The Saturday Sip: July 22, 2023
Your etiquette tip, quote and an Emily Post Cookbook recipe to start your weekend off right!
The Tip
It’s rare that we issue “nevers” at The Emily Post Institute, but we feel pretty confident about this one: When using your phone, tablet, or computer in a public space, never use the speakers or speakerphone. Always use headphones if you’re watching or listening to something or if it’s a phone call or video call, take the call off speakerphone. The disruption to a public space by the noise from your phone or device is real and frustrating to those around you.
*Keep an eye out on NBC’s The Today Show this week for more advice on using your cell phone well in public.
The Recipe
What’s summer without a little potato salad? Emily’s contains an interesting mix of ingredients, and Lizzie has offered up her mother’s super simple potato salad as a second option, but we are curious as to what your FAVORITE type of potato salad is. Check out these recipes and let us know yours in the comments - remember if you can’t comment here, the Monday thread is open to all!
Emily Post’s Cookbook, 1951, pg. 278
Potato Salad
Time: 3-4 hours
Serves: 4
Ingredients
2 medium-sized potatoes [type not specified]
3 tbs. French Dressing
1/2 cup cooked snap beans cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup diced celery
2 tbs. chopped scallions
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste
OPTIONAL
1/3 of a green pepper, diced small
Directions
Boil 2 medium-sized potatoes 40 minutes, peel, and cool. Dice into cubes about 3/8 inch in size [so exact!?!] This should make a little over 1 1/2 cups. Add 3 tbs. French Dressing, mix, and let marinate for 2 hours, mixing several times to keep all the potato cubes wet with the dressing. Now add 1/2 cup of cooked snap beans, cut into pieces about 1/2-inch long, a scant 1/2 cup of diced celery, 2 tbs. of chopped scallions, salt, and pepper. Mix and let stand for 15 to 20 minutes. Now add 1/2 cup mayonnaise, mix lightly, and place in the refrigerator. The addition of 1/3 green pepper, cut into small pieces and mixed into the salad, will help both its taste and appearance.
Simple Potato Salad
This potato salad has been a crowd-pleaser for years for the Post family.
Ingredients
1 lb red potatoes
2-4 Tbsp chives (finely chopped)
1/2 cup sour cream (you may want to add more depending on how much your potatoes absorb once mixed)
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Quarter the potatoes so they are about an inch large (it’s okay if there are some bigger and some smaller ones.) Place them in a pot and then fill the pot until it covers the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook until a fork easily pierces the potato cubes. They should be super soft without falling completely apart.
Remove from heat and strain. Cool. Once the potatoes are mostly cooled, add the sour cream, chives, pinch of salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly and taste to see if it needs more salt and/or pepper. Chill until it’s time to serve.
The softness of the potatoes should lend itself to mixing well with the sour cream, creating a creamy potatoey dressing. You can always add more sour cream (and salt and pepper) if the potatoes absorb too much of the dressing.
The Quote
“You don’t have to say anything except to answer politely when spoken to, and you need do nothing except the things indicated for you.” - Emily Post
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Thank you for spending a bit of your day with us. We hope you’ve enjoyed the Saturday Sip today! Let us know in the comments if you have a favorite (or maybe even winning) potato salad recipe. And remember, the Monday thread is open to all!
Up next is Monday’s Awesome Etiquette podcast with the Etiquette Extra and Community Member Bonus Question of the Week!
Until then,
Lizzie and Dan
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A humorous illustration of Emily doing all the “wrong things” has been a favorite at the Emily Post Institute for years. This illustration originally ran in the December 1933 edition of Vanity Fair.
These recipes sound delicious. We tend to enjoy the tangy potato salads that contain mustard -- sometimes called German Potato Salad or Amish Potato Salad.