Authoritative guide on manners, etiquette, and all that good stuff? [more inside]
posted on Apr 1, 2008 - 13 answers

Birthday party etiquette question: Would it be in bad taste to invite my son's preschool classmates to his fifth birthday party? [more inside]
posted on Mar 26, 2008 - 18 answers

Related to This post on what defines sophistication, and as a student, i believe there may be people who would be interested in books on the topic (aside of non-verbal language books)... [more inside]
posted on Mar 21, 2008 - 7 answers

My neighbor is very generous - too generous! Her young son and my kids play together fairly often, and each time my kids go to their house to visit, my neighbor sends my kids home with several gifts. Sometimes if she sees my kids playing in the back yard she just hands gifts over the fence. Last time it was a large tin of cookies, a box of Whoppers candies, and a Vitamin Water style drink. In the past gifts have included a hand-knit scarf, brand new clothes, a doll, a box of donuts, and a large plate of homemade fried chicken. At Lunar New Year she gave each of my kids ten bucks plus a box of sweet rolls. I don’t know this woman well at all. We’ve said ‘hi’ a few times but her English is limited and I don’t speak her language which I believe is Thai. I get the sense that our different expectations around gift giving are related to cultural differences (she’s an immigrant from SE Asia, I’m white, born and raised in California), and maybe also that she is just a particularly (or maybe compulsively) gift-giving person. [more inside]
posted on Mar 20, 2008 - 23 answers

[House sitting filter] Currently house sitting about to start another house, but wait the current house wants me to stay longer. And of course the other household is already gone help! Please note they both have pets. [more inside]
posted on Mar 14, 2008 - 14 answers

What is it called when someone pretends to be all innocent, when they clearly aren't? For example, someone is continuously brushing you off, making snide comments... then when you confront them about it, or ask them what is wrong, they act like it's all in your head. (And often act insulted by the implication.) [more inside]
posted on Mar 13, 2008 - 29 answers

I'm having a gathering, and a really strange woman has declared that she'll be there wearing a face mask, rubber gloves, and wielding hand sanitizers. How can I politely tell her I don't want her there? [more inside]
posted on Jan 8, 2008 - 67 answers

Salt and pepper shakers: Does the salt or the pepper go in the shaker with more holes? And does the salt or the pepper go in the shaker with bigger holes? [more inside]
posted on Dec 25, 2007 - 46 answers

Is it rude to attend a party when you have a cold? [more inside]
posted on Nov 10, 2007 - 18 answers

How do I not be an obnoxious mainlander while vacationing on the Big Island? [more inside]
posted on Oct 19, 2007 - 12 answers

Etiquette filter: What's the best way to handle being stopped up in a crowed situation such as on an airplane or in a large lecture hall? Is it more annoying if I sit and sniff, or occasionally blow my nose? Also, to imagine the worst possible scenario, what do I do if I find myself in this situation without enough tissues?
posted on Sep 19, 2007 - 15 answers

Last night I ordered the "grilled shrimp" at a trendy restaurant and it ended up being a single unshelled langostino (basically, a very big prawn). It was delicious, but how was I supposed to eat it? I just dug in with my fingers, the way they do in Spain.
posted on Aug 13, 2007 - 9 answers

Why do some Americans do the hello/goodbye kiss thing? [more inside]
posted on May 19, 2007 - 34 answers

Am I a good tipper? [more inside]
posted on May 13, 2007 - 29 answers

I've been admitted to a very exclusive, yet humble, sushi-ya. What should I do and avoid, to become a star customer? [more inside]
posted on Apr 23, 2007 - 23 answers

How do I politely breast-feed my baby while visiting in St. Louis, Missouri? [more inside]
posted on Mar 21, 2007 - 14 answers

What to do when someone says yes and then backs out? How to avoid maybe and I'll-think-about-it answers, or get them sorted out before it's too late to make other plans? [more inside]
posted on Mar 1, 2007 - 40 answers

So I found a new home. Its great. Only catch is this: there is a washer dryer hookup but I'm pretty sure its hooked up to only one of the unit's electric/gas (I'm not sure who's). This seems like this would ultimately lead to conflict. I'm trying to figure out a low stress solution to this problem. [more inside]
posted on Jan 25, 2007 - 8 answers

A happy Eid Al Adha? [more inside]
posted on Dec 31, 2006 - 7 answers

EtiquetteFilter: I had surgery last week and my lovely, sweet friends have signed up to bring a home cooked meal each night until the 29th of December. How do I get them to stop? [more inside]
posted on Dec 20, 2006 - 34 answers

How do I eat crusty bread or other crumbly items like crackers without getting a big crumbly mess all over the table? [more inside]
posted on Nov 26, 2006 - 22 answers

Chivalry filter: If a lady offers her hand to a gentleman, palm down, and they're someowhere causual like say, a coffee shop, should the gent kiss the lady's hand? Is there a formal way to receive the hand besides smooching it?
posted on Sep 28, 2006 - 24 answers

Teach me manners: when to give up my seat on public transportation. Much [more inside]
posted on Sep 21, 2006 - 67 answers

My cousin's fiancee had a baby last year. I couldn't attend the baby shower, but sent a nice gift anyway. No thank you note. (the relatives I talked to who went to the shower didn't get one either.) More than month ago, I went to her wedding shower and gave her another nice gift. So far, no thank you note. Now, what should I do about a wedding gift, or should I get off my cranky high horse? [more inside]
posted on Sep 9, 2006 - 77 answers

Restaurant reservation poaching? Witnesses? Perpetrators? [more inside]
posted on May 29, 2006 - 29 answers

What are the best manners that I am not aware of? [more inside]
posted on May 18, 2006 - 128 answers

What's worse, manners wise? (Elevator behavior / Train behavior) [more inside]
posted on Dec 17, 2005 - 54 answers

Bathroom privacy when married...open door policy? [more inside]
posted on Nov 30, 2005 - 67 answers

How should I speak when someone brings their kids into a coarse-language-OK area? [more inside]
posted on Nov 18, 2005 - 48 answers

My boss just had a baby. It's a small company. She's bringing it to work everyday. How do I tell her that this is bad? [more inside]
posted on Nov 17, 2005 - 132 answers

Male and female couple attending a Ramadan dinner this Thursday, wife actually was the invitee (spouse was included.) What protocols, behaviors, manners are appropriate for us? (We are not muslim.)
posted on Oct 18, 2005 - 19 answers

How to politely converse with a person who has a lazy eye? [more inside]
posted on Aug 16, 2005 - 19 answers

Does anyone have any suggestions for a good way to get in good with my new neighbors? [more inside]
posted on Jun 10, 2005 - 17 answers

I'm going to graduate in a week or two and, well, I don't think the person who is rumored to be doing the address ought to be respected. At all really. I was just planning on not attending, but I'm not really sure if that's right. Should I go and shut up? Go and make a scene? Not go at all? [more inside]
posted on Apr 28, 2005 - 63 answers

My girlfriend chews food with her mouth open. In the past four years, I've tried everything from polite admonition to blunt, borderline rudeness. She's not stupid, and she's generally well-mannered -- but she can't drop this habit. She's 23. Any suggestions?
posted on Feb 12, 2005 - 37 answers

Is it considered misogynous to use "the C-word" ? It had never even occured to me that it might be until my sister asked that I never use it as it was "so anti-women." At the right moment, it's SUCH a useful word, but I don't want to appear to be "anti-women", since I'm not . Is my sister's view unusual?
posted on Jan 17, 2005 - 112 answers

Other than President, Military titles, and Dr. What jobs let you retain your title after you've stopped being employed as such? I don't mean being referred to as 'Former such and such'. I mean actually keeping the title as part of one's name or formal address.
posted on Dec 7, 2004 - 19 answers

People are rude. Really. Don't say thank you, run over your feet. Don't hold doors open. If you could live anywhere, particularly where people are friendly and civil, where would that be?
posted on Nov 12, 2004 - 70 answers

What do you say or do when someone out of the Blue - generally a fellow user who rarely comments and so is quite new to you - suddenly e-mails for the first time saying he or she will be in town, is interested in something you could help with and would like to have a drink with you?

It's clearly a friendly invitation but how do you politely decline, without having to lie and/or appearing to be a stuffed shirt?
posted on Oct 21, 2004 - 45 answers

My 6 year old daughter has been invited to an American child's Hallowe'en party here in the UK. Is a gift required?
posted on Sep 30, 2004 - 11 answers

How far behind you does a person have to be in order for you to safely not hold the door for them, and not be considered rude?
posted on Sep 21, 2004 - 23 answers

Do current table manners in your part of the world suggest you should finish everything on your plate or leave a little? [More inside.]
posted on Aug 23, 2004 - 35 answers

Why do people spit -- especially in public? I'd be really interested in hearing from someone who spits as to why he/she does it. It seems to be a class thing, and I'm too upper-middle class to get it. I never feel the desire to spit. But is this desire natural, and has my class training has just repressed it in me? If I could understand it, maybe I wouldn't be so disgusted by it.
posted on Dec 21, 2003 - 39 answers