Styles Of Serving Dinner

There are two distinct styles of serving a dinner: English and Russian; a third style, called by Mrs. Henderson "the compromise," emphasizes the best points of these two and is largely used, especially at "little dinners" and luncheons. The English style is that, with formalities omitted, which is usually seen every day at English, French, and American tables, in families where but one or, at most, two maids are employed. That is, the viands are served from the table, the hostess serving the soup, salad and dessert, and the host carving and serving the fish and roast.

When a dinner is served à la Russe, the host and hostess are as guests at their own table, and everything is served "from the side" - that is, passed by attendants. It is needless to add that a dinner thus served by capable attendants passes most expeditiously. Empty plates and those containing individual portions are set down and removed from the right, but serving dishes, from which one is to help himself, are presented on the flat of the hand, with a folded napkin between, at the left of each guest.

By the compromise plan or style, such dishes as the salad or dessert, which present a fine appearance and can be served quickly and without much effort, are served by the hostess, and a fish, for instance, easily separated into individual portions, is disposed by the host on the plates set down before him, one after another, by the waitress.

Vegetable dishes, platters holding entrees, salads or ices, are held, while being passed, on the hand of the waitress, with a folded napkin between the hand and the dish. Plates holding individual portions of soup, entrée, etc., bonbon dishes, small dishes of olives, salted almonds and the like are passed on a tray. Plates should be chilled for the salad and ice and thoroughly warmed for the hot dishes. Platters holding entrées, salads, etc., should not be overfilled; one third of the dish should be left free even of garnish. A single plate of soup or other article is to be carried at a time. Upon removing a plate that has been used, the one for the next course is put in its place, and, if silver be needed, this is laid at the side of the plate.

Authorities differ as to passing individual plates of soup, entrées, etc., on the tray. If the waitress is not sufficiently expert to carry them steadily on the flat of the hand, the tray is preferable. Soup plates should be half filled. Plates should be removed with the left and replaced with the right hand.