Column: Take advice: Behavior can be social minefield

A couple of weeks ago, I threatened to throw out my wife’s copy of “Emily Post’s Etiquette,” a compilation of advice on proper comportment, updated periodically by the descendants of the late manners icon.

I have now decided the book might be a valuable addition to our library, not because I have any intention of changing my boorish ways, but because the volume is a gold mine of potential columns. Proper humor protocol requires that you take advantage of an opportunity like this.

One of the chapters is about appropriate demeanor when visiting a home with servants. The authors observe that many people have questions in this area. Yes, I have a question: How come I don’t know a single person who has servants? I skipped those 10 pages.

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