Foods and home making

Figure 37, B. A Host’s Cover Arranged to Serve the Main Course at a Family Breakfast Note the position of the breakfast plates, baking dish, and serving spoon. 113 Breakfast 1 14 creamer, sugar, cups, and saucers are placed near the beverage pot. The hot cocoa or coffee pot will mar the table if a tile stand or plate is not placed under it. The sugar spoon rests on the table beside the sugar bowl. The spoon is not placed in the sugar bowl until the spoon is dipped into the sugar. When the table is set, all silver for serving food should be placed beside, not in the dish in which it is to be used. After the piece of silver has been used in serving the food, it must, of course, be placed in the serving dish. The serving dishes should be distributed evenly over the table. The table should not appear crowded in any one spot. Should all dishes for serving be placed on the dining table when the table is set? While the fruit and cereal are being eaten, the eggs would doubtless become cold if they were put on the dining table before the meal w’as served. In order to serve foods hot we usually do not place all of them on the table before the meal is served. However, all the dishes needed in serving should be put in a convenient place. Plates and other dishes on which hot foods are to be served should be placed in the warming oven. Busy persons have no time to wait in the morning. We may place the dishes for the first course on the table before the guests are seated, if the food is to be served cold. When should the butter be put on the table and the water poured? How should the chairs be placed? The butter and water should be put on the table just before the meal is served. It is especially necessary to wait until the last minute in warm weather. Water glasses should be filled three-quarters full. Place a chair at each cover. Let the front edge of the seat be on a line with the edge of the table. The chair should be arranged so that a person can be seated without moving his chair. A Breakfast Menu — Setting the Table 115 SUMMARY Definitions : A menu is a list of foods forming a meal. A course is a portion of the foods of a menu which are served at one time. A cover is the linen, glassware, silver, and china that are placed on the table for each person when the table is set. A silence cloth is the heavy cloth or padding placed underneath the table cloth to deaden the sound and protect the table. Setting a cover : In center — plate At right — knives, spoons, tumbler at tip of knife At left — forks, napkin, bread and butter plate at tip of fork. General serving dishes : Near host’s cover — platter and other serving dishes of main course ; carving knife and tablespoons at right ; carving fork at left. Near hostess’s cover — cups and saucers, creamer, and sugar bowl, beverage pot at right of cover. REVIEW QUESTIONS AND EXERCISES 1. Make a list of the silver and dishes placed at the right of the plate of each cover when setting the table. 2. Make a list of the silver and dishes placed at the left of the plate of each cover when setting the table. 3. Where may the napkins be placed? 4. If you were serving omelet for breakfast, where would you put the tablespoon with which to serve the omelet when you were setting the table ? After the tablespoon had been used for serving where should it be placed ?