Do you doff yours?

[The Wolf]

I noticed I made a typo in my last missive. It should be "...know so little..."
Actually I don't hold anything against the Swedes but I have wanted some to hold themselves against me.
The only thing I have against the Belgians has to do with a waffle incident some time ago.

 

[Lefty]

I always wear my hat outside, just like my pants.

Old thread, great line.

 

[carter]

Good Bump!

...OH, and I take it off in the movie theater too.

I took my hat off and held it in my lap while at a film with my daughter this past weekend. As we were leaving, I put my hat on. When we walked out the door a nice looking lady was looking at me. I felt pretty cool until her husband walked out the door with his hat on. Perhaps she was just nearsighted. [huh]

 

[dostacos]

sometimes mine doffs itself {gets rather windy where we attend church.}

speaking of which, I leave my hat on until I park my chair. If I took it off I would run out of hands to fix my coffee and grab a donut...did I mention I attend a rather DIFFERENT type of church?

I will take mine off when I reach the table simply because I want to make sure I get my chair settled. I also consider malls very out doors so I leave it on more to protect the hat than anything else.

 

[PabloElFlamenco]

The only thing I have against the Belgians has to do with a waffle incident some time ago.

For some reason, Wolfie, that sounds like something Groucho Marx would have said. What, did you get a waffle in the face? See? Now I'm curious.
Mind you, I as Belgian have profound understanding for ANYTHING you would want to write about Belgians. I'm ...bulletproof..., except for bullets of course, which I respect. And, like all diabetics, I love chocolate.

Hats? I never had any "hat upbringing", so I was pretty much left guessing about the subject of hat etiquette.

Some general personal rules:

I take off my hat inside any one's house, office, except my own house, where I sometimes keep it on.

I leave on my hat outside, in public transport (except seated in the train, if there is plenty of sitting room), in my car, in shops, (usually, not always though, standing up at the bar), in snack bars...

Of course I always take my hat off in restaurants. If I ever went there, I would take off my hat at police stations. When I visit churches, yes, I do the tour hat in hand, always.

I have learned NOT to tip my rim for gentlemen, NEVER to take it off to gents (read dire warnings about that in books, came as a surprise to me that gents could be very susceptible). Sometimes, I tip my rim to ladies, but by no means always.

However, I remember pointedly NOT taking off my hat when they played the Belgian anthem. What's in a name? Ordinarily, I would do so.

So, all in all, not very different from what I've read earlier in this thread, moods excepted.

PabloElFlamenco

 

[metropd]

Nice thing about being a woman, I can keep my hat on, though I do remove it in the office and sometimes in a restaurant if it gets hot. Also when I am seeing my clients at work, I don't wear the hat as it is still considered "eccentric."

There was a time when men removed their hats in church, but women didn't. There was a time when women had to wear hats in some church settings, i.e. Catholic church, or at least cover their heads in some fashion, to show humility, I think.

Don't orthodox Jews wear hats in the synagogue? At least the men do. Then, of course, there are Hassidic Jews who wear hats all the time.

My grandfather always wore a hat, indoors and out and even at the dinner table. I don't know what that was about, he had a beautiful head of hair, but I used to joke that maybe he wore the hat to bed. The only time I ever saw him without his hat is when I sat on his lap, removed the hat, put it on my head, and combed his hair.

karol

All Jews, Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox have to wear a hat in a Synagogue to respect the power of God.

 

[PADDY]

I'm pretty much with Kev on this.

Ticks my hat boxes

I never wear my hat at work. I have another one just for that purpose.

I never take my hat off at home inside the house.. when it is my day off and/or I am coming home from work. On my days off, I only wear my hat inside after I've gone outside and am coming home from some errand, a walk, or doing yard work.

I always wear my hat outside, just like my pants.

I always wear my hat inside a department store or a grocery.

I ALWAYS take my hat off inside a restaurant, except the burger take out or when you sit at the lunch counter.

I NEVER wear a hat inside someone elses house as it is a sign of disrespect. And I always take it off in Church.

Unfortunately, there are few places or establishments where you have a place to safely put your hat when you remove it.

OH, and I take it off in the movie theater too.

 

[GClark]

A couple of things to add -

If my hands are full, I don’t take off my hat when I probably should. E.g., in an elevator with a woman, I often have a briefcase in one hand and my computer bag in the other. I sometimes do an awkward shift and get it off, but lately I have been a bit lazy. How about you all - lazy ever?

Also, in a place where there is established hat etiquette, I try to follow it.
For example, in my job, I am sometimes at military facilities, and their uniform includes a hat/cap, which they seem to put on outside and take off inside - whether it is a public area or not. I try to do the same while I am there...

GC

 

[FurFeltFedora]

I wear it around the house if I'm breaking it it or just come in from outside.

I wear it at the office until I get to my desk and hat rack.

I wear it at malls and in stores (big ones or small ones).

I wear it at burger joints and such (rarely a place to put the hat) but always off in a restaurant.

Off at a movie or show.

So I guess I wear mine more often than I don't.

