The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #124681   Message #2757388
Posted By: Q (Frank Staplin)
01-Nov-09 - 02:10 PM
Thread Name: BS: American English usages taking over Brit
Subject: RE: BS: American English usages taking over Brit
Some of this reminds me of my childhood home, much different from that of the present time.
The pantry has been replaced by wall-mounted cabinets in newer homes. I still miss the pantry, a room off the kitchen where food supplies were kept. On the floor were bins with flour, sugar, pinto beans (this was in New Mexico) and potatoes. Lard was bought in 25-lb. pails. Shelves were of more interest to me, as fruit (in season) and all sorts of crackers, and cookies (biscuits to the English) were kept, along with the canned goods, and specialty items. I could always find a snack there, and it was a place where I would be out of sight. (A friend or two from more monied families had butler's pantrys.)

Brooms, mops, etc. and old coats and galoshes were kept in a closet near the back door. Milk was delivered in those days, left on the back steps. Ice was also delivered, and put in the ice box- At times I still refer to the fridge as the ice box. Somehow a pair of ice-tongs from those days has stayed with us, and a few years back I found a dairy cart's horse-stop at a house sale; I couldn't resist buying it. It is an object that disappeared from use long ago, along with horse-drawn cartage.
In the dining room, a large cabinet with drawers near the bottom. two doors in the middle section, two upper drawers for the silverware, a flat surface surmounted with mirror, and display shelf was called a sideboard or occasionally a buffet, the terms used interchangably by us.
Table linens and large serving pieces were kept there, much only used at holidays. The surface held cut glass and a silver centerpiece (The day to day stuff was kept in the kitchen, where the family usually ate at the kitchen table).
There also was a china cabinet in the dining room, with 'china' (Limoges, English or German sets), mostly handed down from the previous generation, and a 'tea' trolley used for liquor (but not tea).