POUR REMARKABLE DINNERS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIV, Issue 146, 20 June 1903, Page 1 (Supplement)

POUR REMARKABLE DINNERS.

OUR remarkable dinners ili* S iven durin S the last o*\! * 'Mtl? montn have added a C] * • unique chapter in the %"" history of banqueting "• (says the "N.Y. Journal"). In the past the givers of epoch-making banquets have exerted their ingenuity mainly in the direction of novelties in the menu itself and the manner of its serving. The new departure is a matter of environment—transporting the guests, as by magic, into a fantastic new world, or creating the illusion, or reality, that they are dining in midair. C. K. G. Fillings was the pioneer at this sort of thing, with his horseback dinner for thirty-two guests in the large ballroom at Sherry's, who were served on horseback by waiters in the garb of .fox hunters.

The guests—ladies ana gentlemen, in regular dinner attire —had no advance intimation of the novelty awaiting them. When they reached the banquet room a centre space inclosed by painted scenery made them feel that they were in a land of winding roadways, brooks, groves and vine-covered cottages. The ceiling was a vault of sky blue, and the floor was covered with velvety grass.

Most "astonishing of all, around the sylvan centrepiece were ranged thirtytwo trained riding horses, saddled and bridled, on the pommel of each saddle

being a small table. Between each two horse 3 were carpet-covered steps by means of which the guests mounted. As the guests were all accustomed to horseback exercise, the dinner, as may be imagined, was not only a novelty, but a highly successful one. The horses, having been trained in riding schools not to be surprised at anything that happens on their backs,

gave no trouble at all. They stood quietly in their places until all the courses had been served and their riders had dismounted. Such slight movements as they made were of little consequence, a3 depressions in the tables kep£ the wine glasses and other dishes from sliding off the narrow tables. The racks used under the clotli3 on dining tables aboard ocean steamships in

rough weather served as models for the arrangements in this case. Astonishment at the presence of 32 horses in the ball-room ot Sherry's on one of the upper floors subsided in the reflection that the large freight elevator could easily earn* up at least two at a time.

The Billings "horse dinner," the first of this unique series, probably was sug-

gested by tEe "appendicitis dinner," which the vivacious daughter of a San Francisco surgeon gave last winter to a young society woman who was known to have suspicions about the good behaviour of . her appendix vermiformis. Most of the other guests were patients of the father of the hostess, and the table decorations were all realistic imitations of operating room instruments

and appliances, which still linger vividly in their memories. WITH MRS PROAL IN A HUGE EGG. The second and most recent of these extraordinarily odd dinners to be given in New York city was that of Mrs Arthur B. Proal upon the occasion of her farewell fo city life two weeks ago, her summer home being in the country.

At this dinner Mrs Proal and thirty-five of her women friend 3 were served \ inside a huge Easter egg. The unique arrangements proved a complete surprise to the guests. They expected to be ushered into one of the smaller dining-rooms at Sherry's, and not until they reached the entrance to the ball-room were they aware of anything unusual in th« preparations.

Then they found themselves confronted by h giant egg towering to the ceiling and appearing to have been laid in a barnyard, for all about it were farm scenes. All about the big egg were live farm animals —chickens scratched and clucked, ducks quacked, spring lambs frisked about in the electric light, ba-a-ing, while pigs rooted and grunted contentedly.

All this was a bit of realism veij! pleasing to the gueats, nearly all of whom had country places of their own. Everywhere in the great ball-room was the country. The walls of gilt had disappeared, and the one or two mirrors which had remained unohscured served as vistas. Around the outer walls of the apartment were scenes representing fields and pastures, where brooks bridged by rustic spans flowed through a' land of sunshine.

About the place wCTe scattered all manner of agricultural implements, as though the farm hands had just abandoned the place. Scythes, lawn mowers, corn cutters, pails, buckets and milking stools were bestowed over the field and the door yard in prodigal profusion.

In the midst of this scene on.its side, lay the mighty egg, creamy white in colour, perfect in form —built .up of papier mache on an interior framework. In one end was an open door six feet high, approached by a gravelled path on an inclined plane. Up this path the guests were conducted, and entered the egg, one by one, to discover still greater wonders.

