_Savories_, a species of salt fish and cheese sandwich, is served in England hot, about the end of dinner. They should be eaten with a fork.
Undressed salad is sometimes served with them, or radishes, b.u.t.ter, and cheese. This is the only occasion when one sees b.u.t.ter on a dinner table, and this at informal dinners. The salad undressed can be eaten with the fingers. At bachelor dinners and at luncheons _cheese_ is served with salad. The French soft cheeses are the favorites.
_Pastry_, _ices_, and _desserts_ are eaten with a fork.
_Fruit_, such as peaches, pears, and apples, are served frequently already pared. When this is the case, finger bowls are dispensed with, but as yet this is not a general rule. Usually at dessert there is placed before you a finger gla.s.s and doily and a dessert plate, with the dessert knife and fork on either side. Remove the gla.s.s and doily; put it in front of your plate a little to the right. _Fruit_ must be pared or peeled with a silver knife.
_Strawberries_ are now served with the stems on, and sugar and cream are pa.s.sed around and are taken on your dessert plate.
_Pineapples_ are eaten with a fork. A cracker is used for nuts, and silver picks are brought in with the dessert.
_Corn_ on the cob is a favorite at small informal dinners as a separate course. In polite society you must remove the grains of the corn with your fork or your knife and fork, and never eat it off the cob holding the end with your fingers. By holding one end with your napkin, you can plow down the furrow of the grains with your fork, and you will find that they will fall off easily. _Corn_ is always served, when given in this style, on a white napkin. You help yourself to the ear with your fingers.
_Macaroni_ and _spaghetti_ should only be eaten with a fork. In New Orleans boiled _shrimps_ are often served at small dinners. The skins and heads are on, and you remove these with your fingers. After this course finger bowls with orange leaves are pa.s.sed around, and the perfume of the water will remove the odor of fish from your fingers.
_Black coffee_ is served after dinner. Milk or cream does not accompany it, except in the country, where sometimes a little silver pitcher of cream is placed on the tray. Coffee is drunk from small cups. Coffee and milk are never served during dinner, nor again is iced milk. These are barbarisms. Chartreuse, k.u.mmel, curacoa, and cognac are the _liqueurs_ usually served after dinner.
_Claret_, in many French families, especially those of the middle cla.s.s, is placed on the table in decanters. You are expected to help yourself.
There are also _carafons_ or decanters of water to mix with the wine.
The claret decanters are called _carafes_. Claret is drunk at the twelve o"clock _dejeuner_ as well as at dinner.
_Tea_ is pa.s.sed around in old-fashioned English houses about an hour after dinner. In some places b.u.t.tered m.u.f.fins accompany it, but this extra refreshment is only seen now in very old-fashioned houses.
_Scotch whisky_ and hot water or mineral waters are served in country houses before bedtime.
CHAPTER IX.
THE CITY BACHELOR AS HOST.
LUNCHEONS, DINNERS, THEATER PARTIES, CLUB AND RESTAURANT SUPPERS, AND OTHER BACHELOR ENTERTAINMENTS.
The bachelor who entertains is a most popular member of society. It does not cost a fortune to return in some manner the civilities once received, and every man, even if his income be limited, can once in a while entertain, even if it be on a very small scale and in a very modest way. Bachelor functions are always enjoyable. For a host of moderate income, I would suggest a luncheon, a dinner, or a party to the play, followed by a little supper.
A bachelor luncheon can be given either at the host"s apartments or chambers, at a restaurant, or in the ladies" annex of his club, if that organization possesses such an inst.i.tution.
At all entertainments given under a bachelor"s vine and fig tree, extreme simplicity should be a characteristic. The table linen should be of the finest damask, or the best material his income will allow; the gla.s.s perfectly plain, clear crystal, the china of a rich but quiet pattern, the silver good but absolutely without ornamental devices of any kind. In fact, the silver can be limited to forks and spoons, and the rest Sheffield or prince"s plate. Silver is not expensive, but plate is considered quite smart, and it has the advantage of being utterly valueless from the burglar"s point of view.
