FoodNet

A manual of home-making

1919

Page 130

Presented as published in 1919. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
Spoons may be placeil at tlie right of the knife or in front of the plate with handles toward the right hand. Tlie knife and ^ fork neareist the plate should be far enough apart to permit the ■ largest plate used at the meal to be set tetween them without pushing them out of place. They should not be spread unneces- sarily far apart. All the silver in one group should Ix^ compactly M placed. " The glass may be placed at the tip of the knife and slightly to the right. There is no reason why it should not be placed at the tip of the fork and slightly to the left if preferred in that place. The butter-plate may be placet! at the tip of the fork and slightly to the left. Butter-plate and glass may be made to change phices if preferred. I TABLE SETTING AND SERVING 243 The napkin may be placed at the left of the forks, at the right of the knives, in the center of the cover, or in front of tlie cover, according to convenience. The napkins should Ik? so placed that the corners of each face the same way, if they have been so ironed that this is possible. The pUite. — If m plate is set at the individual cover before the meal begins, it sliould l)e phccd J^ to 1 inch from the edge of the table. This is to prevent danger of tipping through any thoughtless movement of the individual Relalion of covers. — All the glasses on one side of the table should be in a straight line. The same is true for butter-plates, silver, and napkins or other utensils. On looking down the table, a straight hue running from the center of one utensil fihoukl strike the center of tlie next utensil of the same kind. This makes a well-ortlered, trim table. If each side of the table has the same number of covers, the center of each cover on ouc side should be exactly opposite the center of the cover on the other side. The ends of the handles of all the silver used at the covers shoukl be J 2 t^ ?4 ^^^^ from the edge of the table and should be in a straight Une. This is a basic principle of good design. General equipmenL There is a certain amount of general equipment which must go on each table. This varies with the simplicity of the meal and with the formality of the service. As fonuality decreases, food is left to be served on the table. If possible, salt-contaioers should be allowed for each two persons and shoukl be placed inconspicuously and within reach of each. If jelly or pickles are placed on the table* a dish of jelly at one end and at one side of the table may balance a dish of pickles at the ofhcT end and on the other side of the table. If spoons or forks are placctl for starving thcvse, they should be i>lar(Hl straight aotl parallel with the silver at the sides or ends of the tablci not on the bias. A good general rule is not to cross any of the extra silver to ^ 244 A MANUAL OF UOME-MAKING he used for servinjcj; and never to place it on a bias line. If^ 1 exariiple, a .small butter-spreader is u.sed, it should be placed < the butter-plate parallel to all the other silver, or placed next^ to f he other knives. The reason for straipjhtness is f^otjd dcj^ign.