The bentwood framework of the egg was decorated with an arbor-like effect* The table was a perfect oval, hollowed in the centre, and within the hollow part were floral decorations, which represented the white and yellow of an egg. Daffodils and jonquils were the yolk, ancE the outer fringe of white was made up of lilies and candy tuft and flowers such as one might see on country hedges. Another surprise came with the first course, for the waiter were clad as farm hands, in coloured shirts and overalls, and on their heads some of them wore wisps of straw. Handsome souvenirs were distributed.

As the guests filed up the Inclined plane and entered the egg, farm labourers, who later acted as waiters, hurried about the mimic farmyard, followed by squealing pigs and quacking ducks, which they fed, and making a great show of attending to other bucolic duties.

Another group of fanners had black: faces. When the first course was served they turned out to be members of a coloured band, which discoursed sweet Southern melodies as the dinner proceeded.

During the dinner the illusion of farm life was kept up by the occasional appearance at the door of the egg of pigs, chickens, lambkins and ducks, curious to know what was going on inside.

WITH SANTOS-DUMONT IN MID-AIR.

The other two departures in dinner giving referred to above occurred in

Paris, and are described by the Paris correspondent of the same newspaper.

Paris, April 18.—M. Santos-Dumont is so enamoured with mid-air existence that he no longer enjoys his meals on terra firma. A few nights ago he gave an "aerial dinner," which is the talk of the town.

But the aeronaut's guests were not compelled to risk their lives in M. San-tos-Dumont's air-ship. The inventor's ingenuity was equal to providing 1 all the sensations of dining among the clouds without going to that extent.

When the guests assembled at a wellknown Paris cafe they were conducted to a room equipped with painted scenery in such a manner aa to create in their minds the illusion of being far above the earth. The ceiling and walls represented blue space in which fleecy, clouds appeared to float. Hither and thither a mimic airship propelled itself.

Even the floor seemed to have no material existence, and the dining table and chairs, seven feet high, appeared to have no supports. Ladders led up to the chairs, and by this means, with much fear and trembling, the gueste finally reached their seats.

Then they found that all the dishes persisted in floating several inches above the table. Floral, pieces, confections, ices and the ice used for cooling the wines were moulded into the shape of balloons, gas bags, flying machines and kites. '

When all were seated the guests exchanged , comments to the effect that there would be nothing to eat, as the race of waiters tall enough to reach the top of this table was yet to be born* The solution of this problem was another surprise.

The staff of waiters had Ireheatsed their part of the programme for ri week. They were all on stilts!

In spite of such a handicap, the waiters did their work satisfactorily — ev ( en the soup ■ reached its intended destination without accident.

Not satisfied with the feat of dining his guests among the clouds, SantosDumont, afterward ushered them into another room, similarly equipped with scenery, showing a large air-ship hanging 'twixt heaven and earth. This prov- ; ed to be a billiard table. Smromiding it were long legged chairs fashioned like smaller air-ships, which several guests proceeded to occupy while playing » urefl.. contested game.

The other guests "were seated in Sim?' lar air-ship chairs sufficiently to enable them to obtain, a good view;*! the game. The dinner was so much enjoyed ffisS Santos-Dumont told his guests that he would dine that way regularly, hereaftwf in his own apartment. v AFLOAT WITH THE CKXSETESSBTDCE SEZE. In some ways this feat was ecpzalfeS recently by the Comtesse de Seze, at st fete which she gave to the cadets of the French schoolship Dugnay-Trouin. Whea the cadets, attired in the naval uniforms, entered the banquet room they rubbed their eyes in amazement. The ceiling was the blue sky, and the floor represented foam-crested bounding billows. In the midst of rocks their own schoolship lay at anchor, surrounded by huge sea-gulls with outstretched wings. "Be seated," said the Comtesse, and led the way along a trough of the sea to the schoolship. Then the .cadets understood, and gave a ringing cheer. The schoolship was really a dining table lapped by the mimic waves, and the seagulls held the seats of chairs between their wings.

In the wake of the table-ship dolphins sported., while. crocodiles and seals sunned themselves on the rocks. Flowerfilled' Indian canoes adorned the centre of the table. The only feature which served to lessen the illusion of dining in mid-ocean seated on the backs o? gulls was a menu much more elaborate than the cadets were accustomed to.