Individual salt and pepper affairs, cut or colored gla.s.s, or the hundred and one knick-knacks which one sees advertised and which eventually find their way to the boarding-house table, are vulgar.
Before your cloth is laid you should have a cover of felt placed over the table, so as to form a shield between it and the damask or linen. In the center goes a silver or plated fernery, filled with ferns and asparagus vines, on a mirror tray, or an _epergne_ with fruit. Two heavy, old-fashioned decanters in Queen Anne coasters should be placed, one at your right and the other at the right of your _vis-a-vis_. These contain sherry and claret. Four plain silver, plated, or china dishes are at the corners with salted almonds, olives, _bonbons_, and fancy cakes. If you wish to be very effective and have the money to spare, it is smart at a dinner to have silver candlesticks with candles or tiny lamps gleaming behind red or pink shades at each cover. Two or three forks are laid at the left of each plate. If more are required, your servant will replace them. On the right of the plate are the knives, including one for the roast, with the tablespoon for the soup, if it is a dinner, and the oyster fork. The napkins should be plain and flat, and contain a roll of bread. These hints for arranging the table will do for either luncheon or dinner. Not one of the articles is in itself expensive, and you may possess them all with the acc.u.mulation of years.
If not, a simpler arrangement could be effected, or you could give the entertainment at a restaurant instead of your rooms or house. The invitations can be either verbal or written, but at best a luncheon or dinner in a bachelor"s apartments is regarded as a little frolic, and you must try to preserve the spirit and waive the formalities.
A chaperon, of course, is necessary. The party can be limited to about eight. If you have a manservant he should be dressed in black coat and trousers, white shirt, standing collar and tie, and liveried waistcoat.
His duties are to open the door and to serve the luncheon. But a manservant is not necessary. Some of the smartest bachelors in New York give delightful little dinners and luncheons at their apartments, at which the maid who has cooked the meal, dressed in white ap.r.o.n and black gown, also serves it.
The _menu_ should be the usual one expected at luncheons, but champagne is never offered by a man to women in his apartments, unless at dinner or a theater supper. If a wealthy bachelor has a large house, and instead of one there are a number of matrons chaperoning, the case is different. Manhattan or Martini c.o.c.ktails could be pa.s.sed around before luncheon, or some little peculiar dish be served to give a zest to the occasion.
_A bachelor"s dinner_ at his house or apartments is a more formal entertainment, but it differs in nowise from a regular function of that character. The chaperon takes the place of the lady of the house for that occasion. Dressing rooms are arranged for the men and women, and the same ceremonies observed as at any formal dinner. If the affair is given in apartments, of course the character must be more or less informal, as the accommodations are limited. Should you have a man serve at your dinner, he must be in evening dress. Both at dinner and at luncheon he must have gloves, but this is not required of a maid.
A bachelor"s supper in his own apartments is sometimes given after the play. Of the _menu_, I will speak a little farther on. A chafing-dish supper is, however, an unique and enjoyable entertainment. Several chafing dishes should be ready, so that each course can follow without delay. Terrapin, truffled eggs, curried oysters, and other dainties of this kind comprise usually the _menu_. It would be well to serve first oysters on the half sh.e.l.l, followed by lobster _a la Newburg_, the latter being the first _plat_ cooked with the chafing dish. Champagne is a good wine, and allowable for a chafing-dish supper; but if Welsh rarebits are the _chef d"uvre_, then beer or ale would be better.
_A theater party_ should be confined to eight or ten. A _parti carre_--four people--is delightful. Unmarried women do not go to theaters or restaurants with a man alone. They must be chaperoned, even at a matinee or a luncheon party at a hotel or restaurant--in fact, an unmarried couple is seldom seen at public places in New York, unless they are engaged, and married women are as much compromised as unmarried ones by indifference to this absolute rule of etiquette.
The invitations can be either verbal or written. In the season it is better to write them, to insure the acceptance of guests. Be careful in the wording to give not only the evening, but the name of the play and the theater. For a party, always secure end seats, and there will be no disturbing of others in case you might be a little late. A box is necessary at the circus or at a music hall, but orchestra seats or stalls are the best selection for a bachelor"s party. Many mothers object to their daughters being seen at the theater in a proscenium box.
