Yesterday at a concert I watched a woman who got her drink from the bar and brought it in. We had only rows of chairs, no tables, so she couldn’t put the drink down.

There was a slice of lime hanging on the side of the glass. She squeezed that lime in the drink and then… she tossed it in! Surely she didn’t wash her hands before the squeezing!

Is there a proper etiquette for such squeezing? What would you do with the lime leftovers?

The proper etiquette is to squeeze, drop into the drink, then lick fingers.

...or have your partner lick them for you ;-)

As our friend Kal would say, "Faina, dear, you need another drink."

At least she didn't pop the whole lime piece in her mouth and suck and chew on it, and then throw it in the glass. amp;

Cheers!

If it was her own drink, why does it matter if she washed her hands? I mean, I understand basic hygiene is good, but we cannot wash our hands every single time we touch a piece of food, or a pill, or a piece of gum, etc. and all those things go into our mouths.

As long as I wash my hands frequently throughout the day and haven't done anything to make my hands gross, I'll go ahead and use them for squeezing without washing immediately prior. Not sure what Emily Post would say, though.

Heck, and to think I have been doing that for years! Never thought it was viewed as wrong!

my goodness, it never ceases to amaze me what people notice!!
I've done it a million times!

Would you be as concerned about her handwashing habits had she returned with a sandwich? Or wings?

And actually, this is Fodors Travel forum, not Emily Post's Etiquette forum.

That was good rb

We travel to learn about different cultures, don't we?

When I lived in "medeival" Russia people there would never toss lemon leftovers in their tea glasses.

Just wanted to see if this is common for Americans or not.

(this was for RB)

So, I was wrong squeezing my lime and leaving it on an empty plate? How would I know it without you!

AnnMarie, if I ever tell my husband... he'll ban me from this website

Faini, I think she should have worn MizScarlett's body condom.

Seriously, was this a liquor drink? Vodka/tonic, gin/tonic, Cuba Libra, mojitios, and a few others all require a squeeze and dunk of the lime.

The alcohol kills all the germs so it's ok--and tastes good too!

GoTravel, I was so stupid, didn't ask her for a sip. Now I will never know what was in that drink

Maybe my use of words was wrong. I didn't care as much about her handling that lime, but about tossing it into the glass. It's like eating chicken and throwing bones back in the pot.

This was one of the weirdest concerns I've ever heard of.

LOL! Yes, you should have taken a big slurp of her drink!

Faina - Isn't it more like eating chicken and then putting the bones back on the plate? Or was this a large group drink?

I think it's more like eating a chicken and throwing the bones in your drink.

or is it like eating a chicken and washing your hands in your drink.

Maybe the drink just tastes like chicken? ~gt;

She had no plate to put the lime on. Heck, she even had no table. Where else would she put the lime? Throw it on the floor?

Etiquette does dictate common sense as well as consideration, according to Judith Martin a/k/a "Miss Manners"