ArcaMax

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My wife and I went out to a newly opened restaurant for dinner. Towards the end of the meal, the waiter asked how things were.

I replied that my meal (chicken parm over spaghetti) was very good, but that the deep cast-iron dish it had been baked in, and subsequently served in, was challenging to eat from.

My wife chastised ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: For almost 20 years, I've worked with the same group of nine people. Every birthday is celebrated with a party, cake and gifts. Every birthday, every year ... except mine.

No one, including myself, has ever commented on the omission in all these years. Twice, I threw out a hint by asking if anyone had dined at a certain ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: We have a friend who frequently invites us by for brunch. She has a lovely, immaculate, pet-free and pristine home. We feel as though we should reciprocate the invitation.

However, our home is the antithesis of hers: small, cluttered and quite pet-friendly. We want to invite her over, but we feel that she would not be ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: When my husband and I went to a professional baseball game, part of our ticket package gave us access to a special club at the stadium that features a large buffet.

We got to the club shortly after it opened, about an hour before the game started, and a large number of people were already there. There weren't many places left...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My friend has started a romantic relationship, and although I'm delighted for her, I'm now finding the volume and intensity of her conversations difficult. We don't seem to talk about anything other than her boyfriend: where they go, what he thinks and how often they have sex.

She's also become flaky -- cancelling plans with ...Read more