The rendezvous or meeting place should be at the chaperon"s. The vestibule of the theater is awkward, except for parties of four. A stage is the best vehicle to convey your guests to the playhouse. At the theater the host sees that his guests are provided with playbills. He gives the tickets to the usher, and precedes the party down the aisle.
He indicates the order of sitting. A man should go in first, followed by the woman with whom he is to sit, and then, thus sandwiched, the rest of the party file in, the host taking the aisle or end seat. The host sits next to the chaperon. Gentlemen do not go out between the acts at the theater, but sometimes, when there is a party to the opera, they can leave their seats if other men come to visit the ladies. A man going in or out a theater aisle should do so with his face toward the stage and his back to the seat. A host never leaves his guests. After the play go a little ahead and give your carriage check to the porter as soon as possible, so that there may not be a long wait. The porter expects a small fee. All theater parties are followed by a supper given either at a restaurant, at the club, in the ladies" annex, or at your bachelor apartments.
All luncheons, dinners, or suppers at a restaurant, unless organized on the spur of the moment, are ordered beforehand, and everything, including the waiter"s tip, arranged and settled for. If you have not an account at the restaurant, pay the bill at the time you order the _menu_ and reserve the table. Flowers should be included, and a centerpiece of roses, which are so arranged as to come apart and be distributed in bunches to each of your fair guests, is one of the favorite devices.
Small _boutonnieres_ are provided for the men. The public restaurant or dining room is the place for a bachelor supper when ladies are guests. A private room is not proper, and your guests want to see and be seen. The chaperon is seated at the right hand of the host, unless the party is given in honor of a particular woman, in which case she has that place.
The chaperon is then at your left. Wraps and coats are taken off in the hall of the restaurant and checked. There is no order of entry, except that the host should precede and the others follow.
The usual _menu_ for a theater supper is:
I. Clams or oysters on the half sh.e.l.l.
II. Bouillon in cups.
III. Chicken _croquettes_ or sweetbreads with peas, or lobster _a la Newburg_.
IV. Terrapin or birds with salad.
V. Ices, cakes, _cafe noir_, _bonbons_.
VI. _Liqueurs_.
With the oysters or clams white wine is served. Champagne follows the bouillon until the end of the supper.
After supper the party usually returns to the residence of the chaperon, where the unmarried women have their maids and family escorts awaiting them. The host accompanies them to the chaperon"s house, but the other men take leave at the restaurant. The chaperon may have it arranged to have dancing at her house, in which case the party return with her after supper.
_A supper in the ladies" annex_ in nowise differs from this, except that you do not tip the waiter or pay the bill, but have it charged in your monthly account.
The _menu_ for a supper at your own apartments follows the same lines as those already given.
_Theater clubs_ are a.s.sociations of women and men, all subscribing, meeting at the houses of different members, one of whom gives the supper.
_Bachelors" dances_ or _b.a.l.l.s_ are given at a large hall by a number of unmarried men, who subscribe a certain amount each. A number of well-known matrons are asked to receive the guests, and a cotillon usually follows the supper.
_Impromptu lunches_, _dinners_, or _suppers_ at restaurants sometimes require the immediate settlement of the account. Be careful to draw from your pocketbook a bill of large denomination, and not a handful of change. Do not con over or dispute the items. If you have an account, simply sign the check. If not, it is best to give the waiter his tip and go to the desk and pay while the members of your party are getting their wraps.
_Dinners at restaurants_ are frequently given by bachelors, and are followed by a visit to the theater. The rendezvous is either at the house of the chaperon or at the restaurant itself, should the party be limited in number.
The _menu_ varies according to the season. Six courses, including raw oysters or clams, soup, fish, _entree_, roast and vegetables, birds and salad, ices and dessert, are sufficient. The form and manner of entertaining at a dinner of this kind are similar to those observed at suppers.
To a man who frequently entertains, and at a particular restaurant, an occasional tip to the head waiter would be of service. This is a word to the wise.