The Star at Woodstock

They are not rules. They are things which people who might invite me for a meal do not themselves do and do not expect me to.

With Howard, I think it is more foible than allergy. He has very strict ideas about how things should be done (including photography). I developed a strange 'allergy' a few years ago: I get hiccups if I eat anything with sugar. I'm okay with just a small amount, such as a Rich Tea biscuit (great for dunking), but cannot eat cakes or custard.

1. It isn't foible. There's logic underlying my preferences, and a long-established consensus about what is or isn't "done".
2. If you happen to like your biscuits damp and soft, then (ideally in private) go ahead and dunk them. But why not just open each new packet, spread the biscuits on a plate and leave them exposed to air for a few days? They'll become damp and soft without your having to dunk them.

There is no greater culinary delight than sucking one's tea through the medium of a ginger nut. Rich Tea is good, but generally too large for the average mug, requiring it to be partially dunked before full immersion, which does run the risk of an accident, where half the biscuit ends up floating in the cup. But McVities nuts are the perfect size for dunking, and can be popped in the mouth whole before going soggy. Roy can finish a packet in one sitting.