Napkin

MILWAUKEE - On a recent trip to a McDonald's with his family, Tim Machak found himself with all the ingredients for a sticky mess: Four young children. Four ice cream cones. Two napkins. To make things worse, Machak couldn't find a napkin dispenser anywhere. The fast-food franchise had removed them from the dining area several months ago, leaving employees at the counter responsible for rationing out a few at a time. "It insulted me," said Machak, who was so upset by the experience he complained to the managers.

The case of a small painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir stolen from the Baltimore Museum of Art decades ago took an unexpected turn recently when new questions were raised about a woman's claim that she bought it at a flea market. The holes in her story should cement the BMA's legal efforts to reclaim its property after all these years, but the strange tale also throws a fascinating light on the pitfalls that inevitably arise in any dealings with artworks of mysterious provenance.

Bars and restaurants throughout Carroll County will soon serve words of caution about date rape along with beverages. Following the lead of a program established in Florida, land of the spring break drinking party, an advocacy group for rape victims is distributing tens of thousands of cocktail napkins imprinted with a message. "Who Else is Watching Your Drink?" it says in red letters. "Watch out for date-rape drugs!" "A beverage napkin is a different way to reach all kinds of people of all different ages," said Jo Ann Hare, executive director of the Rape Crisis Intervention Service of Carroll County.

Sure, I'd like to see the stolen Renoir painting returned to the Baltimore Museum of Art , but not under the shabby deal your letter writer suggests ("Renoir belongs to BMA," March 21). The linen napkin painted back in 1879 has tremendous value, and the woman who purchased it at a flea market made a tremendous find. I shop flea markets, church rummage sales, thrift shops and even dumpsters. There are treasures to be found. However stating that "the woman who bought the painting ... is simply out of luck," is callous.

True or false? At a formal dinner, the napkin is always to the diner's left - specifically, to the left of the fork or forks. Everyone knows that the answer to this important etiquette question is: "True, usually. More or less. It depends." Recently, I was at a formal dinner, and I confidently took the napkin to my left, only to discover I had stolen the napkin of the person on my left, because this time the napkins had been cleverly set up in the coffee cups to the right. Aha! The "napkin in the beverage vessel" negates the widely recognized "napkin on the left" rule, because drinks are always placed to the diner's right.

Ever wonder what to do with all of those mushroom stems they tell you to cut off and "reserve for another use"? Here a few suggestions:* Before putting stems in the freezer, slice them and squeeze them dry in a plain napkin. Do so by drawing the napkin up and around the stems, twisting the napkin until you have a tightly wrapped ball. Keep twisting the napkin until the mushroom juices run out. When done, open the napkin, and you will have a pile of mushrooms that will freeze better because there is no water in them to make them soggy when they thaw.

The holiday table creates a festive mood, evoking warm memories and an aura of comfort. Red and green are just part of the story. This year's tableware seems to hark back to a time of Victorian opulence. Shimmering gold and silver are the dominant colors, showing up in items from glassware to ornamental fruit. ,, Look for lush jewel tones in china and linens, and everywhere, an abundance of warm, glowing candlelight. This is the time of year to entertain in style. Bring out the best and let it shine on.SHOPPING GUIDETable Talk(Page 58)

Sure, I'd like to see the stolen Renoir painting returned to the Baltimore Museum of Art , but not under the shabby deal your letter writer suggests ("Renoir belongs to BMA," March 21). The linen napkin painted back in 1879 has tremendous value, and the woman who purchased it at a flea market made a tremendous find. I shop flea markets, church rummage sales, thrift shops and even dumpsters. There are treasures to be found. However stating that "the woman who bought the painting ... is simply out of luck," is callous.

For anyone who doubts that an employer might make assumptions about a job candidate based on something as seemingly insignificant as salting food before tasting it, think again. "Taste first," LaChelle R. Wilborn, a business etiquette expert, recently stressed to a group of McDaniel College students. "It's a true sign of impatience if you salt first. Think of the interview process as a series of hurdles you have to jump. That's a hurdle a lot of people use [to rule out candidates] in a competitive field."

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Michael Brown Jr. sits in a small swing, his hands clenched and legs rigid as he stares into the distance. He cries for no reason and ignores the world around him.Curiosity -- and crack -- robbed the 15-month-old toddler of a normal life.Almost five weeks ago, Michael ate pieces of crack cocaine that police say were left on a table in his mother's Pompano Beach apartment. The boy suffered violent seizures, which caused severe brain damage, and he lapsed into a coma.

