PREFACE

The papers entitled “The Expert Waitress” are intended rather as a working model than as a set of rules from which there is no appeal. It is recognized that tastes and opinions vary as much as do the various dining-rooms in which they are expressed. In writing these papers, one idea has been kept in mind: No rule has been laid down that has not a good reason for its existence.

Some things, desirable in themselves, have been omitted because they are not possible to one pair of hands and feet, even when guided by a well-regulated brain.

CONTENTS

PAGE
BREAKFAST[1]
LUNCHEON[14]
DINNER[22]
SUPPER[32]
AFTERNOON TEA[39]
PIC-NIC AND TRAVELLING LUNCHEONS[42]
CARE OF DINING-ROOM[44]
CARE OF PANTRY[49]
WASHING DISHES[53]
CARE OF SILVER, ETC.[59]
LAMPS[61]
CARVING[65]
CARE OF CARVERS[72]
GENERAL RULES[73]
MISCELLANEOUS INSTRUCTIONS[77]
USEFUL SUGGESTIONS[92]
IN THE INVALID’S ROOM[99]
TRUTHFULNESS IN THE WAITRESS[106]
ADAPTABILITY[113]
A SERVANT’S CONTRACT[121]