Twentieth century home cook book

15. Never hesitate about taking the last piece of anything passed to you; it is a poor compliment to your host to suppose he has not made ample provision. 16. Only among the Hottentots and Bushmen is smacking the lips, and making other unseemly noises while eating, considered correct. 17. Wine should be sipped slowly, not swallowed at a single draught. 18. Toasts and healths are out of fashion. 19. Hold the glass by the stem, not the bowl. 20. Port and sherry, not port wine and sherry wine, are correct terms in speak- ing of these beverages. 21. Vegetables should be passed and taken singly — two kinds should never appear on the waiter at once, though the plate may be helped to the two kinds which may accompany each course. 22. Plates should be changed after each meat and pastry. 23. Pork never figures among the dinner dishes. 24. Cut the meat upon your plate as cleanly as possible from the bones, but never hold the latter in your fingers to eat from. 386 TWENTIETH CENTURY HOME COOK BOOK. 25. Never use your owu knife or fork to help yourself to butter, or to any dish that may be passed or placed near you. 2('. A plate should never be c)\'erloaded. 27. Never play with knife, fork, spoon, glass or food, nor move about in your seat. 28. Never appear to be making a selection of any food passed to you — take the first that comes to hand. 29. Never talk while the mouth is full, and at no time monopolize the conversa- tion ; remember good listeners are always appreciated — never laugh nor talk loudly. 30. Never ask to be helped a second time to any dish ; if it is passed to you unsolicited, you may help yourself. 31. Never tilt your chair, slouch around in it, nor lean your elbows on the table. 32. Never tilt plate, glass, nor dish, to drain the last morsel. 33. Do not thank, and above all things do not, as some would-be fashionables sometimes do, apologize to the waiters for troubling them — they are paid for their service and are merely performing their duties, for which no man expects thanks. XIII, Wines at Formal and Ofl&cial Dinners. At a formal dinner wine is deemed necessary with each course. The best plan is to place upon the table, between each pair of guests, "caraffes," or open decanters of white glass, filled with the mild red wine, which is always the one most used. At each plate four or five wineglasses, of different shapes and sizes, are placed ; for each wine has both bottles and glasses appropriate to it alone. With the raw oysters the servant fills the glasses with chablis, or other white wine. After the soup, sherry is served; with the fish, the white wine again; with the meats, champagne, or other sparkling white wine. After the meats and pastry a higher grade of claret (red wine from Bordeaux), Burgundy, port, or a liqueur may be given. Red Wine Served Warm. — All red wines must be served warm ; say as warm, or a little warmer, than the room in which you sit. Cold red wine has no flavor and is a barbarism. It is better to have it too warm than too cold, and if there is any danger of this, place the bottles in a tub of lukewarm water. White wine must be served cold; sparkling wines, ver}^ cold indeed. Never put ice in a wine- glass ; it is simplj^ ridiculous, spoils the flavor of the wine, looks awkward, and shows want of knowlege of the world. These Occasions Rare.— What has been said about the variety of wines ap- plies only to formal dinners, in houses where the host is rich, and the servants can be relied upon to carry out a formal dinner without making it a burlesc]ue. Such houses are rare in America, and the occasions rarer, except for people whose oflicial position calls for this class of entertainment.