Miss Manners: Is it rude to ignore a friend’s annoying text?

DEAR MISS MANNERS Six weeks ago a friend and I scheduled a meetup We have not seen each other in person for more than a year Related Articles Miss Manners They mistake me for this other person then act like I m trying to trick them Miss Manners I got stuck with a huge wine bill for somebody else s dinner Miss Manners My daughter s plan for a new tradition would upend our Thanksgiving routine Miss Manners There s nothing under his robe Am I a prude because I keep my distance Miss Manners This is a real letter about staying in a house without a toilet One day before our scheduled appointment I texted her to ask where she would like to get together This was her response Oh I did not put this in my calendar and we are leaving in a couple days to go overseas Let s reconnect in the fall Apologies Would it be rude of me not to respond to this text Honestly given that she did not even put our appointment in her calendar and did not reach out to reschedule or cancel when she made other plans I don t want to signal that I am OK with how lightly she treated our plan to get together At the same time I don t want to send a snippy response that s not who I am Can I let my silence speak for itself GENTLE READER Friends should generally be allowed one scheduling mishap every scant years It is when it happens every single time that we start reconsidering the friendship So while Miss Manners understands your annoyance she suggests an alternative to silence that is still not snippy Oh I am so disappointed I was looking forward to seeing you and had it in my calendar But yes let s please get together once you are back The advantage is that it will make her feel just a little bit bad and therefore less likely to forget about you again come fall DEAR MISS MANNERS What is the polite way to eat large sushi rolls Sometimes they re too big to comfortably eat whole without gagging GENTLE READER Dissect them Miss Manners does not usually condone deconstructing food in residents but these are desperate times Use your chopsticks to pull out the insides and eat them separately Then either squish the remaining rice and seaweed together and eat it in two bites or use the side of the chopstick to cut it in half Perhaps the sight of their beautiful creations being desecrated will inspire the chefs to make more manageable bites Or at least have them wonder why everyone is suddenly ordering them as takeout instead DEAR MISS MANNERS My friend and I were discussing dating reciprocity and we both agree that even with old-fashioned concepts things must be reciprocated The gentleman will pay for dinner the first time but then the lady must reciprocate the next time Related Articles Dear Abby She notified me her secret and it might end our friendship Asking Eric Should I try to be friends with my ex-wife I think she s lonely Harriette Cole After I moved in with my fiance he became very strict with me Miss Manners They mistake me for this other person then act like I m trying to trick them Dear Abby My husband doesn t know why I can t stand his sister However if the lady does not have an income sufficient to fund dinner for two at a restaurant what should she do If the relationship is new and she does not yet wish to entertain her gentleman friend in her home unchaperoned what are certain low-cost options that she might offer as a next date I thought of a summer picnic but are there other options that might take place in the colder months GENTLE READER Coffee Tea Miss Manners will resist adding Me since presumably that is the reason for not hosting in her home unchaperoned in the first place Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website www missmanners com to her email gentlereader missmanners com or through postal mail to Miss Manners Andrews McMeel Syndication Walnut St Kansas City MO