dinneratmyplace (original) (raw)

New on my table...	[Dec. 26th, 2008|06:11 pm]Dinner at my place?
[**mood** |content]I posted the dimensions of my diningroom table and hinted strongly that I wanted some new linen for it...A member of our extended family has come through for me and there is now a BEAUTIFUL lace table cloth planning to make it's debut! Being in my home town for the holidays gave me the chance to drive over to one of my favoite antique shops. I was in search of more salt cellars for my collection, serving dishes, etc... Having gotten some real treasures there in the past I was really looking forward to it, but alas, they building was empty and dark.I drove around to some of the other places in the area, where I have scored treasures in the past, but few were open, and none had anything that really appealed to me. On the upside, my aunt gave me more vintage kitchen gadgets and a stack of cast iron pans. My mother bought me a new set of everyday dishes for my kitchen. (12 full place settings) Not sure it was a pattern I would have chosen, but they will be an improvement over the 12 year old mismash of dishes I am currently using for dailyware.I am thinking of hosting some sort of New Years event and showing off the new additions. I have a set of glass party dishes with snowflakes cut into the glass, very 1950's, that would be perfect for some sort of cocktail event. It might be too late though, the invitations would needed to have gone out weeks ago. Maybe some thing informal? Any excuse for a dinner party!
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The etiquette of a one night stand...	[Oct. 12th, 2006|02:06 pm]Dinner at my place?
[mood** |amused] [music**	Miss Murder-AFI]Etiquette Guide Offers Sleaze Tips for Posh GirlsBy KATE KELLANDLONDON (Reuters) - For hundreds of years, Debrett's has guided Britain's aristocracy through the niceties of meeting royalty, going to the races or eating soup in the correct way.Now the publishers of the bible of blue-blooded behavior are straying into previously unmentionable areas of the life of a modern girl -- with a new book offering guidance on adultery, toplessness and celebrity gossip.The first edition of Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage -- known in Britain as the "toff's bible" was published in 1769, and its tome on manners, Debrett's Correct Form, has guided high society for decades.But according to its editor, Jo Aitchison, the new book "Etiquette for Girls" is a sign that the traditional arbiters of civility are catching up with the times."It's a nod to the modern day," she told Reuters. "We're pulling Debrett's out of Victorian times and trying to make it relevant to today." The book's advice ranges from how to conduct a sleaze-free office fling or a disease-free one night stand, to how to smoke at social occasions and what to do when you meet a celebrity."Avoid dark-alley gropery and unladylike fumbling in the back of a cab," the guide says on the subject of one night stands. "Discuss the necessaries to avoid planting any love children or disease, and you're away."On smoking it decrees: "Always use a proper ashtray -- never a wine bottle, flower pot or used plate -- and avoid allowing smoke to billow out of the nostrils. It is also inelegant to leave the cigarette unsupported in the mouth..."But Aitchison insists the book is not all about sex, lies and partying. The core values of Debrett's remain -- elegance, composure and dignity are all important, whether you are dining with the Queen or cheating on your husband."We are trying to give girls confidence to behave in the correct way," she told Reuters. "It's a bit like a survival guide for modern life, so we have had to include certain subject matters that are new for Debrett's."The world of celebrity is "peopled by psycho fans and fame hags," the book says, and is best treated with caution.As well as advice on affairs, Aitchison points out that the book also includes suggestions on less risque subjects: How to behave properly on the way to work -- "don't sit on the bus and bellow down your mobile phone" -- and what to take to a music festival -- "earplugs and a pillow." 10/02/06 08:20 ET
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NOVEMBER CLASS	[Sep. 8th, 2006|09:22 am]Dinner at my place?
[Tags**|class] [Current Location**	keyboard] [mood	awake]The yahoo group has had some recent activity showing that there is definite interest in a FORMAL DINING CLASS during November.There are some very significant requirements in order for it to occur, not all of which I'm familiar with. I'd like to ask feefie1 to help with listing the 'stuff' we need to have in place in order to accommodate a class.We should then determine a good way to choose a date and gather committed RSVP's for the class. A poll?
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New books	[Aug. 13th, 2006|05:11 pm]Dinner at my place?
[mood |productive] [music	street noise in front of the store]The Rituals of Dinner: Visser, Margaret Actually looks like a serious read. A history/anthropology of dining rituals. definitely NOT an afternoon read at the beach.In The Royal Manner by Paul Burrell I knew this would be more of a bling book than something of practical value... but it was $0.79. He did have one or two good pieces of advice. The vast majority of the book appears to be a cook book. The Little Book of Etiquette by Dorothea JohnsonThis is actually a "miniature" book... well, not to scale miniature, but one of those little books they keep up by the register for impulse buying. I bought it as a gift for fbplayr23, not because she needs it, but because I wanted her to feel included in my planning for this sort of thing.These are the books that arrived earlier in the week that folks asked for pictures of...The Perfect Setting by Wolfman, Peri; Gold, Charles Absolutely beautiful, inspiring. Roberts' Guide for Butlers and Household Staff (Paperback) by Robert RobertsI expect I will quote from this book often. A bit of a dry read, it is clearly from an era where excellent service was expected. Summer is nearly over, I guess I should get busy with my summer reading.
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First post - wish I had something interesting	[Aug. 2nd, 2006|12:25 pm]Dinner at my place?
Ohhh ohhh ohhh. I get the first post. :)Hopefully this will be a valuable resource, and one which we all will find useful over the long haul.Initially, I think I would like to see someone post a drawing of the proper way to set a table. Here's one I found. I'm sure there are more.Ok. Gotta run. This was fun!
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