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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1935-05-09, Page 7assasaisarassessiseakiera A Tress 3ride ' : Of Faraao'<xs Flier S By Mair M. Morgan THE PERFECT DINNER A famous hostess was interviewed the other day on the secrets of her success, "Why is it," she was asked, "that your dinner parties' seen so effort- less and to run just like clockwork?" The lady .answered the question by asking 'another. "Do they?" ` she queried, "well, to tell the honest truth, I find myself working just as .hard planning and preparing in advance, and keeping an eagle eye out during the meal, as I did for the first dinner party I ever gave here as a bride.» Correct Service It isn't only interesting food and interesting company that makes for a third element which must be pres- ent to lift that dinner to the plane of perfection. That third element is— coer.eet service. Service of a dinner does not have to be elaborate in order to be correct. It can be cor- rect with just one to wait, or with members of the family and their guests alone. Perfection is a matter of quality, rather than quantity. If genius be defined as "an in- finite capacity for taking pains," then the art of serving food correct- ly can be defined as "earnest thought and close attention to numerous de- tails --big and little." In fact there are at least 57 such details, divided up about as follows. Dining Room, "-2; Table, 7; Silver, 7; Glasses, 2; '``Napkins, 2; Accessories, 6; Service Table, 5; (hairs, 1; Waitress, `5; Waiting, 14; Service, 5; Without Maid, 10. If you want to make an interest- ing chick check-up, take a pencil and a piece of paper, ancl see how many details under each heading you can write down, then compare them with what follows. 1. The Dining Room The room in which a meal is served is important. Its temperature and ventilation are points which must not be overlooked. The lights must be studied and so arranged as to avoid a glare, be the glare from the lights themselves or their reflec- tions on glasses and silverware, • If candles are employed, there should be enough of them to give adequate illumination, and their "'height in- cluding the holders and their ar- ,'rangement should 'be An relation to other decorations and the conveni- ence of those at table. Temperature, ventilation and illuminatien all bear directly on the success of a dinner. 2. The Table The table should be sufficiently large to permit serving guests com- fortably. 18 or 20 inches is a good width for each cover. There should be no crowding. A silence -cloth should be used under the tablecloth. Lay the cloth with the centre fold up and in the exact centre of the table, which incidentally suggests a hint on proper laundering and ironing, so the centre fold will come up correctly. Tho height of the table decorations anust be gauged skillfully, for if too high they are awkward and if too low are monotonous. Avoid over - decoration, and do not allow the table to look heavy :or crowded. Bear in mind the color scheme It of the room c e e •xs well as the colors of the different " foods to be served. If it is a sea- rssonal party, select flowers, place- eards, and other little decorations, ,appropriately. If circumstances sug- gest that the bare table be used, it should be very carefully polished be - for the doilies or runners are plac- ed. 3. Silver The largest plate to be used, should be taken as the measure for correct placing of the silver. The position of the silver should not be disturbed during the serving of the tneal. Uniformity of arrangement of silver, glasses, napkin, and dishes should be worked out and followed carefully, "Right-handed" silver is placed at the right, such as knives and spoons, and "left-handed" at the left, such as forks, with the except- ion of the oyster fork which goes to the extreme right, Place silver in, order of use, working from outside to edge of plate. If, for a given course, the salad or dessert fork is the only piece of silver at the table, it may be placed on the right. 4 Glasses Glasses are placed at the right, at or near the tip of the knife. If other beverages in addition to, water are to be served, glasses for them are placed at an angle to the water glass, angle and arrangement de- pending on .number and style. 5. Napkins At a formal- meal, place napkin on service plate. At informal meals, place napkin between knife and fork, or at extreme left of fork. In either event, place open end of napkin.towards guest. 6. Accessories Place salt and pepper shaker where they may be reached easily. The carving knife may be placed on table at right of platter; carving fork on left, and gravy spoon to right of knife, for an informal din- ner. If a formal meal, these will be on serving table. If a knife sharpen- er is Used, place to left of serving fork and remove as soon as used, Rests for these utensils may be plac- ed to right or left of platter. 