Apr 30, 2013 3 min read

Q. Recently, my wife and I stayed for four days at the home of one of her school chums. The gals yakked until late at night, so I was the first one up every morning. I’m an early riser anyway.

I like reading the newspaper with my breakfast, so when I’d get up, I’d go outside and pick up the paper and bring it in. My wife says it was wrong to get the paper before our hostess. Anyway, after a couple of days, the school friend seemed in a snit about something, and my wife says that was the reason, even though she never said so when I asked whether something was bothering her.

Recently, we were invited to stay with different friends for a weekend, and I am getting no end of hassle from my wife to make sure I wait for our hosts to finish with the paper. I figure I’ll just go out for coffee somewhere and buy a paper. My wife says it would be rude to take off at breakfast. Is this idiotic or what? – California

A. It would be rude to read the paper in such a way that your hosts must wait for you to finish, or that you drag sections of it all over the house and fill in all the clues to the crossword puzzle. But there is nothing wrong with reading the paper early, putting it back together nicely and having it available to your hosts when they awaken.

You can resolve this simply enough. When you arrive, inform your hosts that you are an early riser, and ask whether they would mind if you fetch their paper and read it with your coffee, promising to keep it in pristine condition for when they are ready to read it. You also could offer to go to the local coffee shop and bring back coffee and muffins (and a newspaper) for everyone else.

Dear Annie: I had to laugh when I read “Frustrated Cook’s” letter. I remember how my parents battled with me over eating broccoli when I was a kid. I was forced to finish it, so I would wash small bites down with my sweet tea, as if they were pills.

I’m 48 now, and broccoli is one of my favorite foods. However, I can no longer tolerate sweet tea. I think texture is often the issue, as it was for me. When I had kids, I never forced them to eat what I fixed. I gave them the option of making themselves a peanut butter sandwich if they did not want to eat my meals, but I also did not prepare a separate dish for them. – Memphis Mama

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