 

[jazzncocktails]

Went to see the new Star Trek film yesterday (great film, but no hats!). When I arrived, I chose an empty row near the front (the rest of the room was pretty full already and I didn't want to sit next to someone's screaming kids or the chatty teens in the back). My Milan straw perched on the seat next to me. But soon my row, and the rows in front of me, filled up, and I had to give up my hat seat. So, it perched on my knee for two hours, which was fine in a reclining, plush theater seat with plenty of room for my long legs and 6'1" frame. On an airplane, that would have been a nightmare (particularly if the guy in front of me reclined all the way back, as he tends to).

Here's a photocopy of a photo of my grandfather at a drugstore soda fountain in 1948. He owned and ran a diner across the street from a paper mill in Brewer, Maine. As you can see, at least in this shot, he kept his hat on indoors at the counter--but angled back so as not to interfere with the straw! Those of you who keep yours on at a burger joint or other such informal locale would seem to be justified (assuming my grandfather wasn't committing a major social faux pas, which isn't out of the question).

 

[Ordinary Guy]

We had dinner out a Caribbean Restaurant that had an outside deck with a roof over it....

Hmmmm to doff or not to doff... normally I doff. I looked around and of course did not see one man with a hat on or off sitting anywhere...

Of course lots of baseball caps on ..

I finally chose off and gave it a place of honor on the seat next to me...
Was a really nice evening with the sun shining and nice light breeze blowing most of the time.........

 

[Tango Yankee]

I don't know about the police removing their hats inside a place. Just from watching the old movies...the cops took off their hats when going into a respectable place, or a mansion, or the like. In an unsavory place or the crooks place, or the suspect, they did NOT remove their hats as they did not want to show respect at all to the bad guys.

I know this is an old post but I wasn't a member when it was posted, so....

If I remember correctly, in the Air Force the Security Police do not remove their beret when they are "under arms", i.e., armed and carrying out their duties indoors. I was told that this was to leave their hands free for self-defense should the need arise. In Andykev's examples I suggest that the reason the police leave their hats on in an unsavory place has more to do with keeping their hands free for quick reaction then to show disrespect to the bad guys whereas in the more respectable places he describes they may feel the chances that they'll need their hands free for quick self-defense are low.

Just a random thought.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I take mine off in peoples' homes, smaller shoppes, but leave it on in larger places, the mall, Wal-Mart, etc, etc. I of course tip my hat to the ladies as well!

 

[RBH]

Went to see the new Star Trek film yesterday (great film, but no hats!). When I arrived, I chose an empty row near the front (the rest of the room was pretty full already and I didn't want to sit next to someone's screaming kids or the chatty teens in the back). My Milan straw perched on the seat next to me. But soon my row, and the rows in front of me, filled up, and I had to give up my hat seat. So, it perched on my knee for two hours, which was fine in a reclining, plush theater seat with plenty of room for my long legs and 6'1" frame. On an airplane, that would have been a nightmare (particularly if the guy in front of me reclined all the way back, as he tends to).

Here's a photocopy of a photo of my grandfather at a drugstore soda fountain in 1948. He owned and ran a diner across the street from a paper mill in Brewer, Maine. As you can see, at least in this shot, he kept his hat on indoors at the counter--but angled back so as not to interfere with the straw! Those of you who keep yours on at a burger joint or other such informal locale would seem to be justified (assuming my grandfather wasn't committing a major social faux pas, which isn't out of the question).

I can tell by the photo ... your grandfather was a very smart man.

 

[ortega76]

9 times out of 10, I keep my hat on when out of my home. I keep it on in the mall. I keep it on when sitting at most restaurants, except nicer restaurants whereit goes on the chair next to me if there is no hat check. I take it off at church or someone's home. I take it off when talking to a lady.

 

[Fedora Jay]

At what point in a restaurant do you all take off your hats? Usually I keep it on while waiting for a table, then take it off when we're seated.

 

[Leutnant]

Cops and Hats

I don't know about the police removing their hats inside a place. Just from watching the old movies...the cops took off their hats when going into a respectable place, or a mansion, or the like. In an unsavory place or the crooks place, or the suspect, they did NOT remove their hats as they did not want to show respect at all to the bad guys. Also, cops back then (and maybe today) wern't thought much of, evidenced by many old movies I have seen. Even during the depression, when cops used to roust the bums (we call them homeless now), they were not liked.

Of course today, very few cops wear hats, and the ones that do use baseball caps.

The California Highway Patrol used to wear the soft brimmed cap (like the Pilot's hat from WWII) but you NEVER see that.

Few SFPD wear the old seven point hat either. That is too bad.

Well, I can tell you that the "52 Mission Crush" is still very evident in the Detroit Police Department and you'll not see a BB cap, except on a dismounted motorcycle officer. Also, as a Precinct and Homicide Detective, I ALWAYS wore a Fedora...

 

[Inusuit]

My hat stays on except at work or entering someone's home. I feel uncomfortable leaving my hat on in a nice restaurant, even if others have their ball caps on. But there is often no clean, safe place to put a good hat. Out with the inlaws last night, the safe clean place was a wine rack right by our table.

 

[ortega76]

At what point in a restaurant do you all take off your hats? Usually I keep it on while waiting for a table, then take it off when we're seated.

I take it off as I walk into the dining room.