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

I know it’s wedding etiquette and, as my mum would say I’m common but I was sat in a marquee at someone’s wedding with a lots of other people and we all had to get up and go outside so we could then walk back in and shake the bride and grooms hands ( or speak to them or something). I didn’t really know what to say, especially as we’d chatted throughout the day anyway. It just seemed silly. Especially as my FIL had to do the same even though he was quite old and getting a bit unsteady on his feet.

Apparently absinthe has never been illegal in ?? CC.

Besides my grandmother’s potion had no alcohol (she was TT) simply adding boiling water to the ? and letting it cool to become the most vile, revolting noxious liquid I’ve ever drunk!

I seem to think it was believed to be a cure-all, especially worms! I’ve never had worms so I’m torn between thinking it worked and still being shocked at the sheer glee with which they dosed us! ?

Further to taking your outdoor shoes off indoors, my first high school uniform list insisted we had two pairs of Clark's shoes: one heavy duty pair for coming and going to school, and a lighter weight pair we had to change into during the day.

There was a choice of three styles in each category to choose from.
This was in 1968.

We used to visit an uncle who also insisted the children must finish everything on the plate or they would turn into a hairy rat. This really annoyed me as they were quite small at the time and believed what he said.However he still insisted on saying it.

Teacheranne

My mum used to wash cling film after she’d used it and peg it up to dry!

My DM did this and washed plastic bags too. The shrubs in the garden were festooned with drying plastic some days. She also cut up used paper for shopping lists and saved rubber bands and string.

shysal

At my granny's house tea bags were saved and hung on the washing line to dry for another day.

When tea was introduce into the UK, drying the leaves was common practice in the poorest homes as it was so expensive. Tea was often kept in locked caddies in wealthier homes. The hostess would be the one who spooned it into the teapot, not the staff or the "girl" if they were employed. Some older people may have remembered these things when it came to rationing during the war and revived it, carrying it on afterwards.

Tea leaves were also scattered on carpets to clean them but I don't know if it worked or if it just kept a check on the whole carpet has been cleaned

Froglady and lixy - this is so you don't take "the luck" away from the house.

My mother would never allow any sweet spread but marmalade on our toast. Jam could be eaten ( if absolutely necessary but frowned upon) on untoasted bread
It was a delight, therefore to stay with my grandfather who would make cinnamon toast with sugar for me- odd because this was my mother's father
Stranger to me, though was his morning habits. He would break into the bedrooms at day break saying 'Wake up , you are missing the best part of the day'. He would then leave the bedroom doors wide open and go to the lavatory taking his smelly old pipe with him
He would sit there, the loo door open, preparing his smoke which we could soon smell throughout the house.
When we asked politely why he didn't close our doors, he explained that he did NOT smoke elsewhere ever but it was was necessary to do it at that time and place to disinfect the room
I suspect this might have been an old custom which maybe even went back hundreds of years to when tobacco was brought back to the UK and as with many things, was given a medicinal value to improve its acceptance

She also cut up used paper for shopping lists and saved rubber bands and string.

Hmmm, I do all those. Doesn't everyone? ?

My mum used to take her makeup off with a cotton wool ball and then wash it and leave it on top of the cooker to dry.

Oh ho! Carnation milk - My Great Aunt put it in tea, and no cup of tea was complete without at least one cats’ hair

Saggi

I have a good friend who only drinks coffee…. so when you visit her you have to take a tea bag AND whatever sugar you want as she uses sweeteners( gross!!!) . Lucky we’ve been friends a long time. I don’t drink coffee…in fact I hate the smell of it… but I still keep it in house for people.??‍♀️

I only drink black coffee but always have tea bags and buy some milk if I know people are coming round or if I’ve got workmen in. I also buy gluten free biscuits if I know a visitor can’t eat my usual ones - it’s just polite to cater for everyone.

hamster58

I’m amazed how many of us don’t ‘get’ or take exception to people asking for shoes to be removed. I wouldn’t want to take mine off if the house was dirty-but if it was, they probably wouldn’t ask-but surely you can see how much dirt like chewing gum dog faeces etc or squashed berries can be inadvertently on our shoes. Sweaty feet on a carpet isn’t great, but isn’t the previous option worse??

Honestly, in over 40 years of owning houses and I have never had anything nasty, dog poo or squashed berries on my carpets and visitors were not asked to remove their shoes!

I can't see that it would matter (trodden-in dog poo notwithstanding) as people don't lick the floors. If you vacuum or mop, surely a bit of residual dirt will be removed?

They used to feed carnation milk to babies in the hospital. Maybe they still do ? I was horrified to find that with my English babies. They didn’t do that here.

NotSpaghetti

Froglady and lixy - this is so you don't take "the luck" away from the house.

Thank you for that- I've always wondered what the reason was behind it.

Talking about strange ideas about food - I was a police cadet back in 1971 and in lodgings. The first time I had a salad at these lodgings I was asked if I had sugar on my lettuce as they did! I was quite a shy person and it was the first time I'd lived away from home so answered "yes" as I didn't want to stand out or seen to be awkward. They served the lettuce already with sugar on it. There was a salt pot so when I was on my own I put lots of salt on to cover up the taste of the sugar.
The next time it happened there was no salt and so I had to eat the lettuce as it was served - YUK.

shysal

As a child I was unaware that on my relatives' farm in Yorkshire, the Yorkshire pudding was served on its own with gravy before the main roast beef course. I sat and waited for the rest of the food to arrive. As farmers they filled the workers' bellies before dishing up the meat. I understand that the custom is still adhered to by some in the county. The batter was cooked underneath the drips from meat on a rack and tasted wonderful!

I live on my own and wouldn't dream of having the Yorkshires with the main course; I still eat them as I was brought up to do, first with gravy, and when I had finished them, the rest of the roast dinner. I don't think it's unusual to eat them like that, certainly not in Yorkshire families.

My Grandad would only eat lettuce with sugar, cucumber swimming in vinegar, and loads of Carnation in drinks, on puddings - any excuse.

My Gran would not allow red and white flowers in the house at the same time - she'd mutter blood and bandages, a war thing. You couldn't bring May blossom I to the house as it invited death in etc...

I used to stay over with a friend, who had her Gran living with them. We were to,d to avoid her first thing as she was a 'demon' ? I later found out she has haemoroids and used neat Dettol on the first thing every morning! No wonder she was bad tempered!

shysal

As a child I was unaware that on my relatives' farm in Yorkshire, the Yorkshire pudding was served on its own with gravy before the main roast beef course. I sat and waited for the rest of the food to arrive. As farmers they filled the workers' bellies before dishing up the meat. I understand that the custom is still adhered to by some in the county. The batter was cooked underneath the drips from meat on a rack and tasted wonderful!

My Yorkshire granny did this. Three huge flat trays of Yorkshire pudding made. The first eaten for starters with gravy and sliced onions in vinegar. Second with the meat and third for pudding with sugar and lemon. Needless to say the meat servings were meagre

My paternal grandmother used to make Yorkshire puddzings with the wrong flour, they were as flat as pancakes and had a texture like rubber! Dare we comment?.....definitely not! She thought she was the best cook in Lincolnshire

We had tinned fruit,evaporated milk and brown bread for Sunday tea.
Yorkshire puddings were served before meal so you would be happy with a smaller serving of meat.

That’s why they are called Yorkshire and not Lincolnshire puddings

When I went to stay with my nan with my new baby, I was worried that she wasn't taking her bottle. (Daughter, not nan!)
My nan took the bottle, took a big swig out of it, and said 'well, I'm not surprised, the poor little mare!'

She set to, and made up some carnation milk, with lots of sugar, in a saucepan, and fed that to my baby. (Who downed the lot!)

Doodledog

I can't see that it would matter (trodden-in dog poo notwithstanding) as people don't lick the floors. If you vacuum or mop, surely a bit of residual dirt will be removed?

Exactly.
Different if it was a brand new, white carpet (but why would anyone?); and if I'd been tramping through mud or if I was particularly wet through I'd offer; and I would never refuse, in fact always offer; but it feels a bit precious.