3 Simple Rules For Showing Up To A Dinner Party

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Last week, Francis posed this question and it raised some eyebrows. I am flabbergasted that 31% of people thought it was okay to take home the gift that was brought for the hosts. If you showed up to a birthday party and the birthday boy didn't open his gifts at the party, would you bring your gift home? That seems like an absurd comparison but ultimately, it's the same thing. 

At this point in my life, I've made enough mistakes, learned a decent amount, and been called enough names that I'm comfortable doling out some lessons learned. I'm not bragging about being old, I'm merely offering some thoughts that I learned growing up. As one of the few adults around here, welcome to Cons' Etiquette Corner! 

Some of you might watch that and think, uh yea no duh. 

But I also think there are instances in life where we all assume we follow the same rules but then people are trying to swipe the bottle of Caymus from Francis' wine rack at the end of the night. It's like my battalion commander used to say, "If you make an assumption and I end up dead I'm going to be mighty pissed off." Bringing wine to a dinner party isn't life or death but you get the point. 

So remember, I'm here to help:

Always bring something - it doesn't have to be extravagant. It doesn't matter if you're stopping over to watch football or if there is a formal sit down dinner, just bring SOMETHING. 

Don't be gauche - no one is expecting you to walk in with a $400 bottle of Opus One cab but please don't be the guy who brings Franzia. Unless slap the bag is on the agenda and then in that case, thank you. Ask yourself, "Would I serve this at my house?" as your rule of thumb. If you want to bring wine but you have only recently started drinking wine, head to the local wine store and ask the person working there for some help. Those folks tend to have a good knowledge of what is on their shelves and can walk you through the basics. Tell them what you like (if you know) and they will make a good suggestion. Also, you don't need to break the bank. Plenty of wines in the $20-$40 range are absolutely delicious. Expensive does not always equal good or even a fan favorite. Going back to the first point - bringing a less expensive bottle of wine is better than showing up empty handed. 

Finally, leave it there. It is much better problem to have the host figure out where to store the bottle you brought than to be caught walking out with the bottle you showed up with earlier. 

There you have it. Simple, really. You follow these rules and you'll never go wrong. Have a great weekend!