ETIQUESTIONS

Dr. Barbara Baggerly-Hinojosa

I am chronically late!!! I always feel rushed and as hard as I try, I can never make it to an event on time. Recently, a friend mentioned that maybe I needed to learn about etiquette. Is there an etiquette rule about being on time or being late? I always thought being late was fine. I never thought people really expected others to arrive on time.

This is such a good question. The etiquette rule for being on time is pretty standard. Whether it is a work-related event or a social event, it is good practice to arrive on the location of the event a few minutes early to make sure you found the right place. Being punctual is good manners. When we are late to arrive, we are often late to leave and that can impact the plans for the event. Try to learn some organization techniques to help you break the habit of being late.

I recently visited a really nice local restaurant and I was shocked when my husband flagged down our server by waving his hand and whistling. Several other diners looked at us!

What do you do you do instead?

Never whistle at, shout at, flag down, or touch a server if you need their attention. That refill on your drink or dessert order can wait a moment. Your server is a busy employee. Instead, just kindly make eye contact, and the server will be with you at the next available moment. Have some patience and enjoy the time in the restaurant.

During a recent gala, I noticed someone at my table cutting up his entire steak into many small pieces before he began eating. That made me wonder if I was breaking some etiquette rule by not doing that. What is the rule about cutting up our food?

According to etiquette experts at Emily Post, you are only supposed to cut up one piece of food at a time. That means if you intend on scarfing down three pieces of steak in a row, you should take the time between bites to cut your food into small pieces.

LEADERSHIP HARLINGEN - EDUCATION SESSION

Leadership Class of XXXV toured schools across the City of Harlingen, getting a closer look into how and why decisions are made for students in the region and meeting key leaders eager to help them get plugged in

To learn more about Leadership Harlingen, visit www.harlingen.com with on social media!

88TH LEGISLATIVE SEND-OFF

Photography by Charlie Luna

On January 5th, the RGV Hispanic Chamber & the RGV Partnership hosted the 88th Legislative Send-off at the UTRGV Center for Innovation & Commercialisation in Weslaco. The RGVHCC & The RGV Partnerships’ goal for the event was to ensure that the RGV Community had a chance to voice their concerns and ideas with our local legislators before they head to Austin for the upcoming legislative session.

In addition, the RGVHCC also presented its legislative agenda to the legislators in attendance. The agenda includes transportation, workforce, education, trade, border security, and transportation concerns.

“The RGV Hispanic Chamber of Commerce realizes that there are several new faces that will be representing the Rio Grande Valley in Austin. Thus, we wanted to give our membership and the public the opportunity to meet and greet the new representatives and hopefully tell them what their concerns are,” RGVHCC President/CEO Cynthia Sakulenzki stated. For more information on upcoming events or memberships, contact the RGVHCC at 956-928-0060 or chamber@gmail.comat cissy@rgvhcc.com or call 956-928-0060

Texas Legislative Members Swing Down To The Rgv

Photography by Michael Sulartz

The RGV Partnership’s 23rd Educational Legislative Tour took place January 26-29, 2023. This year’s tour took a record-setting 44 legislative members and 52 staff members through Willacy and Cameron County, with stops that were full of educational tours and panels on subjects that are vital to our region’s growth. We focused on healthcare, education, energy, commerce, and border security topics to give insight to our guest legislators.

The goal of the tour was to bring as many state legislators as possible to the Valley and educate them on our strengths, opportunities, and challenges. Once legislators experience our region firsthand, they will have a better idea of what legislation continues to allow us to grow and which can hinder us.

Many of the legislators in attendance had never visited the RGV, but they all left with a realization that we have a vibrant community with a young, able workforce and commerce that not only brings dry goods into our region for final assembly, storage, and distribution but help feed the country with the produce that crosses our border through our ports on a daily basis.