What is the strangest rule you had to follow at someone else's house?

Back in the early 1950's I stayed with a school friend and at their house, only French was permitted to be used at all meals. Her parents spoke that language fluently, and they encourage me (a visitor), to join in. No wonder my friend was the best in the the GCE year in French.

I so wanted to do this with my children many years later. Even went to French Conversation classes - but then the secondary school they went to did Spanish and Germanb for their GCSE's.

lixy

My MiL insisted that visitors left the house by the same door they entered by otherwise 'some calamity' would happen. Big house with several doors so this wasn't always convenient, but she always got her way. (Her house, her rules!)

This was my grandma's rule as well.

Yes we always remove shoes at the door and have garden shoes just outside the patio doors. Even my little granddaughters take their shoes off without asking them to.

We like to have a good chat at dinner, but not with food in our mouths!

We thought it very weird, and a bit rude, when visiting rather twee friends in Surrey about 40 years ago, to be asked to remove shoes! Haven't experienced that since or ever occurred to me to remove shoes unless muddy.Didn't realise it was a 'thing' until I discovered Gransnet and Mumsnet. I grew up on a farm so was used to removing wellies at the back door but not any other shoes. Have lived in N.ireland, Kent and Devon and never came across this with any friends or neighbours. I must move in mucky circles!

StarDreamer

MissAdventure

We weren't allowed to talk during meals.
The odd word, but nothing more.

Can talking while eating be dangerous and lead to choking?

No. That’s a skill we master as babies.
The best conversations are those held over the dinner table.

MissAdventure

We weren't allowed to dip chocolate biscuits in our tea.

Do you now?

MissAdventure

We weren't allowed to talk during meals.
The odd word, but nothing more.

Can talking while eating be dangerous and lead to choking?

I thought everyone put forks in dishwashers with the tines up. When I was young you had to ask to be excused from the dinner table, you couldn’t just leave. No talking with food in your mouth was a rule, and, on consideration, a good one !Elbows off was another.

Hi violetSky the choices remained the same you could have either butter or jam with your ham/ cheese but not both.A sandwich made with good bread and lovely butter is actually very nice, even if not very nutritious. I liked my butter thick enough to see my teeth marks in it. If we had a sore throat we could have “ pills” made of butter rolled in sugar, or occasionally a sprinkle of sugar on the butter sandwich. We didn’t eat these every day just occasionally and surprisingly I still have a full set of teeth with only a few fillings.

That sounds like the plot of a Mike Leigh film

Not a strange rule but a very strict one which even applied to "family".

My grandmother had a strict 2 hour rule for visits. At the end of the time she would stand up and say, very firmly "Time for you to go child. Ill get your coat." Even with adult visitors she would not hesitate to inform them the visit was over by offering to "get your coat" or "see you out".

There was only one occasion when I was allowed to stay over the 2 hour rule when my grandmother told me "the family secret" which I will not go into here. She was upset on the death of a close friend so I guess she forgot on that one occasion.

Kate1949, i'm with you. she was out of order, big time.
do you still bother with her ?

Oh! We weren't allowed chip butties...

Not strange per se but quite sad

We had to wear shoes at the dining table. My dad had a foot phobia.

MissA Yes! That was strongly discouraged in our house too!

We weren't allowed to dip chocolate biscuits in our tea.

Rule in my mum's house for both me and my three siblings and all the grandchildren - if she offered biscuits with your tea/coffee you could take two BUT you could only have one plain and one fancy (i.e. custard cream, chocolate digestive, bourbon etc.) We all tried to sneak two fancy ones, but none of us ever succeeded!! Strangely enough, I still do this with my grandchildren

Time up?

My MiL insisted that visitors left the house by the same door they entered by otherwise 'some calamity' would happen. Big house with several doors so this wasn't always convenient, but she always got her way. (Her house, her rules!)

We weren't allowed to talk during meals.
The odd word, but nothing more.

I was going to say the bread with fruit thing, but someone got there first . My friend's MIL would insist that anyone eating strawberries had to eat a slice of bread. I thought it was just that she was odd, but maybe not.

I got a plate of soup while staying with a friend's family, and then the meat and veg in the same plate. Another friend's mum cut up an orange into four pieces instead of peeling it and I had never seen this before. ,

My friend was brought up in a house where they didnt talk at all at mealtimes. Her parents were lovely but it is obviously deeply ingrained as she still does it as an adult. I do a lot of talking when I eat with her!

Blades down on sharp knives but usually up otherwise. I had to go and look at the dishwasher to check!

imaround

Putting forks in a dishwasher time up. I actually still do it now.

Whoops, I thought that was the right way to do it to make sure the dishwasher cleaned them properly. I always have tines up on forks, and bowls up on spoons, but blades down on knives.