“Mom! Which side does the fork go on?”

I have probably said that sentence 4 billion times. I have been setting the table since I could walk. We always had a “sit down” dinner at our house and my sister and I would always have to set the table. The same with my daughter, Grace. It is a running joke in my family that everyone knows I cannot remember which side the fork goes on. It’s just a mental block that I have. I also cannot remember the difference between cantaloupe and melon or fiction and nonfiction. No matter how many times somebody tells me the difference, I cannot remember it. I also cannot subtract, nor do I care to. Even though I can’t remember which side the fork goes on, I love setting the table. But do you know what I despise? I despise the word “tablescape.” It just makes me cringe with suburban terror. I despise it almost as much as I despise the words “water feature” and “white noise.” I do, however, love the word “despise.” :-)

To conclude our series on dishes, I’ve put together a little compilation of some of my favorite table settings and some more of my favorite dishes. How could I leave out Juliska, Royal Copenhagen, Blue Willow, Anna Weatherly, Oscar de la Renta etc.! Jadeite, earthenware, transferware, Fiesta, McCoy, stoneware, enamelware! OMG, it’s endless. You can also check out my Pinterest board for more HERE and HERE

 

 

Whew! That was a lot! Setting the table is definitely an art. Color, scale, placement, layering…dinnerware, flatware, stemware, flowers, napkins, tablecloths, candelabras etc. There is a lot to learn from the basic table setting to the extraordinary. Good news, there are a few good books out there for guidance and inspiration…here are a few of my favorites…

 Table Settings by Alberto Pinto

Purchase HERE

 Flair by Joe Nye

Purchase HERE

 Tablescapes by Kimberly Schlegel Whitman

Hate the title. Love the book.

Purchase HERE

I have just realized that I have opened up another can of worms… The Art of Entertaining. I realize there is a lot going on in the world right now in Syria, Israel, Palestine, Iraq and good old St. Louis and I understand that it could be a bit shallow to talk about entertaining. However, one of my doctors gave me some really good advice. He is a very gentle Indian neurologist named Dr. Siddique, specializing in ALS, so he is faced with the tragedy of his patients illness every day…. As all of us are aware of the sufferings of others by watching the news around the world unfold every evening. He told me the best way to survive is to take five minutes every day and focus on my illness. Cry, scream, meditate, pray, worry and throw in a panic attack for good measure. Then, he told me, to “put it away.” Put it away and spend the rest of the day with positive thoughts and positive actions. I think this is good advice for everyone. So, let’s say our prayers to whomever you answer to for all of the despair that the world is faced with and then let’s lift our spirits and be thankful that there is some joy and beauty in life. Like dinner parties. :-)

I think we should start with the basics tomorrow. Hint: “Good Manners: The noise you don’t make when eating your soup.”- Bennett Cerf