Being in the middle of a debate not long ago has made me think about the rules of manners. It all began when my husband and I were asked to a fancy restaurant for a coworker’s birthday dinner. I thought it was a nice thing to do, so I brought a nice gift to mark the event.
However, things changed when the party girl texted me to say that my portion of the bill was $190 plus the tip. When they asked, I thought it was rude to expect guests to pay such a big amount, especially since they had brought a gift.
I chose to send her a funny text message in response to her text, making it seem like the gift I brought was my addition to the party. I thought that was the end of it, but I had no idea that the drama was just getting started.
When I got to work the next day, everyone was looking at me. One of them came up to me and was excited to tell me about someone who hadn’t paid their share of the dinner bill the night before. I listened quietly and didn’t say anything to show that I knew what was being said.
The big surprise came when I got home and saw the gift I had brought for the birthday girl sitting on my desk. I thought she was being careless and rude when she gave it back. It made me wonder if I was wrong to think that just bringing a gift would be enough.
When I thought back on the event, I realised it had made me argue very strongly about manners. Can a host really expect their guests to pay a lot of money for dinner and bring a gift? Or is that just plain rude?
