Q. Speaking of pellets, as you did last week, may I ask something else? Whenever I have eaten birds, it has always been quite an informal occasion where one didn’t have to worry about, well, what to do with shot. One could simply more or less neatly take it out of one’s mouth. But if one were dining more formally and the issue arose — is it necessary to swallow?
B.T., Berkeley, California
A. It is never necessary to swallow shot. Having worked it to the tip of your tongue, give your lips a swift wipe with your napkin and let the shot be swept to the floor as you do so. Should contact with the floor be audible, ignore the sound — no need to comment.
Q. The central London flat where I normally live is having essential repairs carried out and I have to move out next week. Having been rugged by a friend of a friend who had agreed I could live in one of her spare rooms, I find I will be technically homeless until perhaps April. However, since I have a weekend cottage in Norfolk and will be travelling a great deal and on holiday for one ten-day period, I do not want to waste money on renting a stopgap flat for a minimum let of six months. What should I do, Mary?
K.B., London W1
A. I am delighted to announce that you can stay in the Travelodge in Covent Garden’s Drury Lane for £26 per night with parking costing £15 for 24 hours. All rooms have ensuite facilities. Travelodge’s director of public communications, Greg Dawson, cheerily informs me, ‘a lot of London people are using our hotels instead of taking a taxi home, which can work out more expensive.’
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