"They don't sell hot dogs here!"

This is less about food and more about etiquette, for anyone who has dined out with me knows my biggest peeve is people who wear baseball caps in restaurants. It drives me bonkers! I guess it goes back to the manners instilled upon me by my parents. Never was it acceptable to wear a hat indoors, much less at the table. This I have carried with me.

I mean really, what's the point of wearing a hat indoors? Does it help block out the sun? No, I don't think so. And what's the deal with wearing the brim off to the side? Are you trying to shade one side of your face? I can understand wearing a ball cap backwards to avoid it blowing off, but that's about it. Wearing a baseball cap in any way other than the way it's supposed to be worn, makes people look like they're too dumb to work a hat.

I was visiting my mom back when she still lived in Raleigh, when one night we decided to order out from a Chinese restaurant named the "Red Dragon". As I was walking up to the door, a young couple (still in high school) pulled up in front of the restaurant in a convertible. The young man got out of the car and went to open the door for his date like a proper Southern boy always does. His date was super cute and they both looked like they were in for a fun night out. I let them walk in before me, but as I did, I noticed he still had his hat on with no intention of taking it off. As he was going through the doorway, I gently grabbed his shirttail and held it. He felt the tug and turned back to me. "Hey man, you may want to lose the hat." I politely suggested. He quickly took it off and genuinely seemed rather embarrassed that he had forgotten to do so. He thanked me and went on in the door.

I few years later, I was watching The Sopranos and apparently Tony Soprano felt the same way I do about hats in restaurants. In this particular episode, Tony is having dinner with Artie when they notice a man who is wearing a hat in the restaurant. Tony asks him to take in off...well, I'll let you see for yourself.


See? I'm not the only one who feels this way. The breakdown is this, if a restaurant has a hot dog on their main menu, not the kid's menu, then it's acceptable to wear a hat in the place. Just remember, even though you can wear a hat in a restaurant, it doesn't make it a good idea.

Ciao down,
Penn

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