He announces all the meals, serves the dinner, does all the carving. If he is assisted, he serves the principal dishes, and the assistant serves the vegetables and sauces.
He is responsible for the safety of the silver, for the arrangement of the flowers and fruits, and for the proper serving of the wines. He has full charge of all refreshments served in the evening and is responsible for the locking of the house at night.
He alternates with the footman or waitress in answering the bell in the evening.
GARNISHINGS
It has been said that “what appeals to the eye generally appeals to the palate.”
Use care and taste in serving; dainty service will make the simplest food most attractive.
Never allow any food which looks unsightly to be served. Toasted bread, burned on one side, may take away the appetite, but toasted a golden brown on both sides, with crusts cut off and then cut in strips and served in between the folds of a fresh doily, will appeal to the most fastidious.
Parsley is always used to garnish meats. Meats should be skewered into shapely pieces before being cooked, and served on dishes to display them well.