Q Dear Miss Abigail: Can I eat chicken with my fingers? Signed, Cat A Dear Cat: I’m glad you brought up this important topic. It’s about time for a little review on dinner etiquette and the proper use of forks, knives, and other utensils. Shall we dig in? 1897: Dinner-Parties As little noise as possible. […]
Tag: etiquette
A Quick Lesson in Table Manners
Q Dear Miss Abigail: Please tell me ~ have simple table manners like holding cutlery properly and keeping elbows off the dining table gone out of fashion? Signed, Nicole A Dear Nicole: I don’t know about you, but table manners in my house have only improved with the advent of the TV. When leaning back […]
Games and Sports
I’ve never been much of a sports person. It could have something to do with my life as a band geek, or perhaps a desire to avoid confrontation and pain. In any case, I was invited to a Super Bowl party this weekend and decided to brush up on the subject in order to get […]
Same-Sex Etiquette: The Same?
Q Dear Miss Abigail: One of the difficulties of same-sex relationships is figuring out the etiquette of dating. Do I open the door or does she? Do I offer to pay half the check, even if she has asked me out to dinner? Who decides when it is time for the end of the evening […]
So So So So Sorry
Q Dear Miss Abigail: My uncle died last week and I just sent a sympathy card to his daughter. His daughter has two children (age 14 and 16) and I noted in the sympathy card that they were very lucky to have had such a great grandfather. However, I incorrectly called her children Amy and […]
Répondez s’il vous Pretty Please
Q Dear Miss Abigail: I recently sent invitations for a birthday party and indicated R.S.V.P., but no one has replied. Do they think it means regrets only? I thought R.S.V.P. meant to please reply. Can you tell me what it really means? Signed, Cindy A Dear Cindy: You are correct, my dear. Your so-called friends, […]
Is it Forward for a Girl to Call a Boy?
Q Dear Miss Abigail: Is it forward for a girl to call a boy on the telephone just for the sake of conversation? Signed, Jon A Dear Jon: The results are in, and it appears that us girls should call you boys only if there is a dire emergency. Well, maybe it isn’t that severe, […]
How Do I Deal with Pesky Neighbors?
Q Dear Miss Abigail: You rock my web-world! Right on about the annoying marriage question ~ what a drag to be denied respect just because one’s status is single. My problem is that I live in small apartment building in close proximity to my neighbors. I don’t find any of them personally repugnant; however, I […]
Temper, Temper, Temper!
Q Dear Miss Abigail: Is it polite to throw things at people? Signed, Miss Kate A Dear Miss Kate: Hmmm . . . why do I think you already know the answer to this question? But just in case you need a refresher course in common sense, I’ve located the following excerpts: the first is […]
Hate the Late?
Q Dear Miss Abigail: What do you do when someone is always late? Signed, Faye A Dear Faye: I think I have just the opposite problem. I always think I’m going to be late, but no matter how much I try, I am generally on time. How does that happen? Anyway, here are some interesting words […]