Cillizza gives us some “Convention Rules to Live By.”
DO: Snag pigs in a blanket and bacon-wrapped-somethings from a tray at a party.
DON’T: Sit down to eat a meal on a plate with a fork and knife.
Hill members and their staffs are already familiar with these sometimes confusing culinary rules. As the House ethics memo points out, you may attend “receptions at which the food served is limited to hors d’oeuvres, beverages and similar food of a nominal value.” Sit-down dinners are verboten. Yes, it can be hard sometimes to stand with a drink in one hand and a plate of food in the other, and consume it all without spilling on yourself, especially if a dipping sauce is involved. But you just can’t sit down and eat your meal with silverware. That would corrupt the democratic process