True or false? At a formal dinner, the napkin is always to the diner's left - specifically, to the left of the fork or forks. Everyone knows that the answer to this important etiquette question is: "True, usually. More or less. It depends." Recently, I was at a formal dinner, and I confidently took the napkin to my left, only to discover I had stolen the napkin of the person on my left, because this time the napkins had been cleverly set up in the coffee cups to the right. Aha! The "napkin in the beverage vessel" negates the widely recognized "napkin on the left" rule, because drinks are always placed to the diner's right.

What can I do tonight to get ready for Thanksgiving tomorrow? The first thing you should do on Thanksgiving Eve is to make two lists: one, a menu that enumerates every single thing that you plan to serve, along with the appropriate sauces, dressings and garnishes; the other detailing every nonculinary task that needs to be done, from bringing the folding chairs in from the garage to tidying up the bathroom. Post the menu in a prominent place, so that you don't realize while clearing dessert that you forgot to serve the salad.

Lillian B. Gottschalk, a world-renowned expert on and collector of automotive toys and Victorian napkin rings who wrote widely on both subjects, died of kidney failure Sunday at a hospital in Encino, Calif. The former Parkton resident was 84. Born Lillian Brown and raised in Warren, Ohio, she was a graduate of Ohio State University and completed nursing school at the University of Southern California. She worked as a nurse during the late 1940s and 1950s in Los Angeles before her 1955 marriage to William G. Gottschalk.

For anyone who doubts that an employer might make assumptions about a job candidate based on something as seemingly insignificant as salting food before tasting it, think again. "Taste first," LaChelle R. Wilborn, a business etiquette expert, recently stressed to a group of McDaniel College students. "It's a true sign of impatience if you salt first. Think of the interview process as a series of hurdles you have to jump. That's a hurdle a lot of people use [to rule out candidates] in a competitive field."

Ring it up. The hottest fashion accessory for the holidays may be worn by your dinner napkins. Napkins never looked so stylish, dressed up with rings that sate myriad tastes. On the Neiman Marcus Web site alone there are 27 different ring styles from which to choose, and just about every retailer from Target to Crate and Barrel is stocking these baubles of metal, crystal, beaded glass, horn, feathers, velvet, paper and even rattan. From skinny bands to wide cuffs that look like wrist bangles, napkin rings can be bold or understated.

The Maritime Republic of Eastport was birthed, as any ersatz republic worth its salt should be, over drinks at a bar. In a clandestine meeting in the basement of the Rams Head Tavern, the founding fathers wrote a mock declaration of independence from Annapolis on cocktail napkins and thus, seven years ago, a faux nation was born. The revolt didn't exactly stick - to the founders' dismay, the neighborhood of Eastport is still part of Annapolis - but once a year, residents flex their independence muscles at a huge tug of war that pits the feisty community against what they view as a frightfully stodgy enemy: downtown Annapolis.

Chuck Ecker's digging into breakfast at the Double T Diner, U.S. 40 and Rolling Road, where the conversation's convivial and the oatmeal sublime, when a name is inserted into the conversation Tuesday morning: Ellen Sauerbrey.Ecker, the Howard County executive and largely undiscovered candidate for the Republican nomination for governor, tightens his grip on a defenseless paper napkin held in his thick fingers."Sauerbrey," he repeats softly. She's far ahead of him in the polls. "She tells everybody, 'If you want to know what Parris Glendening will do, look to the past,' " Ecker says.

I was sitting in the splendor of Citronelle restaurant savoring forkfuls of roasted duck with bordelaise cinnamon sauce and taking sips of a knock-your-cuff links-off red wine, Autard '89 Chateauneuf Du Pape, when suddenly a crumb appeared on the corner of my mouth.The crumb was bad form. It had to be disposed of, properly. I picked up my napkin and brought it to the corner of my mouth. I did not blot or wipe with the napkin. I dabbed. The crumb was history.I knew that my dinner companion, etiquette expert Mary Mitchell, approved of my dabbing.

MILWAUKEE - On a recent trip to a McDonald's with his family, Tim Machak found himself with all the ingredients for a sticky mess: Four young children. Four ice cream cones. Two napkins. To make things worse, Machak couldn't find a napkin dispenser anywhere. The fast-food franchise had removed them from the dining area several months ago, leaving employees at the counter responsible for rationing out a few at a time. "It insulted me," said Machak, who was so upset by the experience he complained to the managers.

Walk into Maribou, the eclectic new home store on Falls Road, and one thing becomes clear: This is not your average Baltimore shop. And no wonder. It's owned by Palm Beacher Laura Millender, who purchases much of her stock from gift shows in California, Atlanta, New York and shops in Palm Beach. "The store has a Worth Avenue flair," she says, referring to the ritzy Palm Beach shopping district. But her prices are reasonable. Unique holiday gifts run the gamut from marabou slippers ($32)