... to wonder where in the hell the napkins are?

[Snuffalo]

Had dinner at a friend's house last night, food was great, but not a napkin in site. Not even a scrap of kitchen roll. Every meal at my MILs is the same.
We use cloth napkins at our house - we all leave them at our place at the table and use them for a couple of days, and just chuck them in with the tea towels to wash and grab a fresh one when we need to. Obviously freshly washed ones for everyone when we have guests.
I feel really awkward eating without a napkin in my lap. I rarely actually use it but when I need it, it's there. Am I the weird one or are the napkin-free people the weird ones?

I don't generally spill food on myself, but as a weirdo foreigner, I will eat pizza with my hands, along with tacos/burritos, veggie burgers, chips, and even asparagus (a Miss Manners-approved method). All activities that can muss up the fingers a bit. Sorry if that horrifies everyone.

My no-napkin-offering friend actually served a delicious chana masala last night, along with some lovely homemade rotis, and that is definitely a hands-on meal. She actually got up during the meal and washed her hands in the kitchen sink/dried them on the tea towel before refilling our wine so she obviously could have used a napkin herself.

... shoe impregnation spray? What on earth!

well, the spray the gets hard sold when you buy shoes?

I have never head of shoe impregnation spray but I guess that's how you get baby shoes :D

Another napkin user here. No napkins, no civilization. Irish linen, dinner size to be precise.

PILs have cloth napkins. They are gross. I don't know if they are clean when we arrive, and at the end of every meal they get folded up and put to the side for the next meal. Not washed. Nobody gets the napkin they used at the previous meal. EWWWWW.

Hand eaty type food we put kitchen roll on the table, cloth ones come out at Christmas. Family buffet I get paper napkins.

I use a couch cushion as a table and wipe my hands in my dressing gown

I get mine out for Christmas and Easter. However it pains me to see anyone actually using them!!!

Kitchen roll on the table if we're eating Pizza or other finger food.

If it's cutlery, usually nothing as we're neat eaters. On the very rare occasion that someone manages to spill something or drop food down themselves, they can grab the kitchen roll from the side (we eat in the kitchen anyway).

We get napkins out for Christmas dinner, but that's just to make it feel a bit fancy, and most of them still go unused.

We have cloth napkins and napkin rings which I wheel out on sundays. We also have paper napkins Which are for everyday use. I wash my napkins and iron them
My colleagues all laugh at me because when we eat in the work canteen I put my paper napkin on my lap before eating.

Linen napkins for every meal here too. I agree with OP, I'd find it odd not to have any kind of napkin, paper or otherwise, if I was having dinner at a friend's house.

my pretty (paper) napkins are used for dc's decoupage (?) projects

For @WeBuiltCisCityOnSexistRoles

I’ve never known anyone use napkins daily. Ever.

I always put napkins on the table. Especially when we have guests they have nice ones. I don’t remember the last time I went anywhere where they where in the table, I must admit to enjoying using a napkin. I have a fear of food on my chin and chatting away and everyone sniggering,

Another cloth napkin user here.... AND we have our own napkin rings. Used daily and clean/fresh ones come out for guests (alas no guest napkin rings as yet).

They get washed when they are dirty, dependent on food eaten and mess made.

Totally with you OP.

Agree with you OP! We have daily use cloth napkins for every meal at the kitchen table and naice white linen for high days and holidays in the dining room. If the latter they get ironed, if day to day I can't be arsed.

Using paper napkins or kitchen roll seems wasteful when napkins can be washed and re used.

Living alone, napkin every day.
Also for guests.
Kitchen roll added if food is, for example, ribs.
Wht would you not?

I always want to give my mouth a wipe before I drink from a wine glass cos there’s nothing worse than a greasy/saucy mouth mark on the glass. I couldn’t care if it’s paper or cloth but I like to have something. I’m with you op

We use napkins daily in this house too. No napkin rings though!

My MIL puts them out...and then folds them and puts them away. I discovered this by wiping my mouth with one only to find it embedded with ancient crusty bits and suspicious stains.

I now spend mealtimes there contorting myself trying not to come into contact with or look at my napkin.

I tend to use a clean tea towel when I'm home alone. I have to have something 5o wipe my hands on!

Same here . We use cloth ones on special occasions other times it's paper ones.
Dh never uses his much despite being more wealthy background, we had a v humble background yet cloth napkins and good manners all the time.
I always use one and if I don't see one ask for such. It's the way I am.

at shoe impregnation spray and baby shoes!