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Why don't F passengers 'button' their napkins?

 
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Old May 31, 2005, 8:03 pm
  #46  
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Originally Posted by BLI-Flyer
I always button the napkin to my shirt, it doesn't make much sense to put it on my lap when most of that is covered by the tray.
Or the blanket...until they take those away too.
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Old May 31, 2005, 8:43 pm
  #47  
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"Why don't F passengers 'button' their napkins?"

Perhaps because it's so gauche ...

(from one almost always attired in T-shirt, jeans and sneakers)
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Old May 31, 2005, 8:45 pm
  #48  
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Originally Posted by LHR/MEL/Europe FF
becuase I would never use a button hole napkin
Me too neither, as my kids used to say!

Plus, I don't make a habit of spilling food all over my environs, anyway.
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Old May 31, 2005, 9:13 pm
  #49  
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Originally Posted by GregM
What a delightful topic and reading through the discussion I feel I have learned something new too - having never quite twigged as to the purpose of the button hole.

Now if only the napkin had two button holes, one could thread a ribbon through so one could secure the cloth to ones head by ones chin. So much classier than tying knots at the four corners
My brain hurts.
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Old May 31, 2005, 9:33 pm
  #50  
 
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I've always used the button!

As a matter of fact, I've often wondered why restaurants (especially Italian where I'm prone to getting sauce on myself) don't offer these.

Much better to look bad during my flight than ruin a tie or shirt! (Which I've also done. )
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Old May 31, 2005, 10:36 pm
  #51  
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So that's what the slot/hole in the napkin is for . I learn something new every day .
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Old May 31, 2005, 11:47 pm
  #52  
 
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I'll admit, I'm a buttoner.
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Old Jun 1, 2005, 7:58 am
  #53  
 
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C.R. Smith would be proud of all you buttonholers.
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Old Jun 1, 2005, 8:10 am
  #54  
 
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Originally Posted by vasantn
(from one almost always attired in T-shirt, jeans and sneakers)
CATHAY takes it one higher. For those without buttons, they provide a teeny-tiny clothes pin to use. It's a nice back up...
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Old Jun 1, 2005, 8:39 am
  #55  
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So is a "buttoned" napkin the new way to identify flyertalkers on board AA?

I don't button and have never seen anyone do it.
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Old Jun 1, 2005, 4:49 pm
  #56  
 
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Originally Posted by mvoight
I sometimes do this, however, normal dining etiquette is for to place the napkin on your lap. I am not aware of there being a difference in etiquett when dining aloft.
Normal dining etiquette is to put the napkin on your lap...unless you are a total spazz there is no reason you should need a napkin over your shirt (under normal conditions).

However, as the table here is much lower you have a much greater chance of making a mess, so I think you can get a pass buttoning the napkin on your shirt - I do it all the time.
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Old Jun 1, 2005, 4:53 pm
  #57  
 
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I also button.
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Old Jun 1, 2005, 5:56 pm
  #58  
 
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Originally Posted by FoothillFlyer
C.R. Smith would be proud of all you buttonholers.
We're gonna need a secret handshake!
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Old Jun 1, 2005, 6:09 pm
  #59  
 
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Count me in as a buttoner. And here I thoiught I was the only one. Etiquette be damned; previously, there was no way I could sit in that awkward eating position, and not end up with occasional drips of salad dressing on my shirt.

As others have observed, putting the napkin on your lap is redundant, as it is already covered by the tray.
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Old Jun 2, 2005, 12:45 pm
  #60  
 
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OK, I have now some hard data on the 'buttoning' frequency.

On SFO-JFK-SFO I observed 60 F pax, including myself. Of these, there were 38 eligible candidates for buttoning (adults dressed in buttoning-compatible attire). A total of 8 pax did button (counting myself here twice, once in each direction).

This gives us a 21% BFE (Buttoning Frequency, Eligible). If I take myself, a known buttoner, out of the sample set, we come to 16% BFE; still a respectable number.

Regarding the methodology: I refrained from buttoning myself until I had taken the count to avoid undue influence through peer pressure. BFE was used since the propensity of buttoning cannot be determined for individuals not wearing buttoning-compatible attire. Sample set on these bicoastal flights may not be representative of the entire US flying population. Further data collection and analysis is indicated.

Hope this helps everyone.

Sami
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