Vaping Etiquette

Top vaping etiquette tips revealed by experts to respect those around you

If you get told vaping is not allowed, “take this news with good grace” because “people will appreciate your good manners and consideration.”

Etiquette experts have revealed the vaping do’s and don’ts including never during mealtimes, not during Zoom calls, and if in doubt, ask.

Vape use is going up but six in 10 adults who vape as an alternative to smoking confess they’re not sure what’s okay when it comes to vaping politely.

And 61 per cent even describe vaping in public area as a ‘social minefield.’

However, five years since their last guide, leading authority on etiquette and behaviour, Debrett's have teamed up with Vuse to update its advice.

The advice was formulated following a study of 2,000 adult nicotine users which found more than two third regard vaping etiquette to be ‘important.’

A spokesperson for Debrett's said: “The number of people who vape in the UK has increased significantly in recent years, but the rules around vaping are not always clear.

“Five years on from our first guide to vaping etiquette, we’re delighted to team up with Vuse to share our top tips for being a courteous and considerate vaper.”

According to the etiquette guide, if it’s not clear if the public area you’re in allows vaping, just consult a staff member.

If you get told it’s not allowed, “take this news with good grace” because “people will appreciate your good manners and consideration.”

The guide also suggests against vaping in “small spaces like lifts or public loos” and “hospitals or other healthcare settings.”

And plenty of those polled concur – hospitals (38 per cent), elevators (36 per cent), and public loos (24 per cent) are all regarded as place you shouldn’t vape in.

The tips also state “engulfing others – or their surroundings – in a vape cloud is not socially acceptable.”

Be mindful in public

This is a viewpoint which seems to be shared by 45 per cent - when vaping in public, they think users should have to reduce the wattage setting on their device to minimise the vapour clouds where possible.

When it comes to food, the guide is very clear “vapers shouldn’t vape while consuming food or drink.”

More than a third of those polled appear to agree – believing restaurants should be off limits.

While just under a third believe vaping where food is being prepared should be avoided.

Workplace vaping is advised against – “unless your employer has given permission”, while doing it during meetings, Zoom calls, and job interviews can suggest someone is “not focused.”

Further to this, 33 per cent of those polled through OnePoll feel you shouldn’t vape in an office workplace setting.

A spokesperson for Vuse, which commissioned the research, said: “We hope this newly updated guidance will spare vape users any awkward situations – as the study shows there is lots of confusion over what’s good vaping social etiquette.

“But clearly it’s important to respect those around you and be as accommodating as you can.”

VAPING ETIQUETTE

If in doubt, just ask

Respect personal space

Know your audience

Defer to your hosts

Remember food and vaping don’t mix

Work-based vaping looks vapid

Respect others’ views

Electronic cigarettes may be hazardous to health and contain nicotine which is addictive. They are not suitable for use by: people under the age of 18; people who are allergic/sensitive to nicotine; pregnant or breast-feeding women; people who should avoid using tobacco or nicotine products for medical reasons; or people with an unstable heart condition, severe hypertension or diabetes. Keep them out of reach of children. – By Richard Jenkins for The Scotsman, April, 2022

🍽Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia

Historic Place Settings 1855-2005

Great Historic Places to See: 

150 Years of Place Settings in the United States

from 1955 to 2005

Created by Maura J Graber and Eda Bierman

These historically accurate place settings from 1855 to 2005, along with their accompanying stories and menus, were created by Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia Site Editor, Maura J Graber, and theme event designer, Eda Bierman. The nine “Great Historic Places to See” were created for, and shown at, the 2006 “Designs for Dining” fundraiser, held yearly in Palos Verdes Estates. 

