Sterling Silver Flatware & Entertaining/party planning

[fernande]

Hi guys- (bartenders feel free to move this, if you think it goes better in another spot)

I've been immersing myself in vintage entertaining books and antique etiquette and cooking/baking books. It is, really, an art. My mother is quite versed in these things, and its only now in my adulthood that I even cared for a second about the subject of entertaining.

Of course some things are quite difficult to do, especially since most of us gals have careers that demand more attention that floral design and table settings, but I find it an interesting glimpse into the past.

Anyways, this goes to my question. Besides the obvious ones- (ie modern, like Martha Stewart) Have you ever picked up a truly interesting entertaining book you'd recommend?

And the to my other question. I've been seriously thinking about buying a set of sterling silver flatware. I suppose some of you might have been LUCKY to inherit one or get one as a wedding gift (Not me! eloped to vegas! my brother got the monogrammed silver- as his name was stayin' the same! )
I've been reading up on the various makers and eras, like Wallace, Birks, Towle, Westmoreland, and Gorham- and have decided of course, I'll buy vintage (the $6,000.00 new sets are just too much)
Does anyone have a pattern they like? Or a manufacturer?

It is totally not necessary- but I'm smitten and now am just scouring the internet and antique shops to find a full set, I can reasonably afford.

I love the old films wih the extravagant SETTINGS and fifteen course meals-(and of course such settings like "what do I do with 5 forks" is often parodied in films..) I thought it would be fun to do a party with some friends "all fancy like"- ha

anyways, love to hear from anyone on the matter. Or about any parties they've planned with a more formal "theme"...

 

[GCHughes]

Entertaining with vintage tablewear

Have you checked out Antiques for then Modern Table by Chefetz? Very elaborate table settings.

I've been collecting vintage tablewear for about 15-16 years. (My Grandmother had a shop that sold high end crystal, silver and china.) My sterling pattern is Overture by National from 1936. China is Glendon by Noritake (I inheirited a 12 place setting set from my mother since neither of my sisters wanted it.) Crystal is a grey cut clover on an Cambridge blank. You can see photos of these patterns at Replacements. ltd. Vintage tablewear is smaller than pieces made today. I've found great deals on vintage tableclothes and napkins on eBay.

Here are pictures of our Winter Holidays Open House:

http://picasaweb.google.com/LA90046/ARoyaltonChristmas2007?authkey

There are a couple of pictures of the buffet table (ok,ok I'm not so big on "presentation.")

 

[Candied violets]

Neither of these books are strictly about entertaining but they offer a wealth of general information. The first is "Finishing Touches" by Anne Oliver. It was written in 1990 but Mrs. Oliver ran "L'Ecole des Ing?©nues" in Atlanta and thus it reads like something from another era. She'll tell you what silver pieces to start with, what can wait and how to tell quality. She'll also tell you what weight and size of paper you should use from your paper trousseau to write the invitations on and whether or not they should be in the third person -- among many other things.

Secondly I recommend Stanley Ager's "The Butler's Guide." This is a wonderful book written by a butler that served from 1922 to 1975. He'll tell you how to care for silver, china, linens, and everything else the proper old school way.

 

[dhermann1]

There's a cook book called "Dinner in the Diner", that has recipes from all the old passenger railroads. Many of the recipes are not worth bothering with, but some are great. There's a recipe from the Southern Pacific for cantaloupe pie, and an ELABORATE explanation of how to make the perfect baked potato, from the Great Northern Railway (which of course ran through Idaho).
It's amazing to see what our ancestors thought of as "fancy" eating. Pretty plain stuff, by and large, but wholesome. The book also shows sample menus.