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by Rix Quinn

     Did you know that 4,000 years ago people lived without rules? With no restrictions, imagine the chaos, imagine the confusion…imagine the fun.

     That changed when Babylon’s King Hammurabi pulled out his ball-point chisel, and carved his 282-law Code.

     Among his commands: If you owed somebody a debt, you could give them your spouse. This became a primitive form of “no-fault divorce.”

     We continued to refine human interaction with “etiquette,” or rules of polite conduct. These rules vary by country.

     For instance, in a mixed group in this country, a man should not burp. But if he’s with guys, he can burp loudly, and a friend can record it for playback at the company picnic.

     There are 17,000 rules of “good taste,” many concerned with mealtime.  Like, if we don’t chew with our mouths closed, food could fall out.

     If we don’t brush our teeth, they could fall out too. And if they’re chewing at the time, that’s really bad.

     Other critical table manners:

1. If served rare meat, do not ask the server “Is this cow still alive?”
2. The long fork on the plate’s left should never be used as a back scratcher.
3. Pass the rolls…do not throw them.

    Yes, good manners are like a high-speed train. They can take you a long way if you stay on the right track.

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