Prepare and Serve a Meal and Interior Decoration

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Decoration by Lillian B. Lansdown
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Title: Prepare and Serve a Meal and Interior Decoration
Author: Lillian B. Lansdown
Release Date: January, 2005 [EBook #7350]
[This file was first
posted on April 19, 2003]
Edition: 10
Language: English
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0. START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, PREPARE

AND SERVE A MEAL AND INTERIOR DECORATION ***
David Starner, Michelle Shephard, and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team
HOW TO PREPARE AND SERVE A MEAL
AND
INTERIOR
DECORATION
By
LILLIAN B. LANSDOWN
CONTENTS
HOW TO PREPARE AND SERVE A MEAL
CHAPTER
I. BEFORE THE MEAL IS SERVED
II. ENTER THE
WAITRESS
III. BREAKFAST
IV. LUNCHEONS
V. THE
INFORMAL (HOME) DINNER
VI. THE FORMAL DINNER

VII. AFTERNOON TEAS
VIII. SUPPERS
IX. OUTSIDE THE
EIGHTEENTH AMENDMENT
X. CARVING HINTS
XI.
PLANNING A MENU
XII. MENUS FOR A THANKSGIVING,
A CHRISTMAS AND A LENTEN DINNER
INTERIOR DECORATION
I. LINES AND CURVES
II. FORM, COLOR AND
PROPORTION
III. INDIVIDUAL ROOMS OF THE HOUSE

IV. LIVING-ROOM, DRAWING-ROOM AND LIBRARY
V.
BED ROOM, NURSERY AND PLAY ROOM
VI. SOME HINTS
ANENT PERIOD FURNITURE
CHAPTER I
BEFORE THE MEAL IS SERVED

Before the meal which is to be served comes from the kitchen by way
of the butler's pantry to the dining room, there are many things to be
considered. The preparation of the meal (not the process of its cooking,
but its planning as a composite whole) and all the various details which
precede the actual sitting down at the table of those who expect to
enjoy it, must be seen to. The preparation of the meal, its menu, will be
dealt with later, in connection with the meal itself. For the present we
will concentrate on its preparatory aspects.
IN THE BUTLER'S PANTRY
The butler's pantry is the connecting link between kitchen and dining
room. It is at the same time an arsenal and a reserve line, equipped with
requisites to meet all emergencies. The perfect butler's pantry should
contain everything, from vegetable brushes for cleaning celery to a
galvanized refuse can. In between come matches, bread boards, soap,
ammonia and washing soda, a dish drainer, every kind of towel,
cheesecloth and holder, strainers (for tea, coffee and punch), ice water,
punch and soup pitchers of enamel ware, the tools and seasonings for
salad making, cut-glass brushes, and knives of different sizes.
In the butler's pantry the soiled linen should be kept, if possible in a
hamper, if not, in a bag. There should also be a towel rack, an electric
or hot-water heater for keeping food hot and--we are speaking of the
ideal pantry, of course--a small icebox where table butter, cream and
salad dressing may be kept, and plates chilled for serving cold dishes.
Adding a linen closet with shelves, a chest of drawers (for tablecloths,
napkins, doilies, centerpieces, etc.) and the necessary shelves for china
and glass (hang your cups and save space!), and we may leave the
butler's pantry and enter the dining room.
BEFORE ANYTHING EDIBLE COMES TO THE TABLE
We will not waste time on directions regarding the laying of the
tablecloth. Only remember that it must form a true line through the
center of the table (your "silence cloth" had best be of table padding, a
doubled cotton flannel or asbestos) and not hang below the table less
than nine inches. The usual arrangement of the centerpiece in the center

of the table (the table itself being immediately under the light, unless
the waitress is thereby prevented from moving between the table and
sideboard) with its dish of fruit or ferns or flowers (never so high as to
cut off view or conversation) can be varied to suit individual taste. But
the covers (the plates, glasses, napkin and silver of each individual)
must always be in line, opposite each other on the opposite sides of the
table. The plate doilies indicate the covers when a bare table is laid.
The service plate which each person receives stays where put unless it
is replaced by a hot