Gassy Guest

Dear Henrietta,

Our best friends came over for a dinner party at our house last week and someone kept passing gas at the table.  Everyone could hear the tooting sound, but no one wanted to say anything.  What is the proper etiquette in a situation like this? And do I ever invite them over again?

Signed,

Gassy Guest

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Dear Gassy Guest,

Of course you should have your friends over again!  And you did the right thing to ignore it.  But if your curiosity has gotten the best of you, you could conduct an experiment to determine the guilty party…all the while acting the part of the perfect hostess.  

Here’s my best advice:

Invite your guests, but this time create a menu made of only foods that are known to produce gas:  

Alcohol:  dark beer and red wine

Appetizer:  gourmet cheeses & bread

Soup:  15 bean soup with onion, garlic and carrot

Entrée:  roasted brussel sprouts & broccoli over quinoa

Dessert:  bananas foster flambe

Now that the trap has been set, you just need to sit and wait. 

Secretly take antacid and beano before the party – with a double dose for your husband. 

Make sure that the dog isn’t under the table during the meal, because it’s possible he could be the culprit.

If anyone needs to suddenly exit the table or insists on leaving the party early, you’ve caught your culprit.  

I hope this helps and remember:  good manners never stink. 

Love,

Henrietta

Henrietta Craven was born and raised in New Bern and enjoys gardening, hunting bears and improvisational dance.  She is a self-proclaimed expert on a wide variety of subjects including (but not limited to) fashion, mixology, and cooking.  Henrietta resides in a lovely Victorian home in downtown New Bern with her five cats: Graffenreid, Bethune, Devereux, Stanton and Carraway.