These plates are small, and are used for the breads and hors d'oeuvres. The food At luncheon the soup is served in cups, and, where conises the guests are seated at the table, roasts are seldom presented, the meats being served in the form of chops, or individual portions; otherwise, the service is the same as at dinner. LUNCHEONS 7 At buffet luncheons large cold roasts are used, and ordinarily not more than one or two hot dishes are served, such as bouillon, creamed oysters, or cro- quettes. Cold fish, cold joints, gelatines, and salads make the substantial part of the luncheon. All the dishes, including the ices, are placed on the buffet table at once, and no order is observed in respect to courses, each person making his own selection. On these occasions the gentlemen serve the ladies, and but little extra household service is needed. AYhere the guests are seated at small tables the service is the same as if all were seated at one table, and a number of servants are required. There should always be enough waiters to serve the meal quickly. An hour and a half is the extreme limit of time that guests should be kept at the table. Seven or eight courses are all that should be pre- sented, and these should be served quickly, but with- out apparent haste. The days of long feasting are passed. People of to-day vtxlue their health and time too much to sit for hours at a time at the table. The meal should be over before there is any fatigue or dullness ; but on the Avord of Brillat-Savarin, an accepted authority on gastronomic subjects, it is safe to detain guests at the table for one hour. He says : "La table est le seul endroit ofi Ton ne s'ennuie jamais pendant la premiere heure." GARNISHING AND DISHING MEATS One celebrated French chef says : " II f aut viser a charmer les yeux des gourmet avant d'en satisfaire 8 LUNCHEONS le gout"; and another, in giving advice to begin- ners, says: "A cooli should have that artistic feeling which imparts to everything, great and small, that harmony of style which captivates the eye. This necessity is well recognized by every good cook, and such a one tries to give dishes the inviting appearance justly demanded by epicures. It is not necessary that the dish belong to the category which in cooking parlance is termed "high class," for the simplest one comes under the same rule and is capa- ble of being raised to a higher rank by careful dish- ing and tasteful garnishing. The greatest cooks are renowned for such specialties. It is said of Soyer, "for dishing up he was entitled to celebrity"; and of Careme, "he excelled in every- thing requiring perfect taste, and dealt in a new and very effective manner with the ornamentation of large cold dishes." There is nothing which so quickly indicates the grade of the cook as the manner in which she serves her dishes. One who has no pride in her work seldom takes time for ornamentation, though garnishing is the simplest part of her duty. A¥hen, however, at- tention is given to this branch, even though the result may not be perfect, it gives promise of better things, and one may confidently predict for the cook who thus shows desire to do well that she will attain a higher degree of excellence in her profession. There is no class of dishes, from breads to desserts, which are not more appetizing when made attractive in ap- pearance. It has been said that "eyes do half the eating," and as no expense need be incurred in the indulgence of tasteful arrangement of the dishes, there seems to be no reason why the simplest table LUNCHEONS 9

AI-modernized reading of the original text

These plates are small, and are used for the breads and hors d'oeuvres. The food At luncheon the soup is served in cups, and, where the guests are seated at the table, roasts are seldom presented, the meats being served in the form of chops, or individual portions; otherwise, the service is the same as at dinner. At buffet luncheons large cold roasts are used, and ordinarily not more than one or two hot dishes are served, such as bouillon, creamed oysters, or croquettes. Cold fish, cold joints, gelatines, and salads make the substantial part of the luncheon. All the dishes, including the ices, are placed on the buffet table at once, and no order is observed in respect to courses, each person making his own selection. On these occasions the gentlemen serve the ladies, and but little extra household service is needed. AYhere the guests are seated at small tables the service is the same as if all were seated at one table, and a number of servants are required. There should always be enough waiters to serve the meal quickly. An hour and a half is the extreme limit of time that guests should be kept at the table. Seven or eight courses are all that should be presented, and these should be served quickly, but without apparent haste. The days of long feasting are passed. People of to-day value their health and time too much to sit for hours at a time at the table. The meal should be over before there is any fatigue or dullness ; but on the word of Brillat-Savarin, an accepted authority on gastronomic subjects, it is safe to detain guests at the table for one hour. He says : "La table est le seul endroit où l'on ne s'ennuie jamais pendant la première heure." GARNISHING AND DISHING One celebrated French chef says : " II f aut viser a charmer les yeux des gourmet avant d'en satisfaire le gout"; and another, in giving advice to beginners, says: "A cooli should have that artistic feeling which imparts to everything, great and small, that harmony of style which captivates the eye. This necessity is well recognized by every good cook, and such a one tries to give dishes the inviting appearance justly demanded by epicures. It is not necessary that the dish belong to the category which in cooking parlance is termed "high class," for the simplest one comes under the same rule and is capable of being raised to a higher rank by careful dishing and tasteful garnishing. The greatest cooks are renowned for such specialties. It is said of Soyer, "for dishing up he was entitled to celebrity"; and of Careme, "he excelled in everything requiring perfect taste, and dealt in a new and very effective manner with the ornamentation of large cold dishes." There is nothing which so quickly indicates the grade of the cook as the manner in which she serves her dishes. One who has no pride in her work seldom takes time for ornamentation, though garnishing is the simplest part of her duty. When, however, attention is given to this branch, even though the result may not be perfect, it gives promise of better things, and one may confidently predict for the cook who thus shows desire to do well that she will attain a higher degree of excellence in her profession. There is no class of dishes, from breads to desserts, which are not more appetizing when made attractive in appearance. It has been said that "eyes do half the eating," and as no expense need be incurred in the indulgence of tasteful arrangement of the dishes, there seems to be no reason why the simplest table

Luncheons