7. Service Table Laying of the service table, or - buffet, is important. If possible, have covered to match the table linen. Have duplicate of each piece of sil- ver used on table, on service table, in -fact several duplicates if possible. There should also be an extra glass and napkin or two. A napkin and plate for crumbing are also required. Butter, bread, etc., cream, sugar, bonbons, and nuts, may be placed on service table. Although they had brokentheir engagement by previous con- sent, Florence Desmond, British Actress, and Captain T. Campbell Black, who won fame in the recent England -Australia air race, re- considered and were married recently in London. Photo shows the couple after` the ceremony S. Chairs Have chairs in neat rows, or if table is oval shape have chairs in harmonious relation to each other, far enough from table edge so that one may be seated with little effort. When checking over the chair ar- rangement, is a good time for a last check-up on • dishes and silver :> in re- lation 'to the menu to make sure nothing is missing. 9. Waitress A competent waitress or attendant is essential to the smooth running of a formal meal. The perfect waiter of either sex is the one whose presence is not felt in the dining room, Guests should be conscious of the perfect service, rather than of the individual rendering it. The wants of the guests should be observed and supplied before they can be made known. The waitress should stand where the hostess can easily signal her. The waitress is silent unless asked a question, and seemingly deaf to all conversation. 10. Waiting Waiting is regarded by its expert practitioners as a profession, and no one is more critical of correct ser- vice than the true waiter. Some of the fundamental rules of the craft that are practical for domestic use. are: uniform, or livery, or aprons and cap, are selected and provided by employer (the housewife); rubber heels on comfortable shoes are ad- visable; careful attention should be given to hair and hands; wash hands before laying the table, and again before handling food; use tray for carrying silver, glasses and dishes to lay table; handle cups by handles, and glasses by bottoms; handle all silver by handles, and avoid finger marks; do not let fingers come over edge of glasses under any circum- stances; use a folded napkin when dishes are hot or when dishes are so on, until all are served. so small that the hand would be seen; never fill water glass more than three-fourths, and fol' a formal dinner at home chill the water with ice cubes in a pitcher or bottle on the service table but do not put cubes in glass; after guests are seated, never. remove glass from table to refill it, but pour from. bottle slowly and have napkin fold- ed around neck of bottle to catch any drops; just before the dessert course,, crumb the table with napkin and plate, but going only to those places that need this attention; bread and butter plates are not used at strictly formal dinners, but if used, place butter pats in upper left-hand cor- ner of plate just inside . the rine; hot rolls are placed in folded napkins andl corner is turned back as ' dish is served to each guest, and be sure to replenish supply as soon as it begins to diminish on plate; as a general rule, serve from the left with the left hand, except beverages which are served from the right, and re- move soiled articles from right with right hand. 11. Service The hostess is sometimes served first, as this enables her to give signal to begin as soon as her ftrgt guests are served. By being set d fust, lxasters can aisacheek .;.. correct flavors of foods and' rile will use the correct utensil for each course. It is quite correct for the guests of honor to be served first, the rank of the guest; the formality of the meal, and similar factors help- ing to determine this. Regardless of who is served first, the hostess never finishes eating before all her guests are quite through. 12. Without .4 Maid • Dinners "en famine," or family service without a niaid, can be very attractive provided merely that a few simple directions are observed. Avoid elaborate menus. Use a tea table, especially if it has two shelves and a drawer for silver, for service. Salad and dessert may be placed on this tea table, and later it may be, used for soiled dishes from the main: 'course. It is located most conven- iently at right of hostess. In serving meat and vegetables, arrangement depends on whether one or more per- sons do the serving. If host serves the meat, place platter directly in front of him with plates at imme- diate left. If he is to serve one of the vegetables also, place dish at his right. If some other member of family serves the vegetables, host will passnplate with meat along left side of table to one serving vege- tables, and plate is then passed along to person sitting at host's right. When host serves complete plate, the first is passed to right and sue- eeeding plates to other ladies and then to man at right of hostess and When tea or coffee Is served, place container at right