This couple wants to invite their friends to dinners, but they can’t afford to cover the bill.
Now, however, everything seems so expensive that if we want to meet another couple for dinner or even lunch, it can cost well over $100. Is there a polite way to ask friends to join us for a meal out where people pay for themselves?problem now, because some people entertain in restaurants instead of their homes, and some just meet friends in restaurants, expecting them to pay for themselves.
Especially with people whom you have treated in the past, you will have to be explicit. If they have been reciprocating, it could be as easy as saying, “Why don’t we just start splitting the bills each time?” If not, you will be delivering one of those unpleasant surprises by asking for separate checks when you are seated.Sometimes it’s helpful to understand why I’m being asked or told to do something.
After that reassuring declaration of compliance, you could ask your supervisor, “What is our goal here?” — leaving it open for you to suggest another way of reaching it. Or ask your doctor what benefits are expected.Is it rude to compliment a complete stranger on their hair — for instance, its texture, color or styling? I sometimes come across someone whose hair is particularly lovely, and I would like to let them know but don’t want to be rude or crass.
It could seem threatening to have one’s looks appraised, even favorably, by a stranger. It would undermine a person’s professional demeanor to have attention called to personal appearance.New Miss Manners columns are posted Monday through Saturday on
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