Social conventions you thought everyone knew

[Asuperblyfeauturedroomandexcellentboiledpotatoes]

The thread started by the lady who's father recently died and people turned up to his funeral in joggers got me thinking.
What is something you thought was basic social etiquette, a rule that everyone lived by, that you were shocked/surprised to see someone not following?
Did it make you judge the person? Wonder if maybe you're just old fashioned? Or something else?

I'll start. At work the other day someone said they were leaving early because they had a hospital appointment. A younger colleague said "oh, what for?". It felt very awkward and the colleague said "oh.. you know, just women's stuff".
I always thought that you never ever ask people for details of medical appointments or why they were off or what OP they are having. It's very rude. Same as you don't ask people how much they earn or who they are going to vote for or questions about their sex life or something!
At first I judged but then remembered she was young and maybe noone had told her.

What's surprised you lately?

It's the same in the New Forest. You never ask a commoner how many ponies they have on the forest.

I'd have got that so wrong! I'd have made a big point of asking to look interested!

People talking on phones (speaker phone especially) while on a bus. Inconsiderate, gross behaviour.

Whoever sees the post on the floor picks it up and opens it. DH and I aren’t precious about it.

I’m not going to start paying attention to the names in case some owner from many years ago is still getting post sent to this address.

The slime and gunk! The thought of cooking a chicken breast for example without first giving it a good scrub with a lime in a bowl of water horrifies me!

I absolutely cannot bear people like this. I won't tolerate it in my kids either. I straight up tell them, "Ahem, now it's your turn to ask Auntie Marge how she is"

Similar to previous posters comments re funeral etiquette some people, especially youngsters, don’t remove caps or hats at the service or if a funeral car passes them in the street.

also, if friends of my teenage children call round they sometimes arrive or just leave without saying hello/goodbye. I was taught it was good manners to say “hello” to the parents when you arrived and “thank you for having me” when I
left a friend’s house. Plus it’s nice to know when all the guests have gone home.

Building on this...no phones/devices at the table and you don't take your phone out when in company.

Don't take calls or listen to anything on your phone without headphones.

Noo Noo

🤯

Do you thank people who stop at red lights? A zebra with people about to cross s effectively the same.

Cyclists are supposed to ride two abreast 🤦‍♀️

If that one seems silly, my grandmother went to finishing school and would pick asparagus up and bite it, never cut it. Apparently it should be treated as a finger food.

It’s actually illegal to open the (now) King’s mail 🤣 You and your family are a bunch of clink dodgers haha!

I’ve never understood the argument that washing chicken can speed anything round the kitchen, I certainly don’t splash lots of water around, I take a bowl of water in the sink chop a lime up then submerge the chicken into the bowl, rubbing it with the lime. The sink and utensils are throughly bleached after and I nor my family have ever been unwell from washing our chicken.

I have always used the back of my fork for all food, not just peas! I was taught it is rude to shovel it in.

Offering table water to others before filling your own glass.

Never dunk bread in your soup. Spoon from the side and tip the bowl away from you.

Napkin on your lap.

I always struggle with how long to hold a door open though, so awkward if yoh hold a door and the person starts rushing to get to it.

Don’t wear pyjamas and fluffy slippers to take your kids to school

Don’t play music without headphones or have loud video calls on public transport

Don’t drop litter / fly tip

Don’t ask someone if they took medication to lose weight

Also, wait until everyone has finished eating before you start clearing up!
My partner and I had a friend to stay recently for a few nights and one night at dinner they’d both finished eating but I was still going. She proceeded to clear away his and her plates into the dishwasher and even made a move to put away the condiments and salad bowl (which still had salad left in it!)

i sometimes wave then as well 😬 Zebra crossings feel somehow more personal though! Probably because the basis of the stop is focused entirely on the presence of the human being needing to cross, rather than primarily on an automated lighting system.

Or as I do,just walk into them. Not if they have a push chair in front of them.

@Asuperblyfeauturedroomandexcellentboiledpotatoes

Yes! SO rude!
I won't be arranging to meet up again. And, interestingly, dd has finally realised the dd is not a very good friend after yesterday's total disinterest.
I felt quite odd about it yesterday but I think I was just bemused by a grown adult behaving that way.

People who completely ignore their table napkins.

Checking the value of the present they have just received from you on their mobile in front of you. I was truly surprised she did this.

My new manager asked me this the day I met her. She asked for a meeting so she could just meet me and geg to know me and she started asking me all these questions like "where do you want to be next year?" So I thought well now's as good a time as any, and told her I was pregnant.
She immediately said "congratulations - was it planned?"
Woman, I have known you 10 minutes and we are at work.

I was always taught if bread is on offer at a meal, you never cut it - always break with your hands, and only butter each bit before you eat it, never the whole thing