My husband Chris and I went out for a sushi lunch in Woodley Park today.
We thought, “Hmm, Woodley, haven’t been there in a while.”

Of course we forgot with its proximity to the National Zoo and this being Fourth of July weekend, that it would be overrun with tourists. This isn’t so bad, after all, we appreciate their dollars spent in our local economy. However, what we witnessed at lunch today makes it imperative that I point out a few minor etiquette matters on their behalf:

1. When eating in a restaurant, please remove your baseball caps. This especially applies to grown men.

2. Don’t encourage your little darlings to scream and shout by mock-fencing them with your chopsticks.

3. When sitting at a tatami table at a sushi restaurant where you remove your shoes, please put them back on before you paddle barefoot into the public restroom. Oh, and remember to put your children’s shoes back on before they do it too.

And finally, most importantly,

4. When dining out with babies, please change their diapers in the restroom, not at the table in full view of other diners.

By your following these rules, the young lady sitting next to you will refrain from breaking hers, and we can all get along famously.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs