and the earth should be
carefully covered over afterward. Under no circumstances should it be
scattered about on the surface of the ground near the back door, as
heedless people are apt to do.
If the table refuse must be saved and fed to animals, it should be
carefully sorted, kept free from all dishwater, sour milk, etc., and
used as promptly as possible. It is a good plan to have two tightly
covered waste pails of heavy tin to be used on alternate days. When one
is emptied, it may be thoroughly cleansed and left to purify in the air
and sunshine while the other is in use. Any receptacle for waste should
be entirely emptied and thoroughly disinfected each day with boiling
suds and an old broom. This is especially imperative if the refuse is to
be used as food for cows, since the quality of the milk is more or less
affected by that of the food.
TABLE TOPICS.
A woman cannot work at dressmaking, tailoring, or any other
sedentary employment, ten hours a day, year in and out, without
enfeebling her constitution, impairing her eyesight, and bringing on
a complication of complaints; but she can sweep, cook, wash, and do
the duties of a well-ordered house, with modern arrangements, and
grow healthier every year. The times in New England when all women
did housework a part of every day, were the times when all women
were healthy.--_Harriet Beecher Stowe._
The best ways are commonly the easiest ways and those that give most
comfort to the household. _Know how_ is a great labor-saving
invention, on which there is no patent.--_Sel._
Who sweeps a room as for God's law
Makes that and th' action fine.
--_George Herbert._
A YEAR'S BREAKFASTS & DINNERS