Is it ever OK to double-dip?

Now is the time of year — Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day — when fondue and dips come into your life more often. And with the act of smothering something in cheese comes the inevitable debate about the propriety of double dipping.

For a classic example of this argument, Fat City presents Exhibit A, wherein Seinfeld character George Costanza demonstrates how some people consider revisiting the dip bowl the ultimate party foul. If you’re like George, Fat City has a few answers to your hypothetical etiquette questions.

What if I use the other end of something I’ve bitten, like the untouched end of a carrot.

This is essentially the chopsticks argument — where you’re suggesting you use the thicker end rather than the pincers which you’ve used to pick up food. But once food has come within the vicinity of your mouth, it should be considered out of bounds and no longer in play.