History

In the wee hours of the morning on April 15, 1912, the great steamship RMS Titanic met its tragic fate. At 11:30pm on April 14, the state-of-theart cruise ship that was on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic hit an iceberg, resulting in a 300-foot-wide rip below the waterline. The damage was great and caused the ship to plunge two miles down to the ocean floor, leading to the deaths of more than 1,500 passengers and crew members. But without knowledge of the tragic events to come, on the evening of April 14th, the first-class passengers enjoyed what would be their final meal on the ship. And it was certainly an extravagant and decadent meal.

The ship's first-class passengers were some of the wealthiest and most prominent members of society. A one-way reservation for a luxury parlor suite was £4,350, nearly $7,000. Today that's the equivalent of more than $100,000. These high paying guests were treated to the finest luxuries, and food was no exception. There were multiple dining rooms — a Parisan café where diners were served by French waiters, a Veranda café that resembled a tropical destination (it even had imported palm trees), and a 10,000-square-foot dining saloon with a seating capacity of over 500. Each night the elite were served a lavish meal off silver platters while listening to a five-piece orchestra.

Ms. Walter Douglas, a survivor and first-class passenger, recounted, "We dined the last night in the Ritz restaurant. It was the last word in luxury. The tables were gay with pink roses and white daisies, the women in their beautiful shimmering gowns of satin and silk, the men immaculate and well groomed, the stringed orchestra playing music from Puccini and Tchaikovsky. The food was superb: caviar, lobster, quail from Egypt, plover's eggs, and hothouse grapes and fresh peaches. The night was cold and clear, the sea like glass."