Now, it would not do to seat an American crowd to a genuine Dutch supper, in all its glory of limburger and sour-kraut, but relieve it of the disagreeables, and a menu, not fancy, but simple and eatable, remains.
The table must be covered with the whitest of linen, while the decorations should be blue and red, thus to combine effectively Holland's national colors, which, by the way, are not the same as our own.
The center is occupied by a great dish of stuffed eggs, garnished with parsley, the green sprays trailing on the cloth; as a companion to this, there is a large platter of thinly sliced ham, cold, but the "weinies" must be steaming hot. Then there is a salmon salad encircled by water cress or nasturtium leaves, and at intervals, dainty mounds of potato salad. Tomatoes with French dressing (with onions would be more in keeping), small saucers of cheese, sweet and sour pickles, olives, slaw (instead of sour-kraut), bread, in layers of white and brown, and last, but by no means least, smear-kase, served individually.
Pretzels and fruits, which may include any and all kinds, form the dessert, and can be most artistically arranged by a tasteful person with deft fingers.
Beer, in mugs, is, of course, the correct beverage, but the lighter wines are also permissable.
One charming feature of the supper is that it is served cold and all together, which leaves the hostess free to enjoy her guests without fear that something will go wrong in the culinary department.
Now, like everything else, the Dutch supper can be made elaborate, and the bill of fare extended and put in courses, but a friendly gathering about a homely meal, where one naturally feels at ease, will appeal to most as preferable.