Madam, - In the recent past there has been some furore over the lack of cleanliness in hospitals but there should also be an uproar about the unhygienic conditions that exist in some restaurants. During the past week I had meals in two different Dublin so-called "up-market" restaurants where I saw waiters put used cutlery into containers of water.
Obviously the water was not very hot, as they put their hands in to take the cutlery out and wipe it with a cloth before setting it for reuse. I saw crockery being washed under running taps, where again the water was not hot enough to sterilise the dishes. Tables were wiped down with damp cloths. I understand that these practices exist in many restaurants, but they would not be tolerated in any well run household.
Acceptable conventional table manners/etiquette seem to be unheard of in many establishments. There is a lowering of standards in everything we do, which is a retrograde way to go. - Yours, etc,
JAMES KEARNEY, Sea Court Grove, Dollymount, Dublin 3.