A Sideboard of Sweet Temptations
ONE OF THE LEADING LIGHTS OF THE FAMED PARISIAN SALONS IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY, MADELEINE DE SCUDÉRY LEAVES US THE IDEAL WORDS TO TOAST SUCH A SPECIAL OCCASION: “SPEAK WORTHILY OF TRIFLING THINGS AND SIMPLY OF GRAND THINGS.”
One of the architects of the most reputable salons was the marquise de Rambouillet, a woman of letters admired for her social skills and graces.
So popular were her gatherings that her home became known as the Hôtel de Rambouillet, described in Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable as “the reunion of rank and literary genius on terms of equality; a coterie where sparkling wit and polished manners prevail.”
To create your own salonlike gathering, first consider your guests. An adept mix of people will ensure lively and pleasant discourse on a range of topics, from the social to the serious.
To help uncork the flow
