Article posted Wednesday, August 8, 2012 10:05am

Dear Mary Pat,

I was having dinner with several friends at one of our favorite local restaurants. We like to sit at the bar since it’s a little less formal, a little more comfortable and then we visit with other locals. Last week, a woman we didn’t know saddled up next to us, eavesdropped in our conversation and then threw her two cents in. Now, admittedly, I was especially annoyed since we were talking politics and this stranger had an opinion that was the EXACT opposite of mine, but if I set that annoyance aside, isn’t it rude of her to break into a conversation without any sort of invitation?

Signed,

Who Asked Ya?

Fish Creek, WI

Dear Who Asked Ya?

I do think it’s rude; however, it has been my experience that when you do sit at a bar, you can open yourself up to unsolicited conversations and opinions. Unfortunately, booze bags are often the biggest offenders. People who, when sober, would never even make eye contact with you suddenly feel the need to tell you their whole life story due to the fact that they’ve just killed a bottle and a half of wine at dinner. Normal efforts to discourage their participation in your conversation (such as turning your back to them or not really responding to them) are lost since they are impaired.

The election isn’t too far off, but since this is a close race, I don’t expect the political discussions to die down anytime soon. If you don’t want strangers talking to you about politics, my advice is to stay home. Or, at the very least, grab a table instead.

Good luck,


Mary Pat