Nick's cartoon makes the day. (Hostess: asking whether the patrons would like to be seated a la a mask or ventilator?)

Today is another one-fer. Hax's 8-18-21 Column here

LW: Causal Diner Listening to Guy Dying of Phlegm in Throat for 45 minutes. Her boyfriend thinks she's a little intolerant of other people. She feels... well, we all have physical malfunctions, but 45 minutes-- can't he just go to the bathroom or something and finish coughing up the lung in the toilet or something? (Loose paraphrase. VERY loose paraphrase.)
She's more "Miss Manners-ly" in tone than I am and ever so politely suggests that it is indecorous and that somehow if such a diner becomes a problem, perhaps a waiter should politely tackle the disruptive diner, so other diners can eat in peace.

Hax is sympathetic especially given every cough is... uh-oh... these days, and how other people can be so OTHER PEOPLEY these days, Ew. But points out maybe the guy has an environmental allergy. Should he be a pariah henceforth from all restaurants? And while she has valid unease, LW's expectations are slightly a little out of whack, and she may want to work on her social tolerance levels a bit more.

Also, maybe that next time, she consider who is the best one to solve her problem with others' grossness. Whether it's asking for takeaway, or whatever, that best person is usually actually LW herself, so probably she shouldn't just stew and wish the waiter would somehow magically fix the noisy ambience... urk, cough, cough, gah, urk...

( Um.... sounds like she's regretting giving into the anti-OT crowd now? Or just tired of them gloating OT about how OT is gone? Urk, cough, cough, gah, urk. Our conversation is usually better than THAT. Ahem. Excuse me while I go part with part of my lung in the toilet now.