This is too precious not to share...
I love old cookbooks - especially the ones that have lots of chatty text and homey wisdom - some of them, however, are fucking hysterical - I just picked up a copy of "Chow! - Secrets of Chinese Cooking' by Dolly Chow (Mrs. C.T. Wang)...

Well, Dolly certainly has a lot to say about how to serve food, place settings and pages upon pages about what guest has to sit where - this book was first published in 1939, then updated in 1960 (I guess one should keep this in mind...) here are a few of her amazing bits of advice:

"...To stimulate the appetite is the one object of our culinary art, the knowledge of which enables the housewife to produce dishes so deliciously flavoured and so attractively served, that they would tempt even the most fastidious husband..."

"...To the conscientious housewife then, who is solicitous of domestic peace and happiness, the science and art of cooking should have a definite appeal. Ther servant problem is not so acute in this country; so the housewife, once she has acquired proficiency in the art of cooking, needs to have less uneasiness of mind in regard to the menial work of the kitchen. Her part will merely consist of the direction and supervision, if necessary."

"... A complete Chinese dinner service for ten persons consists of 148 pieces. This may be either porcelain or silver, the latter being used only by wealthy families, while the porcelain is perhaps more serviceable..."

"...My own capacity does not exceed one wine cup of Shaohsing, so I am not qualified to say much on the art of drinking. Perhaps it is well, for it is a subject in which I suspect our Western friends can give Eastern folk quite a few lessons..."

and perhaps the most unforgivable:

"... Star-Aniseed and red pepper may be substituted by bay leaves..."

Oh, Dolly....