“David Brent of Slough” wants to know how to give feedback to his colleagues who bring back grotty fare from holiday without causing offence or appearing ungrateful.
One should not look a gift horsemeat sausage in the mouth. You could chew thoughtfully and say “very interesting”. The medieval pilgrims brought back the toenail of a saint to show off to their friends. Today’s travellers bring back exotic foodstuffs. You are not meant to enjoy them. Your duty is merely to admire the Odyssean enterprise of your colleague for always roaming with a hungry heart, and to trump it by bringing back loukoumi or agvotaracho from your next foreign jaunt.
PH
June Bastable, Weston-super-Mare: “However charming and tactful, you cannot tell your employees not to bring back inedible fare from holidays without doing irreparable damage to good team relations. My sincere advice to him is to ‘shurrup and gerrit down yer’.”
John O’Byrne, Dublin: “Make sure you are seen to drool over those grande luxe comestibles that have earthy authenticity. Then cast a quick eye over the less appetising fare, with tip of nose upturned. You will not have said anything ungracious, but the message will be abundantly clear.”
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Helen Walker, Bath: “In our small, close-knit team anything delicious will disappear in minutes, anything not suitable will hang around for days. That is all the feedback that is required.”
Readers are invited to send their responses to this week’s question by February 26. A selection will be printed in a fortnight.
If a man (ie, boss) beckons a woman (ie, employee) at a pub door to go to him, can she ignore him and sit where she is comfortable? In the past, men went to a woman’s table to make a request. What is the modern take?
Giles, Kent