For those who love love love etiquette
Now-a-days, we tend to think of napkin folds as kitsch. If we fold at all, it’s to have an always-used, exceedingly plain, “signature fold”. This is posited as our own hallmark on the table, rather than an attempt at something dramatic or whimsical. Somehow, it is perceived as trying too hard if we create fancy…
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“The breakfasts at which we entertain are usually held at anytime from eleven-thirty o’clock to twelve-thirty o’clock. As a matter of fact, a wedding breakfast after a noon ceremony will probably not get under way until early afternoon. Hunt breakfasts usually take place about noon after the riders return and those Sunday morning breakfasts, which…
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Anyone who loves romantic period dramas, loves the idea of a ball. It’s so fanciful, with all those lovely dresses, white tie and top hats. I covered the differences between a Ball and a Dance in an earlier post, but now let’s look at the minutia of going to a ball by planning one. Where…
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Hello friends, File this tidbit of information under useless things – I graduated college with degrees in Art History and English. Yup. Two majors, not one with a job prospect attached to it. I can’t say I regret it. I loved studying Art History and English Literature. When you study a painting, you don’t just…
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Good morning! Well, it might not be morning, but since we’re going to discuss that first meal of the day, I give you the appropriate salutation. Here we’re going to talk about Breakfast. I’m going to divide this into multiple parts because up until less than fifty years ago, a breakfast could mean the meal…
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When you think of a cocktail party, you probably think of the 1960’s and in many senses you would be right. The 1960’s were the heyday of the home cocktail party. While we are living though a second golden age of cocktails, we generally go out to a bar or restaurant to drink, (at least…
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When we talk about modern informal service, we’re generally talking about dinner served at home with guests where servants are not used. Within informal service, there is the American Style and the English Style. American style also has a unique sub-category; Ranch or Country Style. We’ll be talking here about service only, not all the…
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Nut dishes are another item we rarely see on tables today, despite the fact they were used well into the 1980’s. Really coming into use during the high Victorian period, Nut dishes or nut cups were placed on the table in front of the place setting or in between place settings. Filled with nuts or…
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Here are a few rules for attending a formal dance. I’ve written most everything in the traditional “man asks a woman to dance” because it was clearer, but it can be transposed for any couple of any stripe. The man is merely the one who asks the other to dance, the girl the one who…
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We’re back with another reading from The Modern Art of Making Love by James S. Wilson, (1900). Here we learn how to flirt with the object of our affection using a handkerchief. Drawing across the lips – Desirous of an acquaintance. Drawing across the eyes – I am sorry. Taking it by the center –…
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