Etiquette

[jamesglewisf]

I wrote some pages on etiquette at FindaLink.net. They cover dining, tippping, and email.

Did you know that the point of etiquette rules is to make you feel comfortable, not uncomfortable? The idea is that if there are standards that people abide by, then you can have confidence that you are behaving "appropriately." It takes the guesswork out of public behavior.

I do a lot of business travel. I got tired of not knowing what was proper, so I started doing some research and wrote these pages.

[jamesglewisf]

Now I get about one email a week asking questions on etiquette. The tipping etiquette page is the most popular on my site.

[RoadRunner]

Hey Jim,

If you toot at the dinner table, are you supposed to say, "Excuse me," or point to your wife and say, "She did it."?

[RoadRunner]

I just want to know the proper way to diffuse the situation.

[RoadRunner]

...Without raising a stink about it.

[Grimey]

Roadrunner, you are such a gas!!!

[jamesglewisf]

Always deflect blame.

Originally posted by RoadRunner
Hey Jim,

If you toot at the dinner table, are you supposed to say, "Excuse me," or point to your wife and say, "She did it."?

[RoadRunner]

Thanks.

[PsalmReader]

Too funny!

But, if my hubby points to me, he's getting hit! I guess the rules change depending on which end of the pointing finger you're on.

[Alec]

fart Pronunciation Key (färt) Vulgar Slang
intr.v. fart·ed, fart·ing, farts
1. To expel intestinal gas through the anus; break wind.
2. To fool around; fritter time away.

n.
1. An often audible discharge of intestinal gas.
2. An annoying or foolish person.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=fart

My favorite part is "often audible."

[Grimey]

Consider a flatulence filter: http://www.flatulence-filter.com/.

Are you among the millions who suffer from flatulence as a result of a medical condition or diet? Like many others, are you concerned about taking more medication? If so, the Flatulence Filter is your solution. It is a super-activated carbon/foam filter concealed in a simple chair cushion. It absorbs the odors immediately -- Guaranteed!

This same filtration technology purified the air breathed by the astronauts in the Space Shuttle program, and was used in the soldiers gas masks during the Gulf War.

[Grimey]

Business Week says:

IT MAY NOT DO ANYTHING to help global warming, but it sure might help cut down on noxious emissions in the office. It’s the Flatulence Filter™ made and sold since 1995 by Houston-based UltraTech Products.

. . . . scientists have independently validated its effectiveness. A resent issue of Gut, a journal of gastroenterology, . . . . noted that the cushion "effectively limits the escape of these sulfur-containing gases into the environment."

[Grimey]

I don't think it fix the "sometimes audible" problem, however.

[PsalmReader]

I thought of this thread and you guys when Robin Leach had the same problem on national tv! (I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here)

[jamesglewisf]

I missed that one. It must have been funny.

Thanks, grimey, for the tip on the flatulence filter. That will be a useful suggestion next time I get an etiquette question about tooting.

hehehehehe.