DEAR MISS MANNERS: Whether at home, at another person’s house or in a restaurant, what does one do when food from one’s plate drops on the table?

GENTLE READER: Although she is inclined to think of those as three separate questions, Miss Manners acknowledges a common first step in all scenarios: Do not pretend that it did not happen.

At home, you will likely have to clean it up yourself. At someone else’s house or in a restaurant, you will want to draw it to the attention of a host or waiter. Ask for assistance, but also offer to do the work — with more or less conviction and insistence depending on the setting, the level of formality and the extent of the resulting mess.

Please send your questions to Miss Manners at missmanners.com, by email to [email protected], or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.