ArcaMax

DEAR MISS MANNERS: After asking my dinner guests not to bring any dishes, some still do. My question is what do do when Person A shows up with a dish, and Person B -- lovely, lovely Person B, who was polite and kind enough to take me at my word -- sees the exchange.

Person B invariably gets embarrassed and asks if they should have brought ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I work in a fast-food restaurant, in which we only go by our first names.

Often, when customers decide that I am the cause of whatever is not going their way, they ask me for my name. My first name is clearly spelled out on my name tag, but I always say it for them anyway, as it is difficult to pronounce. It is an unusual ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: People want to feel loved and cherished. An invitation to share a meal in your home is a special example. So when dinner guests ask me what they can bring, I tell them something specific: ÒOh, I would love some pink peonies. Those would be so beautiful.Ó Or I might request a bottle of maple syrup, or a recipe card for the ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My adult daughters learned etiquette from me. It was passed down from my mother. Somewhere along the line, the old etiquette has been forgotten and new manners have been invented by their husbands.

Examples of the new etiquette are:

-- Arms on the table.

-- One foot on the chair with the knee sticking up over the table.

--...Read more