of hostess with sufficient room for one cup and sau- cer between container and her plate, the rest. of the cups being placed at left with handles towards hostess, and creamer and sugar bowl directly in front of her plate. Accessories and special accompaniments to var- ious courses are placed on table, and person nearest them pass 'them to the guests. HOME HINTS Worn Linoleum Watch for any tiny holes in the linoleum, and as soon as one appears pour a little hot parafin in it, smooth it over evenly with a knife, and let it harden. This will prevent the bole from enlarging. * * Woollen Blankets After washing and drying the woollen blankets, beat them well be- fore storing. This will raise the fluff and give them a much better appear- ance. * * * Cocoa It is found that cocoa is not suf- ficiently digestible, it can be made so by allowing it to, cool, removing the globules of fat, and then reheating it., * * * Paint If the lid of the paint can has been thrown away and there is some paint left over, try pouring melted parafine over the top of the paint. This will preserve the paint and keep it soft until ready to use again. * * * Soap Bubbles When the children are blowing soap bubbles, place a drop or two of glycerin in the soapy water. The bubbles will not break so easily and will have more color. Scouts Sold $134 Worth Of Apples Siincoe — Simcoe troop of Boy Scouts, under Scoutmaster Jack Roxburgh, staged a very successful somewhat adverse weather, the apple day recently. In spite of the public responded generously to the appeal and the the total proceeds amounted to $134. A substantial sum will be netted to aid in the purchase of equipment and towards the cost of a summer eamp. Scouts Switzer and Whiteside won prizes for selling the most apples, while Cuba Tom and Alan Donnelly led their section. Martin Bros. kindly loaned their store as head- quarters for the drive. FU MANCHU "Forgive me if I have startled you," the girl m u r m u re d, laying a slim, jeweled hand on my arm. But—is it true—that Sir Crichton Davey has been mur- dered?" By Sax Wanner 0 int'e>' se' nolan9t and Too Ain syndicate, tnw :; r r a ti , y tsr I thou t1 had nayer fs0atiatinly t it'Ai?t •n;`rror6°$fo;sue °pe;tit,ia tvpe, . the elan of rfect blonde, she had yii's•afid lalh'►. eat a. creates Ai I lookiid into har bio, uestierdng eyes d harsh suspicion sailed me„ a grotesque'itteq aveore;the til__e��ggm el her lips due to ert, their kiss weuid tbgva lust "9dsh s Mork es I had seen upen the dead man's handl .• But 1 dismissed the fantastic notion about the beautiful stranger as a fancy bred of the night's horrors, No doubt she was some friend or acquaintance of Sir Crichton Davey's. Acting on that Idea, t sought to tell her whet she asked as gently as 1 could, "I cannot say he has been murdered," I told h"er, "but he is 39 LESSON V,—MAL 5 SIN, REPENTANCE AND FAITH ,,• Luke, 15: 11.24. GOLDEN TEXT" -1f we confess .Our sins, he Is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse u`s from all unrighteousness,—I, John 1; 9. THE LESSON IN ITS SETTING. Time and place -- 7,e events re- corded at the beginning of Isaiah occurred, approximately 760 B.G. The Opening verses of the second chap- ter of Mark record an event occur- ing in the early summer of A.D. 28 at Capernatvm. The parables record- ed in the fifteenth chapter of Luke were uttered by Christ in January A.D. 30, in Peraea. The events of the second chapter of Acte occurred in Jerusalem, A.D. 30. The Epistle to the Romans -was written, probab- ly from the city of Corinth, by the Apostle Paul, A.D. 60. "And he said, a certain man had two sons,." A simple sentence of fact, but assumes at least three things: deep love, the love of a pa- rent for his children, pride in his sons; hope for his sons. "And the younger of them said to his father," The one that would, as a rule, be given his own way prob- ably more than the other children of the family. "Father, give me the portion of thy substance that falleth to me." Each child got, according to Mosaic law, one portion, and the eldest got two portions (Dent, ..21: 17); in this case the youngest got a third, and two-thirds remained the common property of father and eld- er son. "And not many days after." He did not go the moment he had -what he wanted. "The younger son ga- thered all together." To a tender soul, the things of the home life would have spoken eloquently of love and care; but they had no such voice for him. "And took his jour- ney into a far country." What a pull the far country has for many a young man, and many a young wo- man, an invisible magnetism. One can live at home, and still be in a far country, away from God and from the way of honor and upright- ness. "And there he wasted his substance." His assets included the strength of a young man, a muni- ficent inheritance, religious train- ing, a strong will and, no doubt, a winsome persorlaIlt7 "`"Ninth riotous living." The -word here translated riotous means abandoned, profligate, dissolute, with the idea of rushing headlong into wickedness_ "And when he,had spent all." That is the inevitable issue of waste. "There arose a mighty famine in that country." One of the many ways in which God brings us back to himself is by bringing distress when we, as sinners, can least bear it. "And he began to be in want." Sin and Satan are man's greatest robbers (John 10: 8, 10), yet this phrase which speaks of suffering is the first real hopeful indication we have of this wretched man's possible recovery. "And be went," He should have gone straight home. Pride kept him from doing so. "And joined himself to one of the citizens of that coun- try." The verb means, literally, "to glue together, to cement," hence "to cleave to." He could have been in the affectionate embrace of his fa- ther; his wilfulness has driven him to cling desperately to a stranger. "And he sent him into his fields to feed swine." This was to a Hebrew the uttermost depths of degradation. "And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat." The huisks won't satisfy. They may keep down the gnawing pangs of hunger, they may stay the appetite for the hour, but they do not nourish, Take any pleasure or pursuit that is ungodly, and you know that this is all it does• "And no man gave unto him," The inn perfect active indieates continued' refusal of any one to allow hien even the food of the hogs." "But when he cause to himself.'; The suffering of hunger, a conscionea ness of failure and shame, hopeless ness and loneliness, ba'ings him back to himself, as .a drunken man coin+ ing back to sobriety, a patient come, ing out of an anaesthetic. "He said' How many hired servants of my fa. ther's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish here with hun• ger!" He has not sunk so low but that he can still say, "my father," "I will arise." There were many things this young man could not do even if he wanted to, e.g,, he could not by his own will power break his sinful habits. But he could arise, "And go to my father." Ile is going back to the place of love, back where he belonged, back to the place where he took the wrong road. "And will say unto him, Father, I have efinned against heaven, and in thy sight." Every sin is a sin against God as well as against man — be• cause it injures the soul which God labors so diligently to preserve. "I aim no more worthy to be call- ed thy son; make me as one if thy hired servants." A broken and a contrite heart, a spirit opt true hu- mility, umility, unmistakably indicate the genuineness of his confession of sin. "And he arose, and came to his father." This young man first had a change of heart, before he turned about and returned home. 'Alit while he was yet afar off, his :&er' saw him." This shows that' the father had been looking for him to come back and was even looking at this very moment as he came in sight. "And was moved with comp passion," Literally, compassion means to suffer with another. "And ran, and fell on his neck and kiss- ed him." He did not win his fa- ther's love—that love had always been there. God loves us long be- fore we love and obey him (I. John 4: 19). "And the son said unto him., Fa- ther, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy :sight: I am no more worthy to be called thy son. He went back to that hour, and said: What I thought right was wrong, and what I thought would be liberty has proved to be slavery. "But the father said to his serv- ants, ereants, Bring forth quickly the best robe and put it on him. Obliterate the traces, ° of a - wretched peat as soon as •possible. "And put a ring ou his hand." It was not only a token that his love for him had nev- er died, but it was a pledge that it should never die. "Aud shoes on hila feet." The slaves wore no shoes. "And bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat, and make mer- ry." Many believe that the slaying of this animal was a sacrifice, and that here we have hinted that atone- ment was made for the sin of the son. "Por this my son was dead." His abandonment to sin, losing himself to his family, his home, his better self, was death indeed (Romans 6: 13; Epb. 2: 15 5: 14; Rev. 3: 1). "And is alive again." It is God's great work, through Christ, to give eternal life to those who were dead in trespasses and sins (Romans .6: 4; S: 11); Epli. 2: 5; Col. 2: 13) was lost," For the lost Christ (Matthew 1S• 11; Luke19: �- "And is found." The entire chapter in devoted to illustrating how God, through Christ, seeks out and finds the lost. "And they began to be merry." Nothing brings such joy as returning to God, to obedience to God's law, to accepting as Saviour God's only begotten son. See Mate' thew 2: 10; Luke 15; 7; Acts 8: 8. "Affection is something over which we have no control. It is something you have or haven't, like red hair." -=Clarence Buddington ICelland. emostammaccerot THE ZYAT KISS.—Strange Suspicion. "Dead?" she exclaimed huskily. I nodded.. , . The girl closed hor oyes, and uttered a low moan, swaying dliEl�y a o ,