Mary Killen Mary Killen

Dear Mary: Is it rude for guests to ask for my wifi code?

issue 16 March 2024

Q. Do you agree with me that it is very bad manners to ask for a wifi code as soon as you walk into a lunch in someone else’s house? I have a centrally located, although cramped, flat in Soho and am very happy to cook for friends and friends of friends, but it is a tough act to pull off single-handedly and it throws me when people ask for the wifi code as if supplying this is no more time-consuming than telling them where the loo is. Moreover, surely you should not even think of checking your emails and WhatsApps when invited to a non-professional lunch?

– P.R., London W1

A. No one should take or make a call during lunch, but the reality is that politicians, titans of industry, actors, freelance people and panicky mothers do need to be able occasionally to glance at their mobiles to keep abreast of emerging developments.

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