Etiquette and Manners

The Yah Mos Def Channels Minor Threat Through Hip-Hop

Baby Love

Is it cool to breast-feed in public? Only if you have a kid.

Wedded Diss

A Social Grace first -- a complaint about a prompt thank-you note!

Someone's Gonna Pay for This

On first-date dinners, road-trip gas, interpreters, and massage therapists

Three Strikes

He's a guy, you're a cute lesbian; how to turn down a date offer, nicely

Not Too Nice

Of lunchtime invitations, flip-flop flaps, and shortened first names

Talk Talk

Of cubicles, cell phones, and loudmouthed conversationalists

No Bacon, No Boys

When a queer vegetarian group excludes some of its own

A Gay Old Time

Dinner parties, wedding invitations, and casual introductions

Back to the Bottle

How to handle freeloading friends and insulting acquaintances

Laundry Hogs

When to use all the washers or ask a friend for a big loan

Ban the BYOB

Asking guests to bring their own bevvies to a party is just tacky

The One-Month Itch

The tactful way to handle regular exposure to an infestation of fleas, a request for "no gifts," and habitual "non-RSVP-ers"

Paralyzed by Politeness

Some Bay Area citizens take sensitivity to a silly extreme

My Brother's Loser

When bad girlfriends happen to good siblings

Bearer of Bad News

When you have to tell people things they probably don't want to hear

Days of Wine and Leftovers

How to be polite to people who aren't

Children and the Corn

We like to rub our cobs on the top of a stick of butter. But not in front of others.

Say My Name

When news anchors call the former Iraqi president "Saddam," are they name-dissing?

Our Foreign Friends

If you can't speak calmly to people you disagree with, don't have political discussions at all

The Cold Shoulder

If only we were allowed to pick our friends' spouses

Positive Reinforcement

Sticky fingers and dirty feet: Managing the many trials of public life

Hands Off

How to deal with touchy-feely strangers, tone-deaf co-workers, and those damn big chunks of lettuce in your salad

Diamonds Are a Mom's Best Friend

Is it ever cool to give back a gift, if the giver really really wants it?

Get a Grip

Handshaking smackdown: the wimpy wrists vs. the bone-crushers

Theory of Relativity

A comforting answer to the age-old question: Which family members to invite to the wedding?

Modern Love

The etiquette of online dating

Lady on Board

There's more to the etiquette of opening a car door for your date than meets the eye

Smack Down

What's the proper course of action when a friend says you make too much noise when you eat?

Breaking Up With a Friend

The proper way to dump an unwanted acquaintance

Bad Habits Repented

How to invite people to a smoke-free party or handle an annoying cell-phone caller in a public bathroom

The Fire Next Time

Is there a polite way to stop someone from reckless behavior?

A Bun in the Oven

She loves her boyfriend/lifemate/partner/father of her child, but how should she introduce him?

Theater of the Absurd

She loves her boyfriend/lifemate/partner/father of her child, but how should she introduce him?

Men Are on Foot, Women Are on Muni

Street-walking manners; invitation insensitivity

Social Grace

The Streets of San Francisco

Social Grace

Power Lunching

Social Grace

What's That Smell?

Social Grace

It's My Party

Social Grace

Like Butter

Social Grace

Guess Who's Not Coming to Dinner

Social Grace

The Gentle-Reminder Machine

Social Grace

Latecomers vs. Clock-watchers

Social Grace

Conversationally Speaking

Christmas in September

Gift-giving protocol

Title Trouble

Restaurant etiquette

Tipping for Takeout

Are you unsure how to behave? Social Grace answers all your toughest etiquette questions

Social Grace

Are you unsure how to behave? Social Grace answers all your toughest etiquette questions

Social Grace

Are you unsure how to behave? Social Grace answers all your toughest etiquette questions

Social Grace

Food Allergies; Cloth Napkins 101; Keeping to Yourself; Pickin' Up the Tab