Eating Etiquette

Message sent via email:

“Could you please tell me what the correct procedure is when leaving thedining table during a meal?I was taught that you were to ask for permission to excuse yourself. I was recently offended by someone leaving the table while the rest of uswere still eating & was told by a relative the next day that it didn’t really matter.”

It does matter!
The proper and polite way to leave a table is to ask for permission to be excused.