"For A Shakespearean Luncheon"

"Where is given one of the popular author's luncheons, Shakespeare is more often chosen for the aptness in which his works lend themselves to suitable quotations.  For a moderate menu that can be altered and enlarged at will, the following may serve to some as a helpful model:

'To thee and thy company, I bid a hearty welcome.'  The Tempest.

MENU

Oysters on Half Shell

'Canst tell how an oyster makes his shell?  No -- nor I neither.'  King Lear.

Consomme

'If you do expect spoon-meat, bespeak a long spoon.'  Comedy of Errors.

Chicken Pate

Celery                            French Pears

'A dish that I do love to feed upon.'  The Taming of the Shrew.

Salted Almonds

'The cover of the salt hides the salt and therefore it is more than salt.' Two Gentlemen of Verona.

Lobster Salad

'We may pick a thousand salads, ere we light on such another.' All's Well That Ends Well.

Iced Cabinet Pudding

'Good sooth, she is the queen of curds and cream!'  A Winter's Tale.

Fancy Cakes                          Bon-bons

'As at English feasts -- so I regret the daintiest last, to make the end more sweet.'  Richard III.

Fruit

'The royal tree hath left us royal fruit.' Richard III.

Coffee

'Now we sit to chat, as well as eat.' The Taming of the Shrew.

"Shakespeare has been the writer chosen throughout this menu, but Washington Irving and Charles Dickens deal much with feasting, and from their creations lines as apropos can be selected."  The Ladies' Home Journal, October, 1892.