Nothing preoccupied the mind of an Edwardian hostess so much as planning a dinner party. From matters of food and drink, to table service, to the guest list and matters of precedence, every detail was of the utmost importance, and a dinner of tepid or cold food, of dull guests, and of the seating ar[...]
Posts Tagged ‘dining’
May 14th, 2009 - 10:38 pm § in London
Promenades Through London: The Strand
In the manner of New York City’s Broadway, the hub of London theatre and nightlife was The Strand. A famous music hall song of the period entitled “Let’s All Go Down The Strand” sums up the general exhilaration tourists and Londoners alike experienced along this slice of the [...]
May 4th, 2009 - 6:00 am § in Food
Setting the Table
The evolution of formal dining begins in the medieval era, where dining became a sign of social status. At that time, the table setting included the Salt Cellar, which was the first thing put on the table. The salt was far more than a condiment–to sit above the salt was to sit in the place [..[...]
April 27th, 2009 - 6:00 am § in New York City
The Waldorf-Astoria
The Waldorf-Astoria was born from a feud. As we explored in the discussion of New York’s Four Hundred, after the death of her father-in-law, Mrs. William B. Astor Jr (Caroline) declared herself “Mrs. Astor”, to the fury of her nephew William Waldorf Astor who felt that his wife sho[...]
