I enjoy collecting old cookbooks, and pick them up at yard sales and flea markets whenever I can. Each Saturday, I post excerpts from my collection. Today’s post comes from the Sergeantsville Methodist Episcopal Church 1922 Cook Book. I find it interesting that there is a section on proper dinner service at the front of what is otherwise a rather unstructured cookbook; it’s an excellent example of how our dinner-table priorities have changed over the course of time.

SERVICE

The carving set and knife and fork rests should be laid in front of the host. The host serves the fish and meat.

The soup ladle should be placed in front of the hostess, handle to the right. The hostess should serve the soup, salad, desert [sic] and coffee, and usually the vegetables.

The soup spoons should be placed at the right of the knives at each place, bowls up.

When passing a dish, hold it so that the thumb will not rest upon the upper surface.

The waitress should stand at the back of the hostess, or while the meat is being carved, at the back of the host. She should take each plate from the left as it is ready to serve, in her right hand, and place it before the person for whom it is intended. Everything is served at the left, except liquids in glasses, or cups and saucers.

In passing dishes from which a person is to help himself, pass always to the left side, so that the food may be taken with the right hand.

All soiled dishes should be removed from the left. The waitress should never pile one dish upon another.

When one course is finished, soiled dishes should be removed first, then food, then clean dishes, then crumbs.