Being a good diner means more than just regularly visiting your favorite spot and tipping like you mean it. Technology has pushed our society forward in ways that force us to address new issues. Like the nonstop use of phones, digital payments and \u201cspace entitlement.\u201d <\/p>\n
Lisa Burdette is a Dallas-based, internationally trained etiquette expert who runs The Dallas School of Etiquette<\/a>. \u201cI think culture has moved in a direction that the big thing is people not caring about others,\u201d she says. She recently invested in extended training with Dan Post, Emily Post\u2019s grandson. <\/p>\n \u201cIt used to be children; now it\u2019s adults,\u201d she says of a shift she\u2019s seeing in business, reflecting a shift in society. Manners can mean a lot of things, but for this article we\u2019re looking specifically at being a good diner in Dallas.<\/p>\n An otherwise perfect meal \u2026 <\/p>\n Sign up for the Food & Drink newsletter to get the latest stories delivered to your inbox<\/p>\n THANK YOU!<\/p>\n You’re all set.<\/p>\n CLOSE\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n At a recent dinner, the dining room was a literal woo-sah: a deep, relaxing breath after a hectic day. A warm glow from a flock of wicker lamps over tables mingled with late-day natural light. I felt my body relax as I sank into a wide, cushioned chair (thank you). Service was attentive but not intrusive. Drinks came quickly. The music was soft and on point.<\/p>\n But then a guy at the bar was screaming (a bit of an exaggeration) into his speakerphone as it cackled back at him. This went on from when we sat down until the entrees landed on our table. He held it about four inches from his face, which made me wonder why he couldn\u2019t just turn the speaker off and put it to his ear. And as much as I tried to breathe deep and focus on my friend across from me, the mangled noise grinded through everything else.<\/p>\n No. 1: Mind your speakerphone in public<\/p>\n Turns out that\u2019s not just me being easily annoyed; it\u2019s actual science. Heather Darwall-Smith, a psychotherapist, explains that, for one, listeners hear just one part of the conversation, forcing our brain to keep trying to fill in the gaps. What\u2019s he mad about? What did he just say?<\/p>\n \u201cOur nervous system is used to tuning out the sound of two people talking,\u201d Darwall-Smith told the Observer. \u201cBut with a speakerphone, the sound is compressed, unpredictable, and forced on us, so our brain can\u2019t relax. It stays on low alert, which is one of the reasons it feels so irritating.\u201d<\/p>\n