1910's setting (above) was a favorite. At a presentation given that afternoon for the event and viewing, the settings were explained in full, including the flatware, dishes and glassware for them. Here are a few examples below: 

• In this setting above, one can see a fish knife and matching fish fork. In the Victorian and Edwardian eras, “fish sets” like these were considered utensils for parvenus or the newly rich, who clearly had not yet developed good taste or good table manners. 
  Fish sets were seen as a frivolous novelty. Those with ancient pedigrees, or “old money,” ate their fish with a fork in each hand. But in Britain and Europe, old money was slowly being propped up by new money coming in from the United States and Americans had fallen in love with all of the new utensils invented during the Victorian era. Americans, by and large, had no such issue with their fish or flatware.

• The “green swirl” Depression glass plate in the 1925 place setting, is a bit early (at least 4 years early for the Great Depression), however, colorful glassware had been popular for some time by 1925, so we took artistic license in our choice.

• The 1955 place setting was for a Bridge Luncheon and the cigarettes, matches and ashtray all reflect the fact that in the mid-20th century, smoking was not only condoned, but enabled at the dining table. Etiquette required that each properly set place setting, or cover, provided a minimum of 3 cigarettes, a lighter or matches and an ashtray.

• Photos shown here were taken at various times throughout the day. Though we tried to keep them from doing so, some attendees picked up a few of the cards to get a closer look, or moved pieces of the flatware after checking to see who the maker was, and for that reason not all of the setting's pieces are exactly where they should be in the photos.

That's Eda Bierman on the left and Etiquipedia Etiquette Encyclopedia Site Editor, Maura J. Graber, peeking over her shoulder, as attendees view the settings and read the menus and story cards.

1855's Setting 

1875's Setting

1910's Setting

1925's Setting

1940's Setting

1955's Setting

1970's Setting

1995's Setting

2005's Setting

Etiquette and Dining Intimacy

“Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly.” - M.F.K. Fisher – (Above) Jacqueline Kennedy smoking at dinner. – Mrs. Kennedy understood that State Dinner guests at the White House needed more of a feeling of intimacy, so she changed the tables from the traditional, long tables at which everyone sat, to round tables. She felt people could get to know those they were dining with, if each group was dining at a smaller, round table. And at those State Dinners, smoking at meals was so commonplace, the Sunset "Host and Hostess" book on entertaining cautioned that for a properly set dining table, each place setting needed an ashtray, no less than 3 cigarettes, and matches or a lighter. It wasn't until the Clinton administration that smoking was banned in the White House at the dining tables.

“I feel now that gastronomical perfection can be reached in these combinations: one person dining alone, usually upon a couch or a hill side; two people, of no matter what sex or age, dining in a good restaurant; six people, of no matter what sex or age, dining in a good home. Dining partners, regardless of gender, social standing, or the years they've lived, should be chosen for their ability to eat - and drink! - with the right mixture of abandon and restraint. They should enjoy food, and look upon its preparation and its degustation as one of the human arts.”―from M.F.K. Fisher's, Serve It Forth

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia 

1930's Smoking Etiquette

If people you care very little about are the smokers, the solution is simple enough, since you need not continue inviting them to your house. — Emily Post

Dear Mrs. Post: How can I be courteous about letting visitors in my house know that I do not like cigarette smoke? Any one using strong perfume is supposed to be showing very bad taste, and yet cigarette smoke smells equally strong, to say nothing of smoke-drenched clothes worn by the inveterate smokers. When I have to spend a day or evening with smokers, I am completely seasick.


Answer: If people you care very little about are the smokers, the solution is simple enough since you need not continue inviting them to your house. If, however, all the people you like best smoke, you will, I am afraid, have to accustom yourself to smoke or resign yourself to loneliness. On the other hand, I think it only fair to mention that your friends should in their turn, show reasonable consideration for you. Every smoker should realize that smoking at a dining table, which has not been furnished with ash trays and cigarettes, is a breach of etiquette. After the meal, of course, the question of courtesy goes into reverse and those who dislike smoke are unhappily for themselves expected to tolerate it. One thing that might help you if you have not already discovered it, is to remove the dead ends constantly from the ash trays or better still, get especial ash receivers with water compartments beneath trap tops which prevent that stale smell which is more than likely the cause of your feeling of seasickness. – San Bernardino Sun, 1939

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia