Fashionable Edwardian Lunches

For a luncheon sweet, if one be tired of the Coupe Jacques so excellent here, the order for two should be one Savarin with cerise d’espagne, which means in plain American “a ring of sponge cake” made without baking powder; it gets its fluffiness from yeast and eggs. Over the cake and soaking into it is a sauce made of fruit syrup flavored with Maraschino and the hole is filled with whipped and sweetened cream garnished profusely with Spanish cherries and leaves of angelica. —
Image of Coupe Jacques courtesy of Pinterest

If one has plenty of time it is quite “the thing” to take luncheon with a friend, Dutch treat or American, at one of the hotels on Fifth avenue. In spite of reports to the contrary it does not cost much more to lunch here in quiet elegance than it does on the top floor of our noisy department stores. The surroundings here are in harmony with one’s self respect and the feeling of satisfaction is well worth the few dimes’ difference. 

Among the specialties here, not too expensive for the ordinary woman, are “eggs Posen.” This dish consists of toast upon which reposes, in a pond of pale tomato sauce flavored with truffles, some stewed oyster crabs-only a few topped by a beautifully poached egg. Another dish is “egg Valentine,” which is something like the above with fresh crab meat as a substitute for the oyster crabs and a sauce Hollandaise in place of the tomato sauce. The best of all their egg dishes for those who can't abide oyster crabs, is “eggs Benedict.” These appear in pairs, the foundation being muffins split and toasted. On top of them are thin slices of broiled ham and the whole is surrounded with Hollandaise sauce enriched by butter and eggs. A poached or daintily fried egg surmounts this.

For a luncheon sweet, if one be tired of the Coupe Jacques so excellent here, the order for two should be one Savarin with cerise d’espagne, which means in plain American “a ring of sponge cake” made without baking powder; it gets its fluffiness from yeast and eggs. Over the cake and soaking into it is a sauce made of fruit syrup flavored with Maraschino and the hole is filled with whipped and sweetened cream garnished profusely with Spanish cherries and leaves of angelica. One order of each of the egg dishes is enough for two if some other substantial dish is ordered at the same time. A salad mayonnaise makes a good combination or a simple salad Romaine if the other be too hearty.

After such a luncheon, suppose we dine late over on Broadway. We will order stuffed red peppers and we will get along with our piece de resistance, as a vegetable, fresh or canned red peppers filled with bread moistened with cream, rich with butter and bristling with chopped fresh mushrooms. These are served like a pyramid, upside down, in a delicious sauce seasoned with fresh tomato. The salad chiffonade here too is novel as it is made of strange materials and tastes far better than the thing by the same name elsewhere.— From The Housekeeper, 1905

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia

Etiquette Humor for the Weekend

"Manners is manners an' I always taught you manners when you was a young one. I wouldn't let you grab for the biggest piece o' pie on the plate an' I wouldn't let you spill, and when you drunk. I made you drink quiet.

A Lesson in Manners

"I wish you wouldn't pa." said the oldest girl. "Wish I wouldn't what?" asked the plain citizen. "Eat with your knife," replied the daughter; "It's so __________."  "So what?" asked the old gentleman, knitting his shaggy brows. "So unconventional." "Now, lookee here." said the plain citizen. "I'm 60 years old and getting older every minute, but I'm not too old to learn. If you can show me any way of gettin' gravy up to my month with my fork I'm willing to try it. I've got to use a knife," "People don't do it, pa." "You're mistaken about that I know a heap o' people that do it" "But not refined people, pa." "Ireeny," said the plain citizen, you make me tired. I b'lieve in being polite when there's sense to it."

"Manners is manners an' I always taught you manners when you was a young one. I wouldn't let you grab for the biggest piece o' pie on the plate an' I wouldn't let you spill, and when you drunk. I made you drink quiet. You wasn't allowed to wipe your month on the tablecloth or speak with your mouth full. Them's manners. Juss so long's I keep my own knife on my own vittles, I claim that it's my own business whether I put it in my mouth or not —ain't it?" "Well, perhaps it is, but ..." 

"There isn't any 'but' about it. When I took you to the city last fall there was a feller setting at a table in the restaurant where we was, dressed to kill he was, too, and when he got through eating he lit up a cigareet —and wimmin' setting right there— 'member that?" "Yes, but..." "No 'but' about it. If he'd ben a boy o' mine, I'd have jerked him out o' the room and taught him manners. When that fam'ly was stayin' with us last summer you fussed because I sat down to the table in my shirtsleeves. The man he set down without even a vest and that was all right. I think it was all right, too, but why is muslin any more improper than blue and white striped flannel, and how is a belt any better than suspenders? They're both to hold the pants up." 

"Why, pa!" "I hope you don't mean to say that pants is unconventional!" "Ireeny, you talk a lot of poppycock. I'm willing to be polite, as I said, but I'm going to use common sense about it, and I'm going to eat with my knife as much as I dern please and I don't want to hear any more out of you about it. Understand that, don't you, Ireeny?" "Yes, pa," replied the daughter.  —Chicago Daily News, 1905

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J Graber, is the Site Moderator and Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia