The rules that should govern the serving and garnish- ing of food are founded upon common sense, and can be compressed into a few words: Use platters larger than are necessary for merely holding the food to be served, so there may be space on them for garnishing material, without having to place it against the food, or at the extreme edge of the platter. In garnishing aim to produce some distinctive effect — either of harmony or contrast— and be careful to garnish lightly. Edibles alone should be used for garnishing material, and only such edibles as are palatable with the food they are used to garnish. Elaborate decoration of food, like elaborate decoration in any direction, is indicative of an uncultured taste ; and ribbons or paper, in such connection, are out of place and have a cheap and tawdry appearance. 315 CHAPTER XXV. CARVING. A DULL knife and a platter of insufficient size are the dread of a skilled carver. To insure success in carving, the carving knife must be sharp and the platter upon which a fish, fowl, or joint of meat is sent to table large enough to hold the article served upon it and leave sufficient space besides for the different portions when carved. It is in accordance with common sense to either sit or stand at table while carving and serving, and is therefore good form for one so engaged to take whichever position may be most conducive to comfort and effective work. To Carve a Turkey. — Place the turkey on its back on the platter with the head at the left. Stick the fork firmly into the flesh astride the breast-bone. Separate the wings from the body at the shoulders. Cut off the legs or drumsticks at the lower joint. Insert the point of the carving knife close to the thigh joint and cut through the flesh of the thigh or second joint, parallel with the bone, its entire length on both sides of the bone, leaving a strip of flesh not much wider than the bone, attached to it. Put the point of the knife under the end of this bone and turn it back, thus separating it from the body at the joint. After the wings and legs and the bones from the second joint have been removed, 316 Carving. 3^7 carve the meat from the breast and sides of the fowl in thin sHces, cutting across the grain as long as well-shaped slices can be obtained. Take off the wish-bone by put- ting the knife under it at the front of the breast-bone and turning it back. Slip the knife under the end of the shoulder blade, tip the bone over, and remove it. Cut through the cartilage which divides the ribs, and sepa- rate the back from the breast. Turn the back, skin side upward. Lay the edge of the knife across it just below the ribs, lift up the tail end with the fork, and thus di- vide the back into two pieces. Place the fork in the middle of the back-bone and free the side-bone by cut- ting close to the back-bone from one end to the other. This completes the carving, and leaves the turkey in such condition that the different portions can be served as desired. If the entire turkey is not needed at a meal, only such part of it as is wanted should be carved. The method of carving other fowls is similar in most respects to that of carving a turkey.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

The rules that should govern the serving and garnishing of food are founded upon common sense, and can be compressed into a few words: Use platters larger than are necessary for merely holding the food to be served, so there may be space on them for garnishing material, without having to place it against the food, or at the extreme edge of the platter. In garnishing aim to produce some distinctive effect — either of harmony or contrast— and be careful to garnish lightly. Edibles alone should be used for garnishing material, and only such edibles as are palatable with the food they are used to garnish. Elaborate decoration of food, like elaborate decoration in any direction, is indicative of an uncultured taste ; and ribbons or paper, in such connection, are out of place and have a cheap and tawdry appearance. CHAPTER XXV. CARVING. A DULL knife and a platter of insufficient size are the dread of a skilled carver. To insure success in carving, the carving knife must be sharp and the platter upon which a fish, fowl, or joint of meat is sent to table large enough to hold the article served upon it and leave sufficient space besides for the different portions when carved. It is in accordance with common sense to either sit or stand at table while carving and serving, and is therefore good form for one so engaged to take whichever position may be most conducive to comfort and effective work. To Carve a Turkey. — Place the turkey on its back on the platter with the head at the left. Stick the fork firmly into the flesh astride the breast-bone. Separate the wings from the body at the shoulders. Cut off the legs or drumsticks at the lower joint. Insert the point of the carving knife close to the thigh joint and cut through the flesh of the thigh or second joint, parallel with the bone, its entire length on both sides of the bone, leaving a strip of flesh not much wider than the bone, attached to it. Put the point of the knife under the end of this bone and turn it back, thus separating it from the body at the joint. After the wings and legs and the bones from the second joint have been removed, Carving. 3^7 carve the meat from the breast and sides of the fowl in thin sHces, cutting across the grain as long as well-shaped slices can be obtained. Take off the wish-bone by putting the knife under it at the front of the breast-bone and turning it back. Slip the knife under the end of the shoulder blade, tip the bone over, and remove it. Cut through the cartilage which divides the ribs, and separate the back from the breast. Turn the back, skin side upward. Lay the edge of the knife across it just below the ribs, lift up the tail end with the fork, and thus divide the back into two pieces. Place the fork in the middle of the back-bone and free the side-bone by cutting close to the back-bone from one end to the other. This completes the carving, and leaves the turkey in such condition that the different portions can be served as desired. If the entire turkey is not needed at a meal, only such part of it as is wanted should be carved. The method of carving other fowls is similar in most respects to that of carving a turkey.

The art of cookery