As a matter of course, young ladies do not eat cheese at dinner parties

'A member of the Aristocracy' recommended that young women should steer clear of the more highly seasoned dishes ('middle-aged and elderly ladies are at liberty to do pretty much as they please'). They should also avoid artichokes, because it was impossible to eat them elegantly; and 'as a matter of course, young ladies do not eat cheese at dinner parties'.

A. Tinniswood, The long weekend (2016), 278-9

Now her descendant did not know what a napkin ring was

It has come to this. Time was, that life could not proceed appropriately for a family such as my grandmother's without ownership of sauce ladles, knife rests and ivory-handled crumb scoops. Now her descendant did not know what a napkin ring was.

P. Lively, A House unlocked (2001), 197