Etiquette issue

I'd say 'pardon me'.

I'd follow a burp with a 'Pardon me!' and a surprised look. If someone then smiled, I'd smile back. Still, it does depend upon the culture and background of the 'burper' as, in many places, it's quite acceptable.

DGS (4) always says 'Scuse me!' if he burps. Today when we were out and an old man burped, DGS said loudly, 'Scuse you!'.

I’d probably say “Oh, sorry!” in a tone that I hoped sounded lighthearted.

I think I would simply ignore it- to "correct" a stranger's manners would be the height of bad manners oneself.

MawtheMerrier

I think I would simply ignore it- to "correct" a stranger's manners would be the height of bad manners oneself.

I agree. If he had some sort of medical condition he might have been really embarrassed and somehow convinced himself that nobody heard.

I wouldn't dream of correcting him. I doubt that he had a medical issue. He was drinking beer so I suspect that might have been the culprit. DH told me later that he'd done it again just as vehemently and carried on regardless.
I suppose it could have been worse than a burp (an ever present fear of mine!)

Burping loudly and not apologising in some cultures is perfectly acceptable.

www.rd.com/list/rude-american-manners/

I'd ignore rather than note it and be rude.

He was American. Maybe that explains it.
If DH occasionally burps he's always very surprised and says, 'Oh I do beg your pardon!'

I wouldn't expect him to say anything, these things happen. Surely the polite etiquette for anyone noticing is to totally ignore it. My understanding of good manners is ensure others feel comfortable.

I understood Aveline to mean what we would do if we were the burper, not the burped at. If that’s the case, Aveline, what I’d do is keep it light-hearted, but apologise, and if anyone looked offended, I’d remove my sorry self and sit elsewhere!

Sounds like the BFG. Whizzpoppers acceptable but not burps?

The noble thing to do is to ignore it of course.
John Aubrey the diarist, tells a story about the Earl of Oxford. When the Earl made a low obeisance to Queen Elizabeth I, he happened to let go a fart, at which he was so ashamed that he left the country for 7 years. At his return the Queen welcomed him and said, “My lord, I had quite forgot the fart”!

MawtheMerrier

I think I would simply ignore it- to "correct" a stranger's manners would be the height of bad manners oneself.

Unless you're 4 when it is not only permissible, it should make the burper feel embarrassed enough to apologise!!
😀

Back in the 50s my mother (a then SRN) hosted a gentleman and his son from somewhere in Kuwait (can't remember where) - his small son was undergoing surgery for a cleft-palate, and my mother opted to look after him post-surgery.
We'd been informed of the dietary requirements beforehand and my mother baked a huge fruit cake. The Kuwaiti gentleman (I think he was named Ahmed) ate a huge portion and then let out a massive burp almost 'bowing' to my mother at the same time. As a young teen I was astonished and turned to my mum wide-eyed... she gave me one of those 'sideways' looks, and later explained that he was showing his appreciation of her cooking. Thing is, I got the 'giggles' and had to leave the table...

I'd not heard about this cultural habit, so it was a complete shock.

If he was with someone I would have expected him to say pardon or something. If he was on his own, maybe not.

Depends on his ethnicity really. Definitely some races do that as a sign of appreciation after a good meal. I’d just laugh, part of the human race.

It's an unavoidable bodily function, why should anyone be embarrassed? It's such a daft social construct.

Fart in front of someone and suddenly you want to avoid them until the end of time?

Accidental period leak and we must never go to that place again for all eternity?

Why are we like this? It's so illogical.

He was probably so engrossed in his reading he was lost to his surroundings. I'd ask him for a recommendation for reading.

Further to the discussion!
. From todays DT
A barrister who claimed that a colleague asking him to stop breaking wind violated his dignity has won £135,000 compensation from the Crown Prosecution Service..

Wow! Well worth public flatulence!

MawtheMerrier

Further to the discussion!
. From todays DT
A barrister who claimed that a colleague asking him to stop breaking wind violated his dignity has won £135,000 compensation from the Crown Prosecution Service..

Gosh!

If the chap can't help it because of some 'condition' - kind of understandable.

But generally speaking, continually breaking wind in an enclosed space is not pleasant for others.

If the guilty party, a muttered “Sorry” or Excuse me” should suffice, but drawing attention to it breaches every level of good manners - other than perhaps the pub on Saturday night!

About a month ago, inside the space of a week, on 2 separate occasions, as I walked along the road in town, a man belched as he passed me, literally a metre away from me.
Man 1 was unfazed, didn't seem to notice.
Man 2 did look surprised, perhaps slightly embarrassed. But no 'Pardon me'.
Weird