DEAR ABBY: My wife accuses me of "acting pretentious" when we are dinner guests at a friend's house and I warm my plate in the microwave. What am I supposed to do when the food has gone cold or lukewarm, and I want my meal to be hot? -- SOME LIKE IT HOT, SAN JOSE, CALIF.
DEAR SOME LIKE IT HOT: Your wife may be afraid that by taking your plate into the kitchen because the food is too cold for your tastes, you are insulting your hostess. But I am with you, because I like my food hot, too.
The way I would handle it would be to quietly ask the hostess if she minded me taking the food into the kitchen and "zapping it" for a minute or two. A good hostess wants her guests to be comfortable and will probably offer to do it for you.