Miss Manners: I don’t always want to eat what I’m served; how can I deal with it without offending?

Miss Manners: Is it rude to leave a pile of food debris on my plate?

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Sometimes I am served something I don’t want to eat, like meat with fat or gristle. I trim my portion and move the trash to the side of my plate -- inconspicuously, I hope. Once, though, I was served peas that had coarse strings that hadn’t been removed. So I removed them before eating each one.

Miss Manners: I don’t always want to eat what I’m served; how can I deal with it without offending?

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Sometimes I am served something I don’t want to eat, like meat with fat or gristle. I trim my portion and move the trash to the side of my plate -- inconspicuously, I hope.

Miss Manners: Is it rude to leave gristle on the side of a plate?

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Sometimes I am served something I don’t want to eat, like meat with fat or gristle. I trim my portion and move the trash to the side of my plate -- inconspicuously, I hope.