26 - Sunday, August 4, 1285 - North Shore News Daily speciais should be priced DEAR MISS MANNERS — T have just returned from a ‘‘swish'’ restaurant where a friend entertained six of us for luncheon, The waiter gave us the huge, elegant menus, and after we had perused them, he announced the specials for the day. He didn't, however, mer- tion the prices. Now did I do wrong? I quietly asked how much the soft-shelled crabs were. Out of consideration for my hostess’s hospitality, I didn’t wish {to order anything astronomically high, as some of the dishes were. I have been in this situs- tion many times, but I never before had the nerve to ask. _ Now that 1 am chronologi- cally advantaged (another name for senior citizen), I am less shy than ] used to It would be nice if waiters would tell the prices of the specials or, better still, have management include them on separate paper inside the elegant menu. J just do not like it when they keep it all a mystery. anything sillier than a com- mercial establishment's of- fering items for sale without telling how much they cost — unless it is customers who go along with it. She hopes that more and more sensible pcople will get into the habit of stopping DEAR MISS MANNERS — Recently, unsolicited news- papers began appearing at my front door. I phoned the newspaper office and ordered them stopped. A few days later, f got a bill from the newsboy for the papers I'd received. miss manners by Judith Martin waiters, as they begin these recitals, to say, ‘Please mention the prices, as well.’’ To make up time, they could omit some of the soggy ad- jectives that seem to come with ‘‘specials,”’ Your particular case was a difficult one, because even if the hostess wanted to know how much the meal would set her back, she would have refrained from asking so as not to discourage guests from getting whatever they wanted. Your inquiry was well meant, but that, too, called attention to the ques- tion of the hostess’s dill. It would have been more graceful simply to say, as if to the company at large, ‘‘l hate it when restaurants read menu supplements without prices.’”’ However, Miss Manners is blaming the restaurant, not you. She knows it is coun- ting on intimidating people Again I phoned the office, explaining that J did not in- tend to pay for the un- solicited papers. The bill was cancelled and so ! thought everything was handled. A few days later, I receiv- ed @ note in the mail from my husband’s sister, explain- ing that she had started a six months’ gift subscription for. me to this newspaper, in horor of my birthday, 1 had my husband call his sister and teli her of the series of mix-ups, explaining tactfully that we appreciated the thought but did no: want the newspapers. His sister was hurt and angry and isn’t speaking to us. I traly do not want a six months’ subscription to the paper in question and would find it a nuisance, as well 2s a shameful waste, to throw it out, It reminds me of a time, long ago, when I accepted a parakeet from a well-mean- GENTLE READER — Miss with its ‘‘swishness,"’ so that ing aunt, just to have a bird Manners can hardly think of they will buy blindly. on my hands that I did not jf smnstninnnraenannssinoninraiiiinmnannnninnesnniausniintninntennninnnennsiminnmnninnig JAPANESE CUISINE Seuki te aed beam am fen el eavined me aah / eiallerd oe seer 4. een hersenan and wanend i TAH toed fish OF vegetables tet OPENING HOURS MON.-SAT. 5:30-11 SUN. 5:30:10 Introducing popular Japanese dishes abi Wess tom enhan srgrtalle a teonied meat un tah ah (604) 926-7444 1405 MARINE DRIVE WEST VANCOUVER, i ALA shee a me th Ss a Sh Tol O. ws sie i nh TIT) AA ny bran paste wu wah patinhes comer bean cutd Woatnne hoa ; store at Ue soem NARINL OM . Vth $t CamINT On Rocoorevesvergearorsceaceseascaccaragezsoagearoatracecererncanaunetedateusersspesnessesaennesns pensonenvarsoetentopasssendenueneencensoned® GIANT FLEA MARKET SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, AUGUST 17 AND 18, 1985 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM ATTENTION Buyers and Sellers! Now is the time to sell what you no longer need! OR BUY what you've always wanted but could never afford. Over 23,000 square feet of floor area: New to You — Antiques — Jewellery — Curios — Clothing Specialty Gifts AMPLE FREE PARKING Full Cafeteria and Licensed Lounge VENDORS: Feserve your table now! Call Mike Hamilton, 985-4135 want. I would appreciate your thoughts on the matter of unwanted gifts from well- meaning relatives and how hest to handle them, I didn't do too well the lust two times. GENTLE READER — Well, no, you didn’t. As frazzled as you must be from being related to people whose well-meaning at- tempts are so badly ex. ecuted, there is no polite way to tell someone what a bad choice a present was. This does not mean that you have to live with un- wanted parakeets and news- papers — only that you must not throw the burden of get- ting rid of these back on the giver. What you do is give them away. Though Miss Manners has little. sympathy with people who give pets without knowing that they are wanted, you could have passed the parakeet on, even if you had to turn it into a pet shop. In comparison, the newspaper subscription was easy, if you could minage just one more telephone call, After thanking your sister- in-law, you should have in- structed the subscription of- fice to change the address to that of the nearest hospital, CITY OF NORTH VANCOUVER CHANGE IN GARBAGE SCHEDULE B.C. Day, August 5th, 1985 Garbage collection for Monday, August 5th, 1985 will be picked up on Tuesday, August 6th. No - other changes in schedule. FOR RENT Pouce NORTH VAN. 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