As you well know, vintage magazines are my one of my biggest indulgences. Copies of House Beautiful from the 1930s? Divine! Late Sixties issues of House & Garden? So Age of Aquarius! And Architectural Digest from the Seventies? Fantastic!! But the issues that, frankly, rather bore me are those from the 1950s and very early 1960s. The design mood of that era was a little bland. But what I do enjoy about magazines from those years are the entertaining features, because entertaining at home was serious business back then.
First, there were often suggested themes for sophisticated dinner parties and buffets. A flambé supper? Hmmm, maybe not, but I can get on board with a soup buffet supper or even an omelette party. (Hiring a chef to make those omelettes would be a must.)
Also, all of the accoutrements of gracious entertaining were encouraged, not pooh-poohed. Chafing dishes, coffee services, and casseroles were on full display in the magazine photos. And while I realize these photos were staged, many people had- and actually used- these kinds of table accessories for their at-home entertaining. Oh, and they dressed up for dinner, too. How novel.
As much as I pore over these old entertaining photos and wax rhapsodic over elegantly-set buffet tables of yesteryear, the reality is that I'm not going to host an elaborate buffet supper anytime soon. My excuses are lack of time, too much work, and a kitchen that is awaiting a renovation. But it certainly doesn't hurt to fantasize about being a hostess par excellence. Who knows? Maybe someday I just might host that omelette party.
My mom had quite a variety of chafing dishes. She never, ever entertained. Maybe with one aunt/uncle/cousin set for birthdays.
ReplyDeleteThose gelatin molds are something! That must have been a trend linked to the popularity of refrigerators.
Honestly, I think "elegant" and "buffet" are terms that don't ever go together. There is nothing elegant about walking alongside a table and trying to serve yourself while balancing your plate and holding your silverware.
On the other hand, we do flambé from time to time. It isn't a big deal.
Great post! Funny I've been thinking about aspic lately, might be nice for a summer luncheon 50s style!
ReplyDeleteI adore tomato aspic. So refreshing in the summer!
DeleteI remember my parents entertaining like this often; masses of china, crystal and silver to clean, polish and prepare, cases of wine and bottles of liquor and liqueurs and mixers to be bought, Menus to arrange and prepare, vases of flowers to be filled, nappery to be laid out, etcetera... It was all quite daunting and they accomplished it with military-like precision. When the guests arrived, my parents were coiffed and ready, presenting an air of warm welcome and nonchalance, as if the guests had just casually dropped in to find them at home, that belied the labor and planning required to stage these affairs - it was another era.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like your parents had entertaining down to a science, though executed in a casual-looking way. Impressive!
DeleteYou should have seen the picnics - like troop movements! Nothing is every deemed to difficult for my siblings and I, after having seen Mother marshal her battalions.
DeleteYour puny kitchen in no excuse, Jennifer! I recently redid my kitchen - the first new kitchen I've had in 50 years of adult living. I was thinking back to my first kitchens and how totally inadequate they were by today's standards. Yet, I turned out some amazing meals in those kitchens over the years. My tiny apt kitchen which was crowded for one, often also held my new husband as we cooked something we'd just seen Julia Child do on her Sun night TV show. We even baked bread together in that kitchen. My first house? Oh Lordy! When I think back, I realize it was horrid but I don't think I even realized it at the time. I still remember making crepes for 50 people for my first baby's christening brunch (125 crepes), and then making Julia Child's recipe for creamed chicken and creamed shrimp - fabulous! We had a dinner party at least once a month and yes, it was with all the best china and silver, the men wore coat and tie, and the ladies wore little black dresses with pearls - always stockings and heels. We had so little money that it was always BYOB! But we were stylish and elegant and my food was delicious.
ReplyDeleteNow, we have fabulous kitchens that no one uses. They are simply a "trophy". What a shame. At my age, and being a widow, I rarely entertain anyone but family but I do that several times a year, and yes, all the best things come out, because that's how we do things in our family. If one has them, why on earth not use and enjoy beautiful things? And yes, I do have a silver chafing dish - it was my mothers - she used it for the Swedish meatballs she always made for her Christmas buffet party.
I actually prefer a small kitchen, so I love the layout of my galley kitchen. My problem is that it got flooded a few months ago, and I'm still waiting to settle with the insurance company. Sadly, it's not really usable at the moment.
DeleteThere are no excuses for not entertaining. If you want to entertain and you have the personality traits that make you a good host no amount of work or kitchen remodel excuses would keep you from doing so.
ReplyDeleteHello Jennifer, My mother got lots of use out of her several chafing dishes, including the Swedish meatballs that SRB mentions. I wonder what happened to them? She is still a great cook, only sans chafing dish.
ReplyDeleteIn Asia, the equivalent of the chafing dish is the hot pot, and they are ubiquitous, from home versions to entire hot pot restaurants. Hot pots are like fondue, but use boiling soup to cook cut up food from meats to vegetables. The one I have is split down the middle, so you can have spicy broth on one side and plain on the other.
--Jim
Jim, Do you use your hot pot often? I have a feeling you are an excellent cook.
DeleteOh, I live for this sort of stuff. If you ever come across the old Time Life "Foods of the World" series of books, or the "Life Picture Cook Book", snap them up.
ReplyDeleteWonderful style, and really charming period pieces.
I live for this stuff, too. Thanks for the "Foods of the World" suggestion. I'll keep my eyes open for the books.
DeleteIf one ever goes to estate sales, especially in the more affluent neighborhoods, one finds quite a lot of home entertainment equipment. Generationally, the people who are passing away now would have been the ones entertaining like this in the '60s and '70s.
ReplyDeleteI found an article recently that took the recipies from one of these entertaining books... gelatin seemed to be a key ingredient in many recipes...
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of congealed salad recipes in those old entertaining and cook books. A relic from the past!
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