Behavior: The Proper Way to Eat a Pea?

A new British guide to etiquette aims at reassuring the anxious

Five subjects were traditional no-nos at English dinner parties: sex, politics, religion, illness and the servant problem. Now, according to the first book of etiquette published in Britain in more than 50 years, the forbidden list is down to two: malicious gossip and porn movies. Anything else can be discussed, even in "heated conversation," as long as guests have the wit to avoid the four dreadful icebreakers (Do you live in London? What do you do? Have you